The Gay and Lesbian Movement in Honduras

My study of gay/lesbian and transvestite organizations in Honduras dates back to the fall of 1996. My interest was based on the fact that we as Hondurans have always claimed to be of a conservative religious background and therefore, with a history of anti-homosexual acts. Honduran homosexuals are common victims of family, church, political and even police harassment, hindering most from outing themselves. The number of violations of gay and lesbian human rights is increasing more rapidly than the number of organizations protecting them. However, three years ago one of the newly formed organizations carried out a public protest demanding legal recognition for their group and their struggle continues. At the same time other groups were organized and started working on the empowerment of the gay and lesbian community but fear to apply for political or governmental recognition. There was an invisible movement that lead to the surge of these organizations, two in the capital city, and other two in the northern city of San Pedro Sula.

These organizations started and continue to work individually, and very few collective efforts have been made in order to become a tangible politically influential force. My thesis research is the first attempt at studying those sociological factors such as historical events, community and identity process, gender roles, and class division behind this movement and specifically from a native's point of view.

In my research gathering, one of the first obstacles I confronted was the lack of data regarding gay and lesbian movements in Central America. There were only two gay, lesbian and/or transvestite studies on Honduras. One of them, authored by Richard Elliot, a Canadian lawyer (1995), was on the violation of gay and lesbian human rights, and the other was a survey research report about knowledge, attitudes and practices among gay men in San Pedro Sula that shape the incidence and prevalence of HIV/AIDS infection. The latter was funded by the US Agency for International Development (USAID)'s AIDSCAPS program (1996).

The reasons behind the emergence of these groups, which dates back to 1987, were for mere entertainment purposes (parties and social gatherings). In 1985, AIDS claimed the life of a gay man, which sparked governmental campaigns against homosexuals and their behavior until the late 1980's. In 1991 the Honduran Asso-ciation of Homosexuals Fighting Against AIDS (AHHCOS) emerged as a response to the governmental campaigns. Several organizations followed along with different purposes and missions. The most relevant ones include Colectivo Violeta (1995), working mostly with gay men and transvestites; Prisma, (1994) attracting mostly gays and lesbians.

In addition, there is a lesbian organization known as Las Hijas Del Ma?z formerly known as the "Lesbian Self Consciousness Group." This group dates back to as early as 1988 though it has not been consistent due to the lack of communication skills, organizational experience, and lesbian consciousness, not to mention society’s prejudice against gay women. It seems that people have been more tolerant toward gay men than lesbians. This is observed even in some gay organizations where lesbians have been criticized as problematic and homophobic.

Honduran homosexual organizations have different goals based on gender, geographical location, class, and educa-tional status. The groups in San Pedro Sula are made up mostly of working class gay men, including transvestites and male sexual workers. These men were the first to "come out" of the closet when looking for a legal recognition, which they are yet to obtain. They consider themselves to be "brave enough" to face society in their fight towards the recognition of gay human rights. They are especially con-cerned with the risk of HIV/AIDS infection among gay men. On the other hand, the gay and lesbian organization in Tegucigalpa (Prisma), gathers mostly middle and upper middle class people. They claim to have members of a higher educational, financial, and cultural background, which has lead them to focus more on the empowerment process than on the HIV/AIDS topic. Contrary to AHHCOS and Colectivo Violeta, this organization as such remains "in the closet." Colectivo Violeta is the only group that has stated gay and lesbian human rights as its main concern, although the other ones have started to raise this issue among its members. It is worth mentioning that, all of the groups mentioned above have obtained at one point or another, funds from either foreign development agencies such as USAID's AIDSCAPS and Holland's HIVOS. These funds have been oriented mostly toward the reduction of risky sexual behavior related to HIV/AIDS infection, and the promotion of education and self-esteem. As for the lesbian organizations, they have had different reasons to get organized. They have worked from a feminist-lesbian standpoint, which has involved a more political concern in terms of women’s social participation, and coming-out process.

Regarding political involvement, I see very little action from all the existing gay organizations in Honduras. Apparently the plans of these groups are more concerned with their individual work rather than creating a national task force, losing the opportunity to turn the movement into a self sustainable and influential political force for Honduras.