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By: Pompilio Peña Montoya/ We Remember *

Luis Álvarez Campuzano, a 17-year-old, was the victim of a machete attack by a neighbor, a year younger than him. After confronting him about his homosexuality, the neighbor severed his left arm above the elbow. The homophobic attack occurred on July 31 at 2:45 p.m. in the municipality of Sincelejo, in the Caribbean region of Colombia, when Luis asked his attacker for respect and the man attacked him with the weapon. 

Luis was taken to the hospital in Sincelejo and remained there for nine days. Upon returning home, he was surprised to find family, friends, and neighbors there, who surrounded him with affectionate words of support and solidarity.

According to Oneida Campuzano, the young man's mother, her son has been the target of bullying and ridicule for several years because of his sexual orientation. This has happened not only in his neighborhood but also at school, where he is in ninth grade. They say that Luis has always been known for not paying attention to the insults, being an excellent student, and having a fun-loving personality, showing interest in learning about cooking and beauty. In fact, Luis always had a good relationship with the mother of the young man who attacked him, whom he sometimes accompanied shopping.

“Thank God my son is okay. What we want is for this kind of thing not to happen to anyone again. We are deeply grateful for the support we have received,” said Oneida Campuzano, a mother and head of household, who has worked hard to raise Luis and two other children in a humble home in Altos del Rosario, a neighborhood inhabited mainly by people displaced by violence, where water is scarce and electricity is only available for a few hours a day.

Regarding the aggressor, authorities in Sincelejo reported that the 16-year-old was detained for a few hours and released due to improper police procedures during his arrest. The arrest was not carried out with the participation of the Colombian Institute of Family Welfare (ICBF) and the Child and Adolescent Police. The teenager is currently staying with a relative awaiting a court appearance. In response, Sub-Lieutenant Carlos Mejía, from the Human Rights Office of the Sucre Police, stated that they have been closely monitoring the case to ensure that the rights of both the victim and the perpetrator are respected.

“I hug Luis and all the Luises.”

Luis's case has received so much attention in Colombia that even the mayor of Bogotá, Claudia López, a member of the LGBTI community, sent the young man a message of support via her Twitter account: "A hug to Luis and all the Luises of Bogotá and Colombia." She also condemned all expressions of homophobia.

Several organizations have also begun supporting Luis. Colombia Diversa, Pink Consultores, and Sucre Diversa launched a campaign to raise funds and support the young man in his comprehensive recovery process. This was confirmed by Hugo Ramos Hernández, president of the Sucre Diversa Foundation. So far, they have raised just over 79 million pesos, approximately $20,000, through a digital platform .

A prosthesis and solidarity for Luis

“Our goal was to raise 30 million pesos for a prosthesis so that Luis can travel to either Medellín or Bogotá for his treatments. We are currently working to locate the best medical specialists in this field. The idea is also to make improvements to his home, since Luis, two other young people, and his mother live in very precarious conditions; in fact, they don't even have appliances. We are deeply grateful to everyone who has contributed,” commented Hugo Ramos Hernández.

Cecilia Tejada Silva, from the Office of Management and Social Equity of the Sucre Departmental Government, stated that “with the help of the Health Secretariat, we have been providing psychosocial support to Luis and his family. From the moment we learned of the situation, we provided him with personal protective equipment. We also gave his mother a food basket. Our support will be comprehensive.” The official added that they are in the process of delivering a tablet with internet access so that Luis can resume his studies, since all educational institutions are closed due to the pandemic and the measures adopted by the national government.

The road to recovery

Today, Luis remains at home recovering from the wound on his amputated arm, taking care not to contract COVID-19, and regaining his strength to resume his classes. Although, as his mother says, Luis sometimes expresses feeling "devastated," one can sense in his attitude a strength and a desire to continue pursuing his dreams.

They believe that some of these dreams can become a reality, said Hugo Ramos, a member of Sucre Diversa, not only because thanks to the funds collected they will be able to get a prosthesis and acquire some household items and appliances for Luis's family, but they are also seeking support so that once he reaches adulthood and finishes high school, he can train in cooking and beauty courses.

In response to this situation, Hugo Ramos stated that in Sucre there is no clear protocol for addressing these attacks against LGBTI people, and therefore called on the national government, through the Ministry of the Interior, to "activate an urgent cases task force so that the Sucre government and all its municipalities know how to address these types of attacks against children and adolescents with diverse sexual orientations."

According to a report by Caribe Afirmativo, an association that defends the human rights of the LGBTI population, between July 1 and 18, 2020, 40 cases of aggression were reported along the Colombian Caribbean coast, although it is estimated that there is a large underreporting due to a lack of complaints.

* This article was written as part of an information alliance for the Journalism and Memory Network, between Hacemos Memoria of the University of Antioquia and Agencia Presente s.