A few days ago, the President of the Republic made a statement that sent ripples through the country:

“I do not want to see Costa Rica anymore in those forums related to rights, diversities, and those things where the country is already, thank God, up to date.”

Her words force us to confront a fundamental question: What does it actually mean to be “up to date” regarding human rights?

If being up to date means having achieved a society where all people are treated with equality, respect, and dignity, then Costa Rica still has a long road ahead.

The Reality: Why Costa Rica is Not Yet “Up to Date”

True equality is not just a matter of checking boxes or attending international forums. It is measured by the daily lives of vulnerable populations. Currently, Costa Rica falls short in several critical areas:

• Political Bargaining Chips: We will not be up to date as long as people of sexual and gender diversity continue to be used as bargaining chips in political debates to attract votes from conservative sectors. Human rights are neither an electoral strategy nor a topic that can be toggled on and off based on momentary partisan convenience.
• Systemic Discrimination: We will not be up to date as long as discrimination based on sexual orientation or gender identity continues to exist in workplaces, schools, high schools, healthcare services, and public spaces.
• Barriers for Transgender People: We will not be up to date as long as many trans people face enormous obstacles to accessing employment, housing, education, and personal development opportunities simply because their identity does not fit the prejudices of a segment of society.
• Harassment in Schools: We will not be up to date as long as LGBTQI+ youth continue to suffer harassment, exclusion, or violence in educational centers—with consequences that heavily impact their mental health, academic performance, and life paths.
• Disinformation in Education: We will not be up to date as long as comprehensive sexual education remains the target of disinformation and fear campaigns, instead of being understood as a tool to cultivate informed, responsible citizens who respect human diversity.
• Prejudice in Healthcare: We will not be up to date as long as healthcare decisions are based on prejudices, personal beliefs, or ideological pressures, rather than scientific, technical, and human rights criteria.
• The Struggle to Be Heard: We will not be up to date as long as sectors of the population must keep fighting just to be heard by government authorities, as if equality were a concession rather than a constitutional obligation.
• Fear of Being Oneself: We will not be up to date as long as people of sexual and gender diversity continue to feel afraid to express who they are, to hold hands in public spaces, or to build a family without fear of social rejection.
• Enforced Invisibility: We will not be up to date as long as the LGBTQI+ population is treated as an uncomfortable minority that must remain invisible so as not to discomfort certain political or religious groups.
• Imposition of Beliefs: We will not be up to date as long as there are attempts to impose specific religious beliefs on the general citizenry. Religious freedom is a fundamental right, but so is freedom of thought and the State’s obligation to guarantee equality for all people, regardless of their beliefs.

The bottom line: It remains necessary to explain that lesbians, gays, bisexuals, trans, intersex, and other diverse individuals do not seek privileges or special treatment. The only demand is equality—the same rights, the same opportunities, and the same protection as anyone else.

This is Precisely Why Pride Month Exists

Pride was not born as a superficial celebration or a passing trend. It was born as a necessary response to exclusion, persecution, and violence.

It exists to remind us that the rights won were not gifts handed down by any government, but the hard-fought result of decades of struggle by thousands of people who refused to accept discrimination as a normal condition of life.

The Pride March remains deeply necessary because:

1. There are still people who cannot fully live their identity without facing social, professional, or family consequences.
2. Visibility remains a fundamental tool against prejudice.
3. Each generation must defend the rights achieved and work to expand those that are not yet fully guaranteed.

The Pride March is not a demonstration against anyone. It is a manifestation in favor of equality, human dignity, freedom, and respect. It is a reminder that democracy is strengthened when everyone has the space to exist and participate under equal conditions.

The Path Forward

osta Rica will truly be “up to date” when no person is discriminated against for whom they love, how they identify, or how they choose to live their life.

We will be up to date when equality stops being an aspiration and becomes a daily reality; when diversity stops being viewed as a threat and is recognized as one of our society’s greatest strengths.

Ultimately, we will be up to date when we finally understand that the rights of one group do not diminish the rights of another—and that love, human dignity, and freedom will always be stronger than fear, prejudice, and exclusion.

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