All over Latin America the debate over LGBT rights continues. Many issues remain on the table including job protections, hate crimes legislation, serving openly in the military and, of course, marriage equality. It is the latter that has gained the most attention in the last couple of years as the United States continues to move forward, and various Latin American countries have started legalizing it.

Colombia has attempted to do the same but failed. As the elections continue to heat with scandals brewing within all the major parties, however, the incumbent president Juan Manuel Santos has had a change of heart. According to Buzzfeed's J. Lester Feder, the Colombian president has announced his support for marriage equality.

In a Google Hangout conversation, the president said he would support the rights of gay couples to marry. Feder, who has been covering the topic extensively, wrote that Santos is now in accord with a 2011 Constitutional Court ruling that guaranteed gay couples' equal rights.

"Marriage between homosexuals seems to me perfectly acceptable, and what's more I defend unions between two people of the same sex with the same rights and all the same privileges that this union should have," Santos said, according to Buzzfeed, before adding, "Whether this union is called marriage or not for me is secondary - for me, what is important is that they have their rights."

In 2010, Santos opposed marriage equality; his change of heart may affect the election. According to Radio Caracol, Santos' leading contender, the conservative Zuluaga vehemently opposes the court's ruling and any legislation legalizing same-sex marriage.

In April of last year, a bill died in the Colombian legislature that would have legalized same-sex marriage. According to Buzzfeed, the two biggest parties in the congress voted against the bill, and it died on the floor. However, if Santos retains the presidency, there could be a possibility that marriage equality could become a reality in Colombia.

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