What explains the great Latin American awakening? Among the obvious answers is regime change: It helps that the region is no longer authoritarian, because gay rights rarely expand under such conditions. It also helps that the region is solidly urbanized and that Latin American cities are becoming more globalized and richer; gay life thrives in wealthy, cosmopolitan cities. It helps that the region is not Muslim or predominantly Protestant, because countries where these religions dominate — for example Arab or Anglo-Caribbean countries — tend to have the least gay-friendly legislation.

Yet a more surprising reason for the torrent of change has been the unexpected new clout of LGBT movements in the region. These movements have existed in some countries since the 1970s, but they have always been poor, small, plagued by enormous free-riding problems (all those people still in the closet), and devoid of strong national-level leaders. Typically, this would yield zero clout.

Instead, Latin American LGBT movements have overcome their political handicaps by adopting smart tactics. They have forged pragmatic alliances with larger, more-influential social movements. In Ecuador, for instance, they relied on the much stronger feminist movement to influence constitutional change. Likewise in Brazil, alliances with government officials proved vital to health campaigns. Movements in Argentina, Mexico, and Peru worked with local businesses to develop gay markets….

Clear challenges, of course, remain. Gay rights are still timid where they exist, and absent in many parts of the region, especially outside large cities. The most obvious reason is lingering homophobia. A recent survey in Brazil, the country with the largest gay-pride parades in the world, showed that 58 percent of respondents still agree with the statement, "Homosexuality is a sin against the laws of God," and 41 percent with "Homosexuality is an illness that should be treated." This is the paradox of advancing gay rights. The very same factors that make gay rights possible — higher visibility and smart lobbying tactics — also provoke homophobic sentiments.

Despite their adept political strategies, LGBT movements have also failed to win the unequivocal support of political parties on the left, which happen to be in power in most countries of the region. Maybe the lack of party support stems from the socialist left's legendary disdain for post-materialist values and globalization — both of which LGBT movements have embraced. Perhaps it is because of the macho approach to politics inherited from the legacies of Fidel Castro and Che Guevara, or merely the innate conservatism of leftist-populists. For whatever reason, and with the sole exception of President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva in Brazil, leftist presidents support far more timid gay legislation than gay groups want, if they support changes at all. In Ecuador last year, for instance, leftist President Rafael Correa personally blocked legalizing same-sex marriage in his new constitution, even though he filled it with plenty of other controversial articles.

It is hard to be fully confident about the future, despite obvious progress for LGBT movements in Latin America. Gay rights and comfort zones seem to move in waves, with the ever present possibility of reversals. Changing laws and neighborhoods are no doubt a good start, but there is work to be done to counter waves of homophobia and the lack of ruling-party allies. The closet may be opening, but the jury is still out.