IACHR calls on States to uphold LGBTI rights and avoid regressive measures

June 27, 2025

Washington, DC—In the context of LGBTI Pride celebrations occurring across much of the region in June, the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (IACHR) calls on the States of the region to adopt concrete legislative and public policy measures to end violence, discrimination, and social exclusion based on prejudice against non-normative sexual orientations, gender identities, gender expressions or diverse sex characteristics.

In recent years, states in the Americas and the Caribbean have increasingly implemented legal, institutional, and public policy reforms to combat violence and discrimination against LGBTI persons. These advances include the adoption of protocols for investigation and prosecution of crimes targeting LGBTI individuals, legal recognition of prejudice-based offenses such as transfemicides, and sustained training for justice operators in diversity and human rights. Together, these initiatives highlight a regional commitment to safeguarding the dignity and rights of LGBTI persons, fostering a more just and inclusive society.

Despite this significant progress, the region still faces serious challenges that hinder the full exercise of LGBTI persons' human rights. Violence remains alarmingly high: according to a civil society observatory, nearly 3,000 LGBTI persons have been murdered since 2014. The situation is worsened by increasing stigmatizing discourses coming from political leaders and disinformation campaigns targeting LGBTI persons, activists and defenders. These challenges underscore the urgent need for sustained regional action to protect those persons and ensure equal access to justice and human rights.

The IACHR also registered worrying attempts to reverse rights already secured for trans persons and the broader LGBTI community. These regressive measures include efforts to restrict their access to healthcare, censor terms like "diversity" and "gender" in public policies, dismantle institutions promoting equality, and reinstate laws criminalizing consensual same-sex relations. Such backsliding threatens hard-won progress and underscores the need to redouble efforts to defend and guarantee the human rights of LGBTI persons.

The Commission acknowledges the progress made in the region but is also mindful of the challenges that remain in the way of true equality. While some countries have made remarkable strides in protecting the human rights of LGBTI persons, discrimination still exists.

In this context, States are urged to intensify their efforts to promote, protect, and guarantee the rights of LGBTI persons, emphasizing the need to eradicate prejudice that leads to discriminatory practices and violence against them. They also must refrain from implementing regressive measures that undermine the rights already secured, achieved through collective and multilateral efforts and representing historic progress for these persons.

The IACHR underscores that any restriction of rights must strictly adhere to the principles of legality, necessity, and proportionality, and must never be justified by reasons rooted in prejudice or discrimination.

The Inter-American Commission reiterates its commitment to the promotion of the human rights of LGBTI persons and expresses its willingness to cooperate with States and civil society until real equality is achieved for all.

The IACHR is a principal and autonomous organ of the OAS, whose mandate derives from the OAS Charter and the American Convention on Human Rights. The Inter-American Commission has a mandate to promote the observance and defense of human rights in the region and acts as an advisory body to the OAS on the matter. The IACHR is composed of seven independent members who are elected by the OAS General Assembly in their personal capacity, and do not represent their countries of origin or residence.

No. 129/25

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