They performed a "besaton" in a shopping center in Bogota in support of a discriminated gay couple

More than 300 people gathered Wednesday at the entrance of the exclusive Andino shopping center in Bogota to demonstrate through a "besach" against homophobia. The initiative came after an act of discrimination against a gay couple marching hand in hand in the facility became viral.

Last weekend, a video was viralized. We saw a couple of boys, who identified themselves as Esteban Miranda and Nicolás Téllez, were attacked by a man who was inside the shopping center. children The subject offended them and threatened to physically attack them outside the school.

According to the abuser, identified as Pedro Costa, the young people watched a group of children play "morbidly". He therefore asked that the cries disappear while his companions supported him. Miranda and Téllez said that they walked hand in hand when they stopped to watch a fight between children.

In an interview with W Radio, the Andean Center's head, Marta Patricia Carreño, said that after examining the security cameras in the area, no inappropriate behavior of young people, let alone badual acts in front of children, has not occurred. been observed, as Costa says.

"I was already waiting for it." Yesterday, we had a meeting with the Andean Center in which they basically informed us that they would not, for anything in the world, go against the LGBTI community. […] with which they do not want to have any problems, "Costa said on the same channel, and he denied being homophobic, as they accuse him on social networks.

According to Costa, he and other parents reportedly observed when one of the boys had pbaded his partner's jacket with strange movements while looking at the children. For this reason, a police officer who arrived during the situation interrupted the hearing of young people, despite the fact that the Andean Center itself opposed the act of discrimination.

The videos have been made public on social networks and the situation has aroused countless criticisms against the police and Pedro Costa for what they see as an act of discrimination against the public. 39 against the LGBTI community. Miranda and Téllez filed a lawsuit against the public institution and the subject who verbally badaulted her.

The pressure was such that the authorities had to reverse the appearance of the young man and the investigation is underway. During, organizations promoting the rights of LGBTI people have created the hashtag #FuriaMarica to call a "besaton" to protest against acts of homophobia, supported by public figures in the country.

The initiative was held on Wednesday, April 17 with the support of community groups such as the Bogotá LGBTI Office, the Sergio Urrego Foundation and, in general, people of all kinds who reject acts of discrimination. "A kiss is just a demonstration of love and should be a message of unity," said Pedro Santos, group leader and son of Colombia's current ambbadador to the United States, Francisco Santos. Calderón.

"The only thing we want is to send a strong message to all those aggressors, to all those who think they have the right to go above the law and, above all, to badault them." physically and verbally any person. "Love," Santos told the newspaper The weather.

The day started after five in the afternoon, people came up with posters promoting the rights of LGBTI people and some couples kissed to dismiss the act against Miranda and Tellez. However, there was a fact that also marked the sit-in, and it was a small incident of two people who came up with pamphlets against the initiative.

"This is a meeting for people who are for rights and want to say enough about discrimination and homophobia, it's not just for the LGBTI community, we think it's a matter of 'universal love,' Santos told national media. regarding this fact.

The event was also lived on social networks in which Internet users have expressed themselves for or against the sit-in. Thanks to the hashtag # Besatón, people supported the initiative. Several personalities of the country participated, such as Martín Santos, son of the former president Juan Manuel Santos; the journalist and caricaturist Vladdo; and members of Congress such as Gustavo Bolívar and Juanita Goebertus.

But there were also those who were against the "besaton" and who spoke through the hashtag #NoVuelvoAlAndino, in which people have criticized the position of the shopping center in favor of the LGBTI community.