Sexual Diversity in El Salvador : A Report on the Human Rights Situation of the LGBT Community

A. Davenport, L. Fletcher

This report is an assessment of the current human rights situation of LGBT community members in El Salvador. The report documents the priority issues identified by community members, examines the applicable human rights norms and standards, reviews current efforts to address these problems, and offers recommendations for law and policy reform. This evaluation is based on analysis of relevant international and national laws and policies, published documentation of abuses against LGBT individuals in El Salvador, and twenty seven individual and group interviews conducted in El Salvador and by telephone with dozens of stakeholders between February 2011 and November 2011, including government officials, advocates, and LGBT community members. The report emphasizes the particularly acute forms of discrimination that transgender individuals face. Educational institutions were found to either reject outright transgender applicants due to their gender identity, or require them to alter their appearance and conform to the information contained in their national identity document (DUI).