In Memory of Sergio Amaya, a leading figure in LGBTIQA+ activism in Colombia

El CLACSO Working Group on Sexual Activisms and Citizenships: Interdisciplinary Dialogues expresses its deep sorrow for the passing of Sergio Amaya, which occurred on June 19, 2026.

Sergio was part of a pivotal generation in the history of the struggle for the rights of LGBTQ+ people in Colombia. His participation in the May Day mobilization of 1983 and the historic march of June 28, 1983—the first of their kind in Bogotá and in Colombia—constitutes invaluable testimony to the first instances of public visibility for homosexuals in Bogotá.

His life and his presence in those processes are part of a collective memory that must be recognized, preserved, and passed on. In contexts of persecution, stigmatization, and silencing, people like Sergio helped pave the way for generations who continue to defend dignity, equality, and the right to live without fear.

With her passing, we lose a living archive of the social and political memory of the LGBTIQ+ movements in Colombia. But we also reaffirm our ethical and historical responsibility to uphold her name, her legacy, and the collective meaning of those struggles that made possible new forms of citizenship, recognition, and participation.

We express our solidarity with their family, friends, colleagues, and fellow activists.
We honor their memory and reiterate our commitment to defending rights, preserving history, and recognizing those who made the public emergence of our existence possible.

Sergio Amaya: memory, dignity and historical presence.

First Homosexual Pride March, June 28, 1983, La Santamaría Bullring, Bogotá, Colombia.
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CLACSO Working Group Sexual activism and citizenship: interdisciplinary dialogues

This text expresses the position of the aforementioned Working Groups and not necessarily that of the centers and institutions that make up the CLACSO international network, its Steering Committee or its Executive Secretariat.

1. Photo credit: Manuel Antonio Velandia Mora. Personal archive MVelandiaMPhoto. Repository: Revealing the Rainbow / RVD-MSB-SXX, item INV00334. Available at https://ticomorales.github.io/RVDMSBSXX/item.html?id=INV00334  ↩︎