Police chief Gen. Oscar
Naranjo has issued the directive at the request of the country’s
leading gay rights group, Colombia Diversa.
The group had
complained of arbitrary detentions of gays and transvestites, unjust
raids and insults. But the directive put Colombia in the lead for gay
rights in the region, group spokeswoman Marcela Sanchez said Tuesday.
The directive presented last week also calls for a gay community police liaison in each of Colombia’s 32 states, Naranjo said.
Colombia Diversa says at least 67 people were killed in the Andean nation in 2006-2007 because of their sexual orientation. (AP)