LGBT marchers in Venezuela’s capital call for same-sex marriage recognition
Hundreds of people joined an LGBT march in Caracas, Venezuela’s capital, on 31 October 2026, calling for same-sex marriage, legal protection for families headed by same-sex couples and penalties for discrimination. EFE reported on the demonstration in an article published by El Diario.
The event, called Orgullotón, also supported people affected by the earthquakes of 24 June. According to Contrapunto’s report citing the organisers, a collection of food and medicines for affected families was announced alongside the march. EFE said the procession had previously been postponed because of the earthquakes in northern Venezuela, which particularly affected the coastal state of La Guaira.
Venezuelan lawyer and activist Richell Briceño told EFE that community representatives had approached the Supreme Tribunal of Justice in the week before the march to demand rulings on cases concerning LGBT people. Some have been awaiting decisions for more than a decade, she said.
Bruno Gallo, the Caracas representative of the Ombudsman’s Office, told participants that the country had not fulfilled its obligations to this section of the population. He said the office was ready to receive petitions and support the expansion of rights.
A separate criminal provision applied to same-sex relations involving military personnel has already been struck down. As Venezuela Igualitaria reported, the Supreme Tribunal’s Constitutional Chamber annulled the final paragraph of Article 565 of the military justice code on 16 March 2023. It prescribed one to three years in prison and dismissal from the armed forces for sexual acts described in the law as “against nature”.
Uránia previously reported on the detention of 33 men at an LGBT venue in Barquisimeto. Human rights organisations alleged extortion by police; prosecutors opened an investigation and announced the arrest of five officers. Those reports concerned the initial stage of the investigation.
