Fridae

A court in Bogotá has ordered Colombia’s National Museum to safeguard objects removed from its displays, including material documenting LGBTQ+ history, while it considers a constitutional-rights challenge.

The 19 October interim order bars the museum from destroying, altering, returning to third parties or moving the objects outside its premises, according to Cambio’s report on the decision. The 24th Family Court also required formal administrative justification for any further removal of pieces because of their content.

Gabriel Becerra, one of the claimants, confirmed the protection measures in a post that day. He said the challenge had been brought with the León Zuleta and Revolución en Rosa collectives.

For LGBTQ+ advocates, the dispute concerns access to records of their own organising. In a 16 October statement, Caribe Afirmativo said records of Pride marches more than a decade old were among the material reported removed. It asked the museum and Culture Ministry to explain the selection criteria, identify the objects’ whereabouts and ensure public access.

The arts and humanities faculty at Universidad de los Andes identified another removed document: the séptima papeleta, linked to the student campaign for Colombia’s 1991 Constitution. The faculty’s 19 October statement said the displays drew on years of research and the memories and experiences of participating communities.

Culture Minister Paola Holguín had defended the review in a 16 October statement. She said the museum should not be an instrument of “political indoctrination” and that the ministry was evaluating and redesigning its museum practice and curatorship.

The protection order is temporary. Becerra said the claimants would continue to seek the pieces’ return to the galleries.