Around the world, people with non-normative sexual orientation, gender identity and expression (SOGIE) face multiple discriminations and violence that limit the free exercise of their human rights. Although these phenomena can occur through explicit provisions, most of the time it takes place through procedures and practices that make these populations invisible and, therefore, exclude them.

Historically, social security systems have contributed to the normalization of exclusion, as they were founded to protect people through a heterosexual and biparental family model, where men were expected to play the role of providers through their participation in the labor market, while women were responsible for unpaid household and caregiving work. For example, due to the lack of legal recognition of same sex/gender couples, access to survivor benefits was denied to the widowed spouse.

Given the limited availability of studies analyzing these issues in the Americas, this section of the Observatory will focus on identifying regulatory provisions and administrative practices that limit access to social security for people with non-normative sexual orientations or gender identities. This site is currently under construction and will soon feature materials of interest in the field, such as publications and links to audiovisual content.