User:Acawley25/LGBT history in the Dominican Republic

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Non-heteronormative Identities in the Taino (pre-1492)

Before the arrival of the Spanish in 1492, the Taino people lived in the Dominican Republic. Similar to the two-spirit identity that encompasses those who identify with gender variance, the Taino had many identities like Eierí-I’naru ("man" who has the spirit of a "woman") and concepts of non-gendered individuals were also present in their deities.

19th Century
The Dominican Republic's first publishing of the Criminal Code in 1822 did not explicitly outlaw homosexuality.

Laws and Regulation
The Dominican Police Codes adopted in 1966 outlawed sodomy between members of the police force, explicitly defined as:"Art. 210.—Sodomy consists of copulation between two persons of the same sex and shall be subject, if officers are involved, to a sentence of six months to two years of correctional imprisonment and, if enlisted personnel are involved, to a sentence of two to six months of correctional imprisonment."

Visibility
Dominican LGBT visibility in the early to mid 20th century largely revolved around artistic expression. Published in 1947, Pedro René Contín Aybar's "Biel, el marino" was noted as possibly the first Dominican homoerotic novel.

The first documented "gay pride march" occurred in 1999 as a planned protest against the discrimination and repression from local leaders.

Laws and Regulation
In 2000, the Dominican Republic adopted The General Youth Law protecting youth from discrimination based on gender or sexuality explicitly in Article 2 and 27.

Public Opinion and Violence
Public opinion on LGBT+ individuals in the Dominican Republic has seen positive changes in the recent years, and approval of same-sex marriage has increased significantly according to a survey done by the Latin American Public Opinion Project. However, many still face severe discrimination and violence. According to a report by Trans Siempre Amigas (TRANSSA) and the Observatorio de Derechos Humanos para Grupos Vulnerabilizados (ODHGV), transgender individuals face "high levels" of discrimination and exclusion, and Amnesty International reported similar findings generalized across any LGBT+ identities. LGBT individuals also experience high levels of "police abuse, including arbitrary arrest, police violence, and extortion against LGBT+ persons". There is also evidence of discrimination from doctors and state officials, workplace harassment, employment discrimination, and restricted access to medical care.

Caravana del Orgullo (Caravan of Pride)
The Caravana del Orgullo, or "caravan of pride" began in 2001 with its first celebration in Santo Domingo being met with large community push back. This caused the next Caravana del Orgullo to not be hosted in Santo Domingo until 2007. 2010 marks the first year that a Caravana del Orgullo celebration received a permit. Since 2007, the Caravana del Orgullo has become progressively more funded and internationally supported by groups like NGO, d the Ministry of Culture, the Director General of Cinema, la Cinemateca Dominicana, the Spanish Cultural Center, the US embassy, the Canadian embassy, and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

Draguéalo

Draguéalo parties started in 2013, hosted by Carlos Rodríguez as a gender-bending event meant to provide a space that was not exclusive to certain groups.