I am Francisco Guayasamin. I joined gay movements in Ecuador in 1998, carrying out various activities, starting as a defender of the human rights of sexually diverse people and I have the pleasure of being one of the pioneers in promoting gay tourism in Ecuador, as well as being one of the first gay men. in showing his face publicly.
I studied tourism when in Ecuador the career did not exist professionally. It was only a technical career. In those times, being gay was penalized, we were practically treated as if we were criminals, therefore, undertaking a project to promote gay tourism to our country was crazy.
At first it was very hard for me, since as a visible gay man I received many insults on the street and several death threats came to my phone from people belonging to conservative groups in the country who present themselves to the public as defenders of Christian morality, but behind the scenes they maintained a double standard, especially in the sexual aspect. A custom that has not changed to this day.
Also to spread awareness about this new type of tourism in Ecuador, it was necessary to open the field by explaining to the owners of tourist businesses what sexual diversity was, especially to the hotel staff with whom I was trying to teach them how to deal with gay people.
Some business owners were very reluctant, several of them told me to my face
– I don't like working with faggots or the classics - I hate homosexuals, they live in sin. God hates them. - But then seeing the human quality and respect that gay people have when they arrive at any of these places, the situation changed. As time went by, they called me putting their businesses at their disposal so that I could bring them gay clientele. They weren't just hotels, they were restaurants, sellers of crafts, gifts, flowers, chocolates, museums, and even specialized doctors, they invited me to their businesses, and they were very willing to deal with GLBT people. (Currently, several hoteliers tell me that they prefer to deal with gay men than with straight men. They tell me that they are more respectful, especially tidy and clean.)
When I started in 1998 as a gay activist, the acronym LGBT did not exist. Even in our community there was a lot of phobia towards trans people. In 2000 we created the first G&L guide in Ecuador, in which I met the first gay travel agency in the country. The company was managed by a couple in which one of the owners was Ecuadorian and the other owner was American.
I went to propose that they hire advertising with our guide, which at that time was only a brochure, and they were looking for personnel. Then submit my resume. I was lucky, I was accepted because my portfolio was the only one in which a gay man admitted his sexual orientation. The majority of resumes were from heterosexual men. My boss, who was from New Jersey, taught me how the gay community worked in the United States. He chose me because he told me – We gays help each other. By working with them I learned how developed gay tourism was in other countries.
Since homosexuality had recently been decriminalized in Ecuador, it was very hard to come out as homosexual in those times. My Ecuadorian boss never came out as gay for fear of reprisals. . In advertising abroad the agency promoted itself as gay, but in Ecuador it was an agency that we could call “normal clientele.” We were even very wary of putting the gay flag on the balcony of the establishment to attract gay tourists passing by on the street. There was the fear that some heterosexual who knew the meaning and was homophobic would approach the agency to attack us.
At that time, most people in Ecuador did not know the gay flag, rather they knew the flag of the Pachakutik indigenous movement, which has the 7 colors of the rainbow. That gave us the courage to install the flag on the office balcony.
In a march of the Pachacutec movement that passed in front of our office, they began to applaud us and shout fervently - Thank you for supporting us! - Although funny for us, that fact was also historic, it was the first time that the gay flag flew in Ecuador.
Because the gay tourists who came through the agency received treatment with heterosexual people, in which even the tourist guide was not gay, they only had contact with gay personnel through the internet. I realized certain shortcomings and based on this experience I decided to create my own business, to be the first personalized gay tourism guide in Ecuador.
In 2003 I started this project by promoting myself on the internet. My main idea was to provide humanized treatment to tourists, since many gay business owners only saw gays as big business, but not good treatment.
My main purpose was for my tourist to have a real experience about what everyday life in Ecuador offers. I did not want to present a disguised Ecuador as presented in most cases by tours programmed by large travel agencies. I think making the real Ecuador known has been a big part of my success.
Recognizing that each person has different tastes, from the first contact with the tourist, I try to find out what activities they like to do, so I propose a highly personalized tour for them. That has been another fundamental part of my work. Each tour I do is created especially for the tourist, couple or group that comes, based on their tastes and curiosities.
Since I started, I have dealt with hundreds of gay people from all over the world. Most of them have liked this experience, and once they have returned to their countries they have recommended to their friends that they get to know Ecuador and hire me as their guide.
Having overcome the times of pandemic in which many of us have had to face difficult times, we are very happy that once again several gay tourists are interested in getting to know Ecuador using our services.
Due to the training I have had both in tourism and as a GLBT activist, my slogan proudly says “No one knows the diversity of Ecuador better than I do.”
The funny thing about my job is that the majority of foreign tourists who hire me do so because they know that I am a tour guide and want to get to know Ecuador, while the majority of Ecuadorians who call me believe that gay tourism is “sex work.”
Now that we are looking forward to a better future for the gay population in various parts of the world, if you come to Ecuador it will be a pleasure to guide you and let you know my country. I will be waiting for you…
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