Honduras

Victory Institute and Somos CDC collaborated to train over 35 LGBTI leaders, produce research on LGBTI political participation in Honduras.

Victory Institute and Honduran LGBTI group Somos CDC collaborated to train over 35 LGBTI leaders, research LGBTI political participation in Honduras, and hold the largest event on LGBTI political participation in the Latin America and Caribbean region in October 2015.

Honduras has seen a handful of openly LGBTI candidates, but none so far have been elected to office. Trans activist and Victory Institute trainee Kendra Jordany is running in this year’s Central America Parliament elections, and in March 2017, she became the first trans Honduran ever to win a primary election.

Moving forward, Somos CDC plans to continue to provide collaborative follow-up trainings to LGBTI leaders in the country and to implement activities around the November 2017 elections.

Featured Leader

Erick Vidal Martínez

A Victory Institute trainee and participant in our regional conferences in Peru and Honduras as well as our International LGBTQ Leaders Conference in Washington, DC, Erick Vidal Martínez works with political parties on LGBTI inclusion. He was appointed and serves as Sexual Diversity Coordinator of the LIBRE party, a position previously left vacant.

Successes in Honduras

The Honduran Deputy Minister of the Interior, Honduran National Police Commissioner, and other elected officials met with their openly LGBTI counterparts in the Latin American and Caribbean region to discuss ways to increase LGBTI political participation. The meeting also included Carmen Muñoz, Deputy Minister of the Interior and Police of Costa Rica; Peruvian Congressman Carlos Bruce; Congressman and former Fresnillo, Mexico Mayor Benjamín Medrano; and Buenos Aires Deputy Maximiliano Ferraro.

Trainings were held with political party representatives on sensitivity to LGBTI issues and inclusion of LGBTI persons within their party structures.

More than 300 participants from 22 countries attended the regional conference on LGBTI political participation in Tegucigalpa in October 2015. High-ranking LGBTI officials from the region and six of seven Honduran political parties were also in attendance.

In-Country Partner