Legal Mobilization Networks and the LGBT Rights Revolution in Colombia (1992–2022): Using Litigation and Amicus Curiae Briefs in Rights Struggles

Abstract Identifying what actors drive social change through the courts has been a central pursuit in the socio-legal literature. This article studies Colombia’s LGBT rights revolution (1992–2022) by focusing on the broad legal mobilization network that promoted these rights through litigation and amicus curiae briefs. While legal mobilization scholarship has traditionally explained significant legal reforms by focusing on social movements and their support structures, this study adopts a network approach to capture the diversity of both civil society and state actors involved in court-based rights struggles. Based on an original database of 133 rulings, interviews, and network analysis, this work shows the emergence of a broad and dense pro-LGBT network that played a crucial role in advancing LGBT rights and countering conservative-religious mobilization by exerting sustained pressure on judges, providing valuable information, and lending legitimacy to legal claims. This research demonstrates that a network approach contributes to developing a more comprehensive theory of the different actors, resources, and mobilizing structures that influence legal change.