LGBTQIA+ in Guayaquil

LGBTQIA+ in Guayaquil encompasses the various expressions of sexuality and gender of the LGBTQ populations who have lived in the Ecuadorian city of Guayaquil throughout its history. According to the 2022 Ecuadorian Population and Housing Census, Guayaquil is the city with the highest number of openly LGBT-identifying people in the country, and events like the Guayaquil LGBT Pride March annually bring together tens of thousands of people. The city has numerous nightlife establishments catering to an LGBT audience, although deficiencies are noted in the availability of other tourist and cultural options focused on sexual diversity.

Social acceptance of LGBT people has increased considerably in recent decades, to the point where today there are legal protections, both nationally and locally, that protect sexually diverse people. However, acts of discrimination still occur and, according to a 2022 survey by the consultancy firm Ipsos, LGBT people are less accepted in Guayaquil compared to other Ecuadorian cities like Quito.

Before the 1970s, there was little visibility of homosexuality in the city, although figures of diverse sexuality from Guayaquil did emerge, such as the poet David Ledesma Vázquez. The return to democracy coincided with an increase in the visibility of LGBT people, although this brought with it an intensification of persecution of these groups by local and national authorities. These policies became particularly palpable during the government of President León Febres-Cordero Ribadeneyra (1984–1988), during which arrests and violence against homosexual, transgender, or any man displaying characteristics considered "effeminate" became widespread.

The decriminalization of homosexuality in Ecuador, approved in 1997, reduced discrimination against this group in the city; however, segregation persisted during the early years of the 21st century, particularly by the municipal authorities themselves, who used to prohibit LGBT people from entering public spaces, such as Malecón 2000, under the purported argument of "protecting morality and good customs". During this time, LGBT activists repeatedly tried to obtain permits to hold a pride march in the city, but the authorities refused. However, in 2008, the first Guayaquil LGBT Pride March was finally held, and it has since become a massive event.

The 2010s marked a shift in the attitude of municipal authorities towards sexual diversity, who began to lend their support to LGBT events and position Guayaquil as a city of respect. Since then, important rights gains have been achieved for sexually diverse populations in the city, such as the approval in 2017 of an ordinance to prohibit all types of discrimination based on gender reasons or the celebration, starting in 2019, of the first same-sex marriages.

In addition to the pride march, Guayaquil is currently the scene of various annual events focused on sexually diverse populations, such as the El Lugar Sin Límites International LGBT Film Festival and the National Trans March. LGBT organizations such as Asociación Silueta X, Alianza Igualitaria, Mujer & Mujer, and Casa de las Muñecas have their main headquarters in the city, which also hosts permanent performances by local drag artists.