Juan Carlos Florian, a former porn actor and gay rights activist has become Colombia’s new equality minister, colombiaone.com reported on Saturday. Juan Carlos Florian appointment to the cabinet became official on Saturday despite opposition and public backlash.
Florian, who was a sex worker and creator of gay porn, will head up a department that guarantees vulnerable communities get access to social programmes.
Juan Carlos Florian has already served as a junior minister and worked in various international organisations.
More than 50 ministers have passed through leftist Gustavo Petro’s cabinet since he took office three years ago.
Juan Carlos Florian, a political scientist with over twenty years of experience in human rights advocacy and international cooperation, had been serving as vice minister of equality since April.
He has openly shared his personal journey.
In an Instagram post, he wrote, “I come from the streets, from the struggle, from real activism. I was a sex worker, I made adult content, I am HIV positive, and I was a migrant.”
He mentioned his qualifications alongside his background, stating, “But I am also a political scientist, I have been a builder of public policies, a public manager, a human rights defender, a vice minister and, above all, a son of the people who does not forget where he comes from.”
Juan Carlos Florian’s appointment
Florian’s history in adult entertainment had sparked political debate within the Colombian government. The ministry of equality was initially headed by vice president Francia Márquez, who reportedly opposed Florian’s nomination to the vice-ministerial post when it was first introduced.
President Petro addressed the controversy during a nationally televised ministerial council, saying, “Nobody who is Black is going to tell me that we have to exclude a porn actor who created a workers union in Paris.”
Petro has remained firm in his support of Florian, pointing to his expertise and the challenges he’s overcome. The president recalled that Florian received death threats while leading Bogota’s LGBTI office, prompting him to flee to Paris, where he had to “resort to becoming a Webcam model to survive.” Florian has confirmed his involvement in a sex worker’s union in Paris.
