During a highly-publicized visit to Colombia, the Duchess of Sussex gave a speech at a female empowerment conference in Cali – only to have it interrupted by a trans rights advocate.
Unexpected Interruption
Meghan Markle’s address on female empowerment in Cali, Colombia, was abruptly interrupted by a heckler, who cut into the conference speech to advocate for trans rights in the South American country.
A Trip to Colombia
The Duchess of Sussex, 43, recently visited Colombia with her husband, Prince Harry. On the last day of the highly-publicized tour, she attended the Afro Women and Power conference.
Conference With Colombia’s Vice President
The conference took place on Sunday afternoon at the Enrique Buenaventura Municipal Theater, and Colombian Vice President Francia Marquez also participated.
Dual Address
During the event, Markle took part in a panel discussion alongside Marquez, and she addressed the audience in both English and Spanish.
Friends With the VP
Marquez is Colombia’s first black Vice President and has acted as host to the Sussexes during their stay. Markle referred to the VP as “my friend” and honored her for inspiring the coming generations of young Black and female Colombians.
Speech Interrupted
Shortly after Markle addressed the crowd and Marquez took her turn to speak, the panel was interrupted by a heckler in the crowd.
Calling For Trans Inclusion
The audience member disrupted Marquez and, speaking in Spanish, addressed her with a question about the rights of transgender Colombians – specifically, transgender women – and their place in Marquez’s female empowerment programs.
Programs for “Women in General”
Marquez didn’t miss a beat, telling the heckler, “I’m talking about women in general. We’ve got a program for trans women as well,” affirming that her programs were inclusive of all women, including transgender women.
Allowed to Stay
Despite boldly interrupting an event helmed by the country’s vice president, the heckler was allowed to remain in their seat for the duration of the event.
Speaking on Female Empowerment
Otherwise, the discussion panel and wider conference went smoothly, including Markle’s own speech, where she spoke about the importance of female empowerment and the need for men to also support women’s causes.
Discussing Her Daughter
She emphasized the importance of supporting women in early childhood and into adulthood and also shared some insight into raising her own daughter, 3-year-old Lilibet, who has “already found her voice.”
The Archewell Foundation
Markle also discussed her and her husband’s work with the Archewell Foundation, the couple’s organization that encompasses their non-profit charitable foundation as well as for-profit ventures, particularly in media production.
A Great Team
“Yes, we work incredibly well together as a team,” she said. “But, as my husband is a great testament to, the role of men in this of empowering women, of allowing them to know that their voices are heard, starting at a young age all the way through adulthood, is key.”
Letting Their Voices Be Heard
“For us and the work that we do with our Archewell Foundation, certainly the work that we do as parents, as I do as a mother, is ensuring that young girls feel as though their voices are being heard,” Markle continued.
Speaking in Spanish
The Duchess also gave parts of her speech in Spanish, drawing on her time as an intern for the US Embassy in Argentina 20 years ago and eliciting excitement from the crowd.
Their Second Trip in 2024
This recent trip to Colombia was the second international trip for Prince Harry and Meghan Markle this year. They were directly invited by Vice President Marquez to speak at the Responsible Digital Future Summit at Universidad Ean on August 15.
Drawing Attention to Trans Rights
While the trans rights heckler may have drawn some negative attention for interrupting Markle’s event, others no doubt empathized with their desire to bring attention to trans and wider LGBTQ visibility in Colombia.
More Work to Be Done
In the past two decades, Colombia has taken momentous steps to extend protections to LGBTQ citizens and include their human rights in the nation’s legal framework.
WOLA Weighs in
However, the Washington Office on Latin America, also known as WOLA, has pointed out that despite having possibly the strongest legal frameworks for LGBTQ rights in Latin America, the country historically does a poor job of enforcing these laws.
Concerning 2019 Report
According to a 2019 report from Sin Violencia LGBTI, an organization that works to bring attention to violence against LGBTQ individuals in Latin America and the Caribbean, Colombia saw the highest number of attacks against and murders of LGBTQ individuals over a five-year period.
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