LGBT Lawmakers More Prominent in Latin American Politics

A growing number of LGBT public servants have scaled political ladders in Latin America to hold high-profile offices, according to a new report from the Associated Press.

Colombia, Ecuador, Brazil, Argentina, and Mexico all have at least one openly LGBT person in national political office, and advocates say growing public acceptance and visibility has begun to change the traditionally conservative region.

"It's all about the mobilization of groups demanding their rights," said Marcela Sanchez, a prominent LGBT activist in Colombia. "It didn't just spring up spontaneously."

Read the full report -- which profiles Tatiana Pineros, Colombia's head of social welfare; Ecuador's health minister, Carina Vance; and Brazilian lawmaker Jean Wyllys -- here.