Latin America’s LGBT leadership

Latin America has become an unlikely leader in LGBT rights.

In 2010, five years before the United States, Argentina became the second country in the Western Hemisphere (after Canada) to legalize same-sex marriage — and other countries have followed suit.

Latin America, despite the opposition of cultural forces such as the Roman Catholic Church, is rapidly becoming a leader in LGBT rights. It’s been an ongoing struggle that dates back to the mid-20th century.

While there’s no shortage of opposition to this cultural shift, the 23 countries under the umbrella of the Inter-American Court of Human Rights, following an advisory opinion at the beginning of 2018, are now technically required to legalize same-sex marriage.