A Transgender Teen’s Case In Ecuador Opens Path For Others Seeking Legal Recognition

Her sanction translates from Spanish arsenic “beloved.”

“We decided to telephone her ‘Amada’ because she came into our location to beryllium cherished,” said Lorena Bonilla, whose transgender girl was precocious authorized to alteration her personality documents nether a ruling by Ecuador’s Constitutional Court.

Her lawsuit — alongside different decided successful March — has opened nan doorway for Ecuadorian adolescents seeking to modify their sanction and activity successful charismatic records. Adults gained that correct aft years of defense efforts culminating successful a 2024 reform.

The court’s rulings were welcomed by supporters of LGBTQ+ authorities successful a region wherever blimpish movements person gained crushed successful caller months. Yet they besides pass of nan ineligible and societal hurdles that transgender group proceed to face.

“In Ecuador location are still political, belief and societal sectors that represent gender nickname for adolescents arsenic a threat,” said Cristian González Cabrera, an LGBTQ+ authorities interrogator astatine Human Rights Watch. “That ambiance tin construe into organization hostility, delays and unjustified denials.”

Bonilla and her daughter, 17, knowledgeable that firsthand successful 2018. Their ineligible conflict began erstwhile Amada was 9 and schoolhouse authorities refused to admit her because her ineligible documents did not lucifer her gender identity.

“We went done 14 schools and nary would return her in,” Bonilla said. “We past knew we needed to alteration her name.”

A tribunal initially granted Amada nan correct to modify her personality documents. But nan civilian registry appealed nan determination and a higher tribunal later ruled that her passport and ID paper should bespeak her commencement sanction and sex.

“It was a measurement backward for our rights,” Bonilla said.

Legal gains, rising pushback

LGBTQ+ authorities successful Ecuador person mostly been shaped by tribunal rulings alternatively than by lawmakers aliases authorities officials. A akin move has unfolded successful different Andean countries specified arsenic Colombia and Peru.

“The legislative and executive branches correspond nan country’s wide majorities, yet LGBTQ group are often overlooked,” said Christian Paula, president of nan Pakta Foundation, which provides ineligible support successful cases for illustration Amada’s. “Turning to nan courts reflects a deficiency of openness and sensitivity wrong our institutions.”

Among Ecuador’s astir important advances successful LGBTQ+ rights, 3 person travel done nan courts. They see nan decriminalization of homosexuality successful 1997, a 2009 ruling that allowed an Ecuadorian transgender female to alteration her name, and nan legalization of same-sex matrimony successful 2019.

Those tribunal decisions sparked a backlash from right-wing and belief groups.

In a station connected X pursuing nan Constitutional Court’s 2026 rulings, André Santos, president of 1 of Ecuador’s astir vocal blimpish groups, said nan tribunal had overstepped its authority. He has besides spoken against schoolhouse protocols allowing students to usage uniforms and bathrooms that align pinch their gender identity.

The country’s Catholic bishops convention besides expressed interest complete nan court’s action. “Allowing adolescents to make decisions of this quality poses superior risks to their wide development,” it said.

Little governmental support

President Daniel Noboa has not been arsenic outspoken against transgender causes arsenic immoderate different blimpish leaders successful Latin America, but his management has shown small support for LGBTQ+ rights.

As a candidate, he pledged to take sides nan accepted family. Since taking office, unit and economical instability person overshadowed gender and diverseness issues successful his governmental agenda.

“What worries america are his ministers,” said Diane Rodríguez, a lawyer and president of Ecuadorian LGBTQ+ statement Silueta X.

Rodríguez, a trans woman, pointed to officials successful nan Education Ministry, including existent curate Gilda Alcívar, who has rejected nan inclusion of what she calls “gender ideology” successful education. That climate, Rodríguez said, is reflected successful her regular interactions.

From Guayaquil, wherever she raises a 4-year-old girl pinch her partner, a trans man, Rodríguez has faced difficulties astatine her child’s school.

“We had problem enrolling her because group spot maine and presume I’m going to move children transgender because of really I look,” Rodríguez said.

Throughout her career, she has provided ineligible support for group facing sex-based favoritism and backed a programme providing hormone curen for trans people. Her activity has besides focused connected raising consciousness astir unit against her community.

Silueta X publishes an yearly grounds of killings of LGBTQ+ people. Its first study successful 2013 documented 2 killings and nan numbers person risen each year. The 2025 publication reported 30 deaths, 21 of them trans women.

From parents to advocates

Amada told her parents that she was a woman astatine property 3. She asked for a princess-themed day party. But Bonilla and her hubby — some raised Catholic — assumed she was confused and dressed her arsenic a prince instead.

It took them a fewer years to understand their girl and disregard psychologists who said thing was incorrect pinch her aliases that they had done a mediocre parenting job.

“Comments tin beryllium ruthless and group person nary thought what families for illustration ours spell through,” said Mauricio Caviedes, Amada’s father. “I dream acquisition connected this rumor changes truthful group tin understand.”

As they learned much astir nan trans community, their conflict to modify Amada’s personality documents evolved into a broader cause. Bonilla and Caviedes became activists, bringing their kids pinch them to protests and conferences. They supported different LGBTQ+ causes specified arsenic same-sex matrimony and founded an statement for families of trans children for illustration their own.

“That became nan only measurement we could conflict nan state,” Bonilla said. “We were 25 families pinch transgender children of different ages, nan oldest being 12.”

Her family moved to Canada during nan COVID-19 pandemic. And while she treasures really welcoming their caller location has been for her daughter, she keeps advocating for LGBTQ+ authorities successful Ecuador.

Amada, now a beardown student who dreams of becoming a nurse, was shaped by years of watching her parents support trans friends and organization members struggling to entree wellness attraction without discrimination. She has ne'er appeared publically connected camera, but nan visibility of her lawsuit feels for illustration a lifelong bequest for Bonilla.

“People deliberation nan destiny of transgender group is to go activity workers aliases unrecorded successful hiding,” Bonilla said. “But we want each genitor to cognize that 1 time their kid tin go immoderate they want to be.”

Hernández writes for nan Associated Press.