The gay porn actor and equality minister under President Gustavo Petro has resigned. | La Derecha Diario en Inglés

The most ideologized project of President Gustavo Petro, the newly created Ministry of Equality, was once again at the center of the political scandal following the resignation of Juan Carlos Florián Silva. The resignation, accepted this Wednesday, September 17 by the head of State, occurred just weeks after the Administrative Tribunal of Cundinamarca provisionally suspended the official as a result of a lawsuit questioning his appointment and the violation of the Gender Quota Law.

The arrival of Florián, previously known as a gay porn film actor and who identified as a person of "non-hegemonic gender fluidity," caused resistance from day one. In a provocative gesture, he publicly declared himself a "marica" at the head of the ministry, seeking—according to his own words—to challenge social prejudices. However, what in Petro's narrative appeared as a symbol of "inclusion" ended up becoming an institutional embarrassment.

Juan Carlos Florián, actor de cine porno gay

The legal obstacle: the Gender Quota Law

The main controversy was linked to the non-compliance with the Gender Quota Law, which requires guaranteeing female participation in at least 30% of the government's top positions. At the time of the lawsuit, 10 out of 19 ministries were headed by men—including Florián—which reduced women's participation to 47.4%. That figure, interpreted as insufficient, was enough for opponents to take the appointment to court.

Although the government tried to gloss over the situation with subsequent appointments—such as Gloria Patricia Perdomo and Carina Murcia in the Ministry of ICT—, the judiciary maintained Florián's suspension.

Juan Carlos Florián, actor de cine porno gay

Far from admitting the irregularity, Petro lashed out against the judicial decision, considering it an ideological persecution. In an extensive statement on X, the president described the ruling as an act of "homophobia": "It's a homophobic measure, the debate is important, but it disregards the right to be a person, it goes directly against human freedom," wrote the head of state.

He went even further by stating that gender self-determination is above any legal limit: "If a person feels they are a man or a woman, that person says so. That is their right and no one, absolutely no one can force otherwise, not a judge, not the police, not a parent, not society, not the State."

Gustavo Petro.

Despite the presidential defense, the outcome was inevitable. Florián submitted his resignation and Casa de Nariño had to provisionally assign the portfolio to Angie Lizeth Rodríguez Fajardo, current director of the Administrative Department of the Presidency (Dapre). The government has not yet announced who will be the permanent replacement.

The Ministry of Equality, one of Petro's most costly and propagandistic initiatives, has accumulated criticism since its creation: lack of concrete results, opaque management of resources, and internal leadership disputes. Florián's record-fast downfall reinforces the perception that the portfolio is a "paper ministry" at the service of the Colombian president's ideological whims.