Juan Sebastián Romero Leal (30 July 1978 – 28 February 2011) was a Colombian politician and LGBT activist. A member of the Alternative Democratic Pole, he was elected to the Local Administrative Board (Junta Administradora Local) of Chapinero, Bogotá. Hi is the only openly homosexual politician to have won a seat in the most recent Bogotá local elections.
Early life and education Romero was born in Bogotá on 30 July 1978. He studied biology at the National University of Colombia.
Political career and activism Romero was a founding member of Polo de Rosa, an LGBT current within the Alternative Democratic Pole. A 2016 English-language report by the LGBTQ+ Victory Institute identified him as one of the leading figures associated with the group.
In the 2007 Bogotá local elections, he won a seat on the Chapinero Local Administrative Board with 1,060 votes. His candidacy and election drew national attention because he campaigned openly as a gay politician.
Romero died in Bogotá on 28 February 2011.
Legacy A district LGBTI community house in Teusaquillo, Bogotá, is named Sebastián Romero.
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