Description
The inclusion of the voices and experiences of Colombian LGBTIQ+ people affected by armed conflict in transitional justice mechanisms marks a ground-breaking achievement in the advancement of the recognition of the human rights of LGBTIQ+ people globally. The testimonies of LGBTIQ+ victims collected through historical memory initiatives have revealed multiple ways in which anti-queer violence has been used and instrumentalised by armed actors to maintain and escalate the armed conflict. However, these testimonies have also shed light on other types of violence that challenge and exceed the armed conflict narrative (its actors, dynamics, and timeframe) and the current transitional justice framework. In this paper, I reflect on some of the challenges and limitations that have emerged from the inclusion of LGBTIQ+ people’s testimonies in transitional justice processes in Colombia and propose a series of theoretical bridges between feminist, queer, and decolonial approaches to violence and conflict to better listen to and consider the experiences of LGBTIQ+ people living in conflict-affected contexts. Crucial to this reflection is the need to trace the intersections between gender-based violence against women and homo-transphobic violence, and the role of the family structure in the (re)production of gender as a violent field of norms in conflict, post-conflict, and peace times—a much-needed conversation in the current times of fragmentation within the feminist movement worldwide.
Keywords: historical memory, transitional justice, LGBTIQ+, gender-based violence, Colombia
