A version of this article was originally published by HuffPost on January 10, 2013.
There was a time when the most important developments in LGBT rights occurred in North Atlantic countries, but since the late 2000s all of the Americas, not just the United States and Canada, have begun to set trends. As we look to 2013, here are some of the trends to follow in the hemisphere’s struggle for LGBT rights.
1. The disease responds to treatment
Scholars have long argued that homophobia is a curable disease, and the Americas are proving just that. With the right treatment — exposure to LGBT people and more information — intolerance tends to lessen. The 2012 elections in the United States provided evidence of shifting public attitudes. For the first time ever, majorities approved same-sex marriage at the ballot box in three states and elected an openly lesbian senator. In part this shift in tolerance has been a positive side effect of a renewed national discussion about LGBT rights taking place since the mid-2000s.
Similar shifts were seen in Canada in the 1990s, and now they are visible in the rest of the region, as well. The question of LGBT rights has become an obligatory discussion topic even in presidential debates. And as expected, tolerance levels are increasing. Data from AmericasBarometer show that the percentage of respondents who approve of gay candidates for public office, while still low, has increased from 32 to 42 percent between 2008 and 2012. The theme for the 2012 São Paulo Pride Parade, “homophobia has a cure,” is proving to be true.
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