Case No. 111-97-TC
Case No. 111-97-TC is a landmark decision by the Constitutional Tribunal of Ecuador on November 25, 1997, regarding the country's sodomy laws. The newly created tribunal unanimously overturned as unconstitutional the first paragraph of Article 516 of the Penal Code, which criminalized sexual activities between persons of the same sex. The case was the first step towards increasing recognition of LGBT rights in Ecuador. The following year, Ecuador became the first country in the Americas to include sexual orientation as a protected category in its constitution.
The tribunal's decision was not wholeheartedly received by LGBT rights activists, who criticized its characterization of homosexuality as "abnormal conduct" that should be treated medically rather than penally sanctioned. The tribunal was accused of being traditional-minded for stating that "it is clear that even though should not be a judicially punishable conduct, the protection of the family and of minors requires that it not be a socially exalted conduct".
The decision was also criticized by social conservatives opposed to the decriminalization of homosexuality altogether.
