Rainbow warriors: Attacks and killings of LGBT activists in Honduras

Homophobic violence in Honduras has skyrocketed since the 2009 coup.

A year after returning from exile, Honduran gay rights activist Donny Reyes still fears a murderous attack at any minute. “I’ve been imprisoned on many occasions. I’ve suffered torture and sexual violence because of my activism, and I’ve survived many assassination attempts,” he said, in an interview with Index on Censorship.

Activists in Honduras must contend with a constant barrage of threats and, often fatal attacks. Reyes, the coordinator of the Honduran lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender advocacy group Arcoíris (Rainbow), had spent 10 months abroad for his own safety, but felt an obligation to return to the frontline of the fight against discrimination. “To be able to continue with my personal life and my work I have to be conscious that [death] could come at any moment,” he said…

This feature appears in full in the Spring 2016 edition of Index on Censorship magazine. It is also available online for a limited time only and can be read here.