- The LGTBI collective of Uruguay asks the State to publicly recognize and apologize for the persecution suffered during the dictatorship (1973-1985).
- The 2018 law already compensates more than 200 trans people, but the compensation, of about 500 dollars, leaves many out.
- The demand comes days after a March for Diversity that brought together tens of thousands of people in Montevideo.
The Uruguay LGTBI community is speaking out again about the dictatorship. This week, activists and researchers have asked the Uruguayan State for official recognition and a public apology for the repression suffered by lesbians, gays, bisexuals, and trans people between 1973 and 1985. According to the collective, “the persecution was not only political: it was also moral, sexual, and gender-based”.
What does the LGTBI collective ask of the Uruguayan State?
The collective asks for “public recognition” and an “apology from the Uruguayan State” for the persecution during the civic-military dictatorship. This is explained by Diego Sempol, a professor in the Department of Political Science at the University of the Republic and a researcher on police repression.
According to Sempol, during the regime, “a number of forms of discrimination and homophobia” became “state policy”. There were “mechanisms of police persecution”, teachers were dismissed for having “sexualities considered not in line with what was expected”, and there were arbitrary detentions.
“Transvestite Memories”: the documentary that confirmed the pattern
Sempol directed, along with Alejandro Albertti, the documentary “Transvestite Memories”, which confirmed “patterns of state persecution consistently over time”. For the researcher, memory is “a very powerful tool for constructing identity”.
How does the compensation for trans people work?
The Comprehensive Law for Trans People of 2018, a pioneering norm in Latin America, provides for economic compensation for trans people who “were victims of institutional violence or deprived of their liberty” during that time. More than 200 people have received it. The amount is 20,592 Uruguayan pesos, about 500 dollars, and only those born before December 31, 1975 can apply.
Josefina González, national director of Sexual Diversity at the Ministry of Social Development, acknowledges that the law reaches a “very small segment” of the community. Ingrid Padilla, director of the Trans Collective of Uruguay, is one of the 300 people who started the process and was rejected due to a difference of five months. She asks to be able to “believe in a system” that excluded them.
A massive march as a prelude
On September 25, tens of thousands of people filled Libertador Avenue in Montevideo with the slogan “Live with dignity, exist with pride”. Daniela Buquet, from the Coordinator of the March for Diversity, denounced that the community “continues to live with constant violence”.
Among the demands were to truly apply the 1% trans labor quota in public calls and to give visibility to lesbians: “We march because lesbians continue to suffer invisibility”. The march was dedicated to Luis Magallanes (Dulce Polly), a pioneer of Uruguayan drag, who died in early 2026. Among the advances, they highlighted that land has been obtained for the first housing cooperative for the trans population.
Frequently asked questions
What does the LGTBI collective demand in Uruguay?
A public recognition and an apology from the State for the persecution during the dictatorship from 1973 to 1985.
Is there already any compensation?
Yes. The Comprehensive Law for Trans People of 2018 compensates with about 500 dollars for trans people born before 1976.
How many people have received it?
More than 200, out of the 300 who started the process.
