He Was A Porn Actor And Is HIV Positive. Now He’s A Government Minister
Colombia has a new Equality Minister, Juan Carlos Florián, and his résumé is unlike any other in government. His appointment has ignited a national conversation, placing a political scientist and long-time human rights advocate at the head of a department designed to support vulnerable communities. He also happens to be a former sex worker and creator of adult content.
So, who is Juan Carlos Florián?
Before entering politics, Florián built a career spanning over two decades in human rights advocacy and international cooperation. He has served as a junior minister and recently held the post of Vice Minister Of Equality. But Florián has been refreshingly open about the experiences that shaped him outside of official roles. In a recent post on Instagram, he owned his entire story. “I come from the streets, from the struggle, from real activism,” he wrote. “I was a sex worker, I made adult content, I am HIV positive, and I was a migrant.”
He made it clear that these experiences do not discount his professional qualifications. “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.”
Not everyone is happy about the appointment.
Florián’s history in adult entertainment has caused significant political debate. The nomination faced opposition from inside the government, reportedly including Vice President Francia Márquez, who initially headed the equality ministry. But has the controversy slowed his appointment? President Gustavo Petro has remained firm in his support. During a nationally televised meeting, the president directly addressed the prejudice, stating, “Nobody who is Black is going to tell me that we have to exclude a porn actor who created a workers union in Paris.”
A history of activism and survival…
President Petro’s defence highlights a critical part of Florián’s past. His move into adult entertainment was a matter of survival. After receiving death threats for his work leading Bogotá’s Office For LGBTQIA+ Affairs, he fled to Paris. There, as the president recalled, Florián had to “resort to becoming a webcam model to survive.” It was also in Paris that he became involved with a sex workers’ union, adding another layer to his long history of activism.
