Pushing back against anti-LGBTQI+ hate in Guatemala

Ultra-conservatives, “family values” groups and anti-rights initiatives are stoking hate for LGBTQI+ people in Guatemala.

"They have created spaces where it is acceptable to violate and attack LGBT people," says Diego Lima, project coordinator of the Asociación LAMBDA, an Inter Pares counterpart organization, in a recent article. Diego explains that anti-LGBTQI+ groups whip up hatred for queer and trans people by portraying them as enemies of society and threats to children. 

And it has dire consequences. In the first half of 2025, Asociación LAMBDA documented at least 12 people murdered in Guatemala due to anti-LGBTQI+ violence. 

But the Guatemalan LGBTQI+ rights group is pushing back. In addition to documenting homophobic and transphobic hate crimes, Asociación LAMBDA’s advocacy is critical to ensuring queer and trans rights in the country. 

In 2024, they fought back against three separate government bills that sought to restrict rights and criminalize LGBTQI+ identities—including one which could have meant years of jail time for people who share information about gender identity. Working together, Asociación LAMBDA and their allies managed to halt two of the three anti-rights bills.

Inter Pares’ support for Asociación LAMBDA also helps fund their public education, advocacy and capacity building with grassroots queer and trans groups in rural and Indigenous communities. Asociación LAMBDA also runs an LGBTQI+ migrant shelter—a space of vital importance with anti-rights and anti-immigrant rhetoric on the rise across the continent.

You can learn more about Asociación LAMBDA’s work to push back against anti-LGBTQI+ hate in Guatemala in this article, published by Ruda. 

Ruda is a publication that highlights the lives and struggles of women and gender diverse people through feminist journalism—and another counterpart we support in the Central American country.

Thanks to the generosity of our donors, Inter Pares is able to support Asociación LAMBDA and Ruda in their work at the forefront of the fight for LGBTQI+ justice in Guatemala. 

Ruda’s journalism raises awareness about anti-LGBTQI+ violence in Guatemala (often invisible and unchecked) and the work that organizations like Asociación LAMBDA are doing to push back against discrimination. Ruda also provides space for counter narratives by queer journalists.

Read the full article on Ruda’s website.

Inter Pares’ support for Asociación LAMBDA comes in part from the Act Together for Inclusion Fund (ACTIF). ACTIF is funded by the Government of Canada through Global Affairs Canada and is managed by Equitas in partnership with Dignity Network Canada.