LGBTQ literature in Ecuador

LGBT literature in Ecuador, defined as literature written by Ecuadorian authors that involves plots, themes or characters that are part of or are related to sexual diversity, had its earliest exponent in the short story The Man Who Was Kicked to Death, published in 1926 by Pablo Palacio, became the first Ecuadorian literary work to openly address homosexuality.

Throughout the twentieth century, several authors reflected the religious and cultural conceptions of the time, which is why the representation of LGBT characters often had negative connotations or tragic endings, especially considering that homosexuality was decriminalized in Ecuador in 1997. A gradual change in these representations took place at the end of the 20th century and was accentuated in the early years of the 21st century, with the first Ecuadorian novels to portray same-sex love relationships in a positive light, in particular Salvo el calvario and Eses fatales, both published in 2005.

In recent years, several Ecuadorian literary works with LGBT themes have achieved critical success and received national and international recognition, including novels such as Pequeños palacios en el pecho (2014), by Luis Borja Corral, Gabriel(a) (2019), by Raúl Vallejo, and some works by Mónica Ojeda.