Karl P. Says:
How LGBTQ-friendly is Ecuador?
IL Ecuador Correspondent Donna Stiteler Says:
For individuals in the LBGTQ culture who are looking for social acceptance and legal protections, Ecuador is a viable option. Study Ecuador’s political history, and you’ll find this forward-thinking county protects more rights than expected. In 1998, Ecuador became one of the first countries in the world to constitutionally ban discrimination based on sexual orientation. Since 2008, same-sex couples can engage in civil unions with all of the rights of marriage (except for adoption), including participating in things like the national health care system or other legal contracts with all the rights of a married couple.
Under the 2016 Gender Identity Law, transgender people can now change their legal gender solely based on self-determination, without undergoing surgery. Ecuador is also one of the few countries in the world to have banned conversion therapy. In 2018, the Inter-American Court of Human Rights ruled that same-sex marriage is a human right protected by the American Convention on Human Rights, legalizing it in Ecuador.
Because LBGTQ rights are part of the constitution, there’s no worry about the supreme court taking away your rights. There are also much-needed treatments in Ecuador for HIV medicines and doctors in Ecuador who specialized in HIV/AIDS treatments. It’s easy to find friends at local expat events, gay friendly bars, and through social media like Nomadicboys.com and the LGBTQ Expats Living in Ecuador Facebook page. But mostly, members of the gay community just make friends with expats and Ecuadorians, regardless of sexual preference. Cuenca is a gay-friendly community and there are many couples here. Because it’s a cultural center, there’s more of an understanding of different lifestyles as writers, artists, and musicians bring a more open ideology.
As for other locations in Ecuador, Quito and Guayaquil are the two major cities in the country with the largest gay scenes due in part to the younger millennials living there. The city of Montañita, a village by the coast is famous for its bohemian vibe and very liberal attitude. It is a tourist town where if you are gay, you can feel extremely comfortable walking down the streets holding hands. In other Ecuadorian cities, it’s suggested that you do not show overt PDA, especially in smaller villages where there is less of an understanding of changing ideals on sexuality.
Editor’s Note: You can read an overview of how the countries on our beat rate for LGBTQ rights in the dedicated page on our website here.