The Gay and Lesbian situation is better in Costa Rica than in most Latin American Countries.
Although Costa Rica is known for its good human rights record, the situation for gays and lesbians is still poor. Legally, homosexuality is not singled out as a criminal offence (except when an adult is with a minor under 18 of any gender), and most Costa Ricans are tolerant of gay and lesbian people - al long as they don't show affection for one another in public. Which means that homosexual life is pretty low-key in Costa Rica.
The tolerance of gay people only goes as far as a 'Don't ask; don't tell' philosophy. Despite the legal protection and theoretical equal rights of all Costa Ricans, gay or straight, police harassment in gay clubs and other locales has resulted in a string of human rights violations. People who come out publicly are often discriminated against by their employers and family. This results in a high level of depression, drug and alcohol abuse, and other psychological problems within the gay community.
In 1992, Triángulo Rosa (Pink Triangle), the first legally recognized gay group in Central America, was founded to support human rights for all members of the gay, lesbian and bisexual community, despite opposition from the political and religious establishment. Trángulo Rosa works in various fields, including AIDS and safe sex education, struggling against discrimination, supporting HIV+ people and those with AIDS, operating a community centre, forging positive relationships within the gay community and with the straight community, and providing information. Travellers will find that Triángulo Rosa can recommend gay-friedly hotels, bars, and meeting places in Costa Rica (especially in San José).
Leaders of Triángulo Rosa write that the situation with the gay rights movement in San José is about where it was in the non urban USA in the 1960s. In addition, the culture of machismo makes life 'a veritable hell for gays and lesbians' according to a local psychologist who treats HIV+ patients.
The Triángulo Rosa is staffed by about 20 volunteers and is supported mainly by local donations with some international funding. The volunteers say that their main aim is to save lives through education.
In 1998, a gay and lesbian festival that had been planned in San José was cancelled following comments from the Roman Catholic clergy that promoted heavy opposition to gay rights. The church has continued to lead homophobic sentiment in Costa Rica, forcing the cancellation of a gay and lesbian tour to Manuel Antonio and encouraging the blockade of a coastal hotel hosting a group of North American gays. The situation took an embarrassing turn in 1999, when the president of the ICT said that Costa Rica should not be a destination for sex tourism or gay men and lesbians. The gay community made it clear that it was against sex tourism, and that the linking of gay tourism with sex tourism was both untrue and defamatory. The official position in Costa Rica shifted toward stating that gay tourism was neither discriminated against nor encouraged.
However, the bottom line remains that discreet gay couples generally enjoy their vacations, and harassment is not a problem if Ticos are unaware of you sexual orientation.
Text by Lonely Planet. To buy the complete book
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Pictures by Angela and Jörn Malek. The team of 1-CostaRicaLink wishes you the best of times in our little paradise called Costa Rica.
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