Hundreds of LGBTQ+ Colombians stage moving ‘kiss-a-thon’ after bigoted mob threatens gay couple
Crowds of LGBTQ+ people gathered in a park in Bogotá, Columbia for a “besatón” after a bigoted crowd harassed a gay couple. (YouTube/La Disidencia)
Hundreds of people defiantly locked lips in a mass “kiss-a-thon” after a hateful mob threatened a gay couple for kissing in a Columbian park.
The peaceful protest was organised on social media in response to a viral video showing two gay men being forced from a park in Colombia’s capital city Bogotá by a group of angry bigots.
The women can be heard shouting at the couple “in this neighbourhood, we don’t allow sex in the park, especially not in front of children”.
One of the men asked “what sex” the mob was talking about as the pair only kissed, the BBC reported.
The women insulted the couple with one saying they would “lynch” the pair if they didn’t leave. Another woman was filmed chasing after the men and appeared to try to hit them with a broomstick.
Hundreds of queer people staged a “besatón”, or a “kiss-a-thon”, in the same park on Sunday (31 July) to support for the LGBTQ+ community and show they weren’t going to be intimidated by the hateful incident.
People waved kaleidoscopic flags, danced, chanted and played joyful music to celebrate the strength of the LGBTQ+ community. Some people held signs reading “kisses are signs of affection, not a crime” while another sign declared: “We want to be able to kiss without being monitored.”
Colombia legalised same-sex marriage in 2016 and same-sex parents have equal rights to adoption as their straight counterparts. Discrimination against LGBTQ+ people is prohibited in the country.
Despite being more liberal than many other countries in South America, the LGBTQ+ community still faces many incidents of discrimination in Colombia.
Crowds of same-sex couples previously staged a besatón outside the upscale shopping mall in Bogotá in 2019 to raise awareness about LGBTQ+ rights in the South American country.
The demonstration came after another gay couple reported they were harassed by a man at the Andino shopping centre, the Associated Press reported. The man was said to have pushed the couple and screamed profanities at them just because they were hugging and holding hands.
The couple called the police about the enraged bigot, but they were instead fined for indecent exposure.
