In Nicaragua, the banding together to work for what is right can be traced back to the days of Augusto Sandino and through the fight against the dictatorship of Anastasio Somoza. During the Contra War of the 80’s, the Nicaraguan population faced a guerilla army that the United States supplied with weapons and money to fight the Sandistas.

A bronze Sandinista statue remains at a busy intersection in Managua as a reminder of the past. "Only the workers and campesinos will make it to the end" is inscribed at the base of the monument that towers over small children begging for money in the road. Miguel says his father designed the statue.

Today, it is in the struggle for social acceptance and human rights for sexual minorities that is a prominent issue—apparent through the Nicaraguan media. Recognizing what it took to accept their own sexuality, many sexual minorities have chosen to work in the burgeoning network of NGOs engaged in work with sexuality, gender and human rights.

Clara Jivania Castellón Ramirez lived through the Sandinista uprising against the dictator Somoza and the struggle of the 80’s. She has seen many changes in society and was involved in the initial organizing of the gay and lesbian movement during the late 1980’s. “Even before the Chamorro government, there was a precedence set by the Sandinistas because there was a movement of homosexuals developing during Sandinista times,” she says. “The Sandinista government didn’t want to support that and they threatened people that if they didn’t stop that movement they would be thrown in jail.”

Miguel dances in the kitchen of Ivania's home in Ciudad Sandino, Nicaragua, with his friend Tara. Miguel enjoys dancing to Nicaraguan music.

Despite the progressive changes made by Violeta Chamorro’s administration, she still passed Article 204. The law was introduced in 1992 and was upheld by the Nicaraguan Supreme Court in 1994. It states that “anyone who induces, promotes, propagandizes or practices in scandalous forms of sexual intercourse between persons of the same sex commits the crime of sodomy.”

While the law is not always enforced, its presence shows that cultural attitudes about sexual minorities influence public opinion and are a source of fear for many sexual minorities. In fact, the organization CEPRESI, which does AIDS/HIV education with gay and bisexual men, is careful about how they publicize themselves. They fear repercussions because of Article 204 if they are seen as promoting homosexuality.

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