An endless struggle | Konzeptwerk Neue Ökonomie

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In a circular letter issued on May 21, 2025 the Guatemalan Ministry of Education expressly prohibits any type of training related to gender ideology or comprehensive education provided by NGOs in all public schools.

This article is written from personal experience and is a critique of the power and gender structures that are present in different areas and spaces.

In the 21st century, as in other neighboring countries in the Central American region, the condition and situation of women in Guatemala is determined by unequal relations in political, economic, social, and cultural power. The gap between men and women remains as wide as in previous years.

Conservatism continues to wield considerable power and conflicts specifically related to women's rights, the LGBT+ community, and gender equality. There is a huge wave of opposition to the recognition of women's rights and LGBT+ community initiatives. One of the main foundations of this opposition are traditional values and religion, which often have a sexist basis. On social media platforms such as Facebook, X, and TikTok, it is common to see expressions of hatred, sexism, homophobia, and racism against women, indigenous people, feminists, and members of the LGBT+ community. It is even normal to see offensive comments from adult-centric perspectives when young people express their opinions and positions on political issues or national realities.

This rejection and expressions of hatred are generated by state institutions such as the Congress of the Republic, which has failed to pass any legislation related to gender identity or sexual diversity. Sandra Moran, an openly lesbian congresswoman, was the last to try in 2018 with Initiative 5395, the Gender Identity Law, which sought recognition of the identity of all people in Guatemala. The bill also sought to protect and guarantee state attention for LGBTQI+ populations, including the creation of processes for the rectification of official documents such as personal identification documents (DPI). Currently, there is no one legislating for the rights of the LGBT+ community and diversity. The initiative was shelved by the Legislation and Constitutional Affairs Committee, and the Women's Committee issued an unfavorable opinion, preventing it from moving forward. Pressure from religious movements and Congress led to the initiative being shelved.

The Human Rights Ombudsman's Office is present in the legislative body with a diversity advocacy office that monitors public institutions and makes proposals that promote respect for diverse individuals.

From the perspective of the executive and judicial branches, there have been few efforts to become inclusive organizations.

I'm reminded of an article from the Constitution of the Republic of Guatemala: "In Guatemala, all people are free and equal in dignity and rights ," it says in Article 4 of the law. Nevertheless, we are still far from living under equal conditions and with equal rights.

At the regional level, there have also been steps backward: in El Salvador, since Nayib Bukele's first term, the Directorate of Sexual Diversity was dissolved and Executive Decree 56, which prohibited all forms of discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity in the government, was repealed.

In Honduras, on March 20, 2025, the La Via Campesina movement reported, based on data collected between 2005 and 2024, that a woman is murdered every 22 hours. So far in 2025, 45 women have been murdered, based solely on data reported to the Public Ministry in that country.

Will women, indigenous peoples, and members of the LGBT+ community be the most vulnerable in Guatemala? It's a question that has crossed my mind many times, but then I also remember that Guatemala, beyond being a beautiful country full of culture and traditions, is also a country where people survive and struggle to put food on the table and get their children to school. In recent years, Guatemala has become a country where its leaders live in an altered reality, with corrupt politicians who would never qualify as leaders, let alone good people, public servants with no desire to serve, a national civil police force that protects no one, religious figures trying to swindle the mara, as we say colloquially in our country, uncontrolled violence, femicides on a daily basis, never-ending injustices against indigenous peoples, streets full of harassment against women, just to mention a few things that happen.

Human rights organizations and social groups are concerned by conservatives' continued opposition to addressing issues of comprehensive sexuality education, including the inclusion of sexual diversity and the recognition of non-normative identities. It is worrisome that teachers themselves are the ones who oppose it, given the belief that teachers are agents of change for social transformation and guarantors of the human right to education.

The war in the country of eternal spring is now permanent against women, citizens, indigenous peoples, human rights, diversity, and, of course, against the millions of Guatemalans who go out every day to work from very early in the morning to have a good quality of life and a dignified existence. So the ban I mentioned at the beginning of this article is nothing new. We all hope that one day things will change in Guatemala. There is much work to be done, and the struggle continues through resistance and radical tenderness.

Omar Cobox
CCP 2025
Leipzig, Germany

Sources:

The war that never ends

Talking about LGBT+ rights and gender in Guatemala

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