Bogota A Great Place To Live In !

The Colombian capital has become an inclusive place, where stereotypes increasingly lose strength. Conexión Colombia tells why.

By Gabriela Sáenz Laverde
Conexión Colombia Journalist

The Colombian capital has undergone many changes in recent years. On account of his physical transformation, the city is today an example of urban planning in the world. But perhaps the most important change is that there has been a human level. The social process of converting to Bogota in a more inclusive city has established itself as one of the most open in Latin America for the gay community. It has even gone so far considered the third largest gay scene in the region, after Rio de Janeiro and Buenos Aires.

Like Soho in London or the Castro district in San Francisco, the traditional home industry Chapinero a lot of bars, cafes and restaurants aimed primarily at the gay community, where same-sex couples live their daily lives peacefully. They have also been appearing in the area hotels designed to meet the needs of gay tourists who visit the city and prefer to stay in a place where they can show their lifestyle without having to go through the inquisitive eyes of more conservative guests.

Even to promote the strengthening of community activity and dealing with discrimination cases since 2006 working in the sector as a support center for the LGBT community. The center provides legal and psychological counseling to LGBT people, as well as workshops for those who still have difficulties in accepting their sexuality and for families who do not accept gay members. It is also a recreational where, among other things, show films, classes in English and dance.

The center, which began as an initiative of the foundation and Colombia Diversa Corporation Theatron today is part of the District Institute of Citizen Participation of the Mayor of Bogotá, which shows the county government will make the inclusion base management.

To Marcela Sanchez, director of Colombia Diversa, the political will exists for inclusion from the time the government of Luis Eduardo Garzon. Currently the Mayor of Bogotá has a public policy against discrimination, including the existence of the community center, and almost all agencies, many officials in charge of the issue of sexual diversity.

Additionally, Bogota universities are much more willing to support sexual diversity of its students. The groups at the National University Javeriana, District, Educational and Los Andes joined last year to create networks, the Inter-University Network for Diversity of sexual identity, which seeks to bring together the efforts of young people struggling to make known their identity and make it accepted without prejudice.


http://www.conexioncolombia.com/20060310844/Colombiano-es/Bogota-Una-ciudad-de-mente-abierta.html