Collectives demand before the Constitutional Court to protect the rights of the LGBTIQ+ community
More than 30 social organizations and human rights activists demonstrated this Wednesday in front of the Constitutional Court (TC) headquarters in Santo Domingo. The purpose of the meeting was to demand that sexual orientation and gender identity be explicitly integrated into the laws that sanction discrimination in the country.
The mobilization coincided with the public hearing where the constitutional body is evaluating a direct action of unconstitutionality against article 173 of the new Penal Code (Law 74-25). According to the plaintiffs, this regulation, although it establishes sanctions for discriminatory acts, presents a worrying omission by not expressly including the LGBTIQ+ community.
Legal uncertainty and inequality
Leonardo Sánchez, spokesperson for the movement, warned that the current wording creates legal uncertainty that could leave this sector in a vulnerable situation. The activist emphasized that the demand does not seek privileges, but rather a clear guarantee of equality before the State.
We need laws to explicitly include sexual orientation and gender identity within their provisions, because we can no longer continue with ambiguous legislation that is open to interpretation.
Leonardo Sánchez, spokesperson for the collective
For their part, other voices in the collective highlighted that this omission contravenes Article 39 of the Dominican Constitution, which enshrines the fundamental right to equality. They argued that if the law protects against discrimination based on sex, color, age, disability, or religion, sexual orientation should enjoy the same legal protection to prevent harm in employment, education, and access to basic services.
Key points of the claim
- Scope of Article 173: It currently contemplates prison sentences of two to three years and fines of nine to fifteen minimum wages for discriminatory acts, but groups point out that the lack of explicit mention of sexual orientation weakens its application.
- Involved organizations: The manifesto is backed by entities such as COLESDOM, Diversidad Dominicana, ASA, TRANSSA, Casa Q+, among other allied organizations.
- Inclusive definition: It is worth remembering that LGBTIQ+ is an acronym that groups together lesbian, gay, bisexual, trans, intersex, queer, and other sexual and gender diverse people.
The protesters remained in the vicinity of the Constitutional Court (TC) waiting for the court to determine whether the reported omission violates constitutional principles, trusting that the ruling will strengthen the framework of citizen protection for all sectors of Dominican society.
