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Justice for Andrea Burgos: How All Out's Global Mobilization Brought a "Judicial False Positive" to Colombia's Highest Court
The wrongful conviction of Andrea Burgos, a Black trans woman, became a symbol of the struggle against structural racism and transphobia in the Colombian legal system. The All Out community played a decisive role in elevating a local case from Buenaventura into a cause of national and international significance.In 2024, the case of Andrea Burgos sent shockwaves through Colombia's human rights movements. Andrea, an influencer and Black trans woman from Buenaventura, was sentenced to 10 years in prison without physical evidence, without an effective legal defense, and without even being notified of her own trial. This "judicial false positive" was not an isolated error, but rather the result of a system that swiftly criminalizes racialized and gender-nonconforming bodies in the country’s peripheries.
From the campaign's inception, All Out worked hand-in-hand with Colectivo Justicia Racial, the organization leading Andrea’s legal defense. The objective was clear: to prove that Andrea was not alone and to pressure the Constitutional Court to review her case through a lens of intersectional justice.
All Out's top priority was breaking the case’s isolation. Through a global petition, the campaign mobilized more than 60,000 people from around the world. These signatures were more than just numbers; they represented a historic record of indignation against the arbitrary capture and degrading treatment Andrea suffered at the hands of security forces due to her gender identity.
The defining moment of the mobilization occurred on August 27, 2025. In a day filled with art, resistance, and culture, LGBTQ+ activists and organizations gathered outside the Constitutional Court in Bogotá to formally deliver the signatures. The demonstration transformed a bureaucratic procedure into an act of grassroots power, ensuring that the magistrates felt the weight of civil society's scrutiny.
The voices of All Out members, combined with the technical expertise of Justicia Racial and Causa Justa, bore fruit. In a historic announcement, the Constitutional Court of Colombia selected Andrea's case for review. This decision is a monumental victory: it means the highest court in the country will examine how racism and transphobia tainted the judicial process, setting a vital precedent to protect other trans and Afro-descendant people from similar abuses.
Alí Bantú Ashanti, Director of Justicia Racial, highlighted the magnitude of this achievement: "This case can become an inspiration for the entire justice system," noting that the Court’s review will force a questioning of the racial profiling and transphobic practices that still permeate the police and the courts.
While Andrea has not been released yet, our collective work has successfully pulled her story out of the shadows of forgotten files. By turning a wrongful conviction into a litmus test for intersectional justice in Colombia, All Out helped reaffirm that the dignity of a Black trans woman from Buenaventura is as valuable as any other life—and that the judicial system cannot operate with impunity when the global community is watching.