Multicoloured marches, nudity everywhere on US television, "all you need is love" posters, flowers and glitter, all under one banner: the longed-for sexual revolution. The revolution that women and "queers" had been waiting for so long to be able to be free and stop living under the yoke of a macho society. Little or nothing could be glimpsed in Colombia of this very "agringado" panorama, publicised by certain North American stars and immortalised in television series and films. The smell of gringo magazines or faint television signals were all we received from this revolution that seemed to be only a fairy tale, far away for the people of Colombia.

Any hint of "faggoty". was almost punished to the sound of the national anthem in our country. Breathing was a high-impact exercise for any gay man in Colombia in the 1960s: being "noticed" ensured that they were thrown out of the house, fired from work or that their friends stopped talking to them.

Neither Bogotá, Medellín or Cali come to resemble today what these cities were at that time. The latter city, which currently occupies one of the first places in the number of murders of LGBT people in our country, was the scene of the sowing of the seeds of the forbidden" love between the Álvaro, the "Grandfather"28, and Álvaro Hugo, the 28 year old "uncle"Carulla, the company known for its chain of supermarkets, served as a space for the two of them to meet: one worked as an auditor and the other as treasurer. Looks came and went, but they could not go beyond that: the strong prohibitionism and conservatism of Cali society in the 1960s would not allow them to do so. However, it is not possible to prohibit feeling, even if they want to.

Numbers, accounts receivable and invoices served as the perfect excuse for them to get closer and closer. The balance sheets and talks about the company's economy were the pretext for this couple to have a beer or two. The drink, combined with the weather in Valladolid, brought them closer and closer together. The time spent together and the frequent outings led to a decision: to rent a flat in the centre of Cali. There was only one condition, or rather a façade, before any tenant: they were friends living together because, mind you, they could only be friends in the street and lovers in solitude. Basically, friends, just friends.

The years went by and these two locals shared their most intimate passions: Álvaro Hugo's taste for Juan Gabriel and Álvaro's passion for classical music, the former's favourites for yellow and the latter's for blue. Cultural and gastronomic plans were what they enjoyed most, but all under the label of "friends". The desire to start a family led them to buy a flat where they could establish their home, with children and everything included. For many people it seemed like nonsense, but this desire became a reality the moment that Álvaro adopted an 11 year old childLuis Carlos, who was living under risky conditions. Under the law, Javier had only one father. In reality, it was two men who cared for him and gave him much of their love.

Time passed and the boy grew up to be 23 years old, when he found out he was going to be a father. His young age and inexperience did not allow him to have a child under his care. Luis asked his parents, the loving "Álvaros", to take care of his daughter. They, without hesitation, and with the parental experience they had with Luis, took in the 6 month old girl, Geraldine.

His childhood was like that of other children: he went to kindergarten, played sports, went out on weekends, spent nice Christmases with his family. The only difference is that I had two fathersShe called one of them grandfather and the other mummy. She called the former because he was legally her grandfather, the latter because he was the one who did her hair, picked her up from the garden, took her to sports, among many other things.

This was never unusual for her until she went to kindergarten. Her teachers began to question her because her family was "confusing" her classmates. She just didn't understand, but she had to stop calling out for it. "mummy" his dad, and started calling him "uncle". All because people couldn't believe that a girl could have two daddies.

Calling one of her parents "mommy" or "uncle" was not the biggest problem. The battle to keep her family afloat had other setbacks. The first began with the decision of the Colombian Institute for Family Welfare (ICBF) to take custody away from the child's "grandfather".They did not consider it appropriate for her to live with two men. The up and down stares and constant whispering were commonplace for the Aponte-Echeverrí family to experience when they went on their errands, but the persecution reached the point of receiving surprise visits from the ICBF loaded with prejudiced questionnaires to the girl about her family: "Do they do anything strange in front of you, have they touched you inappropriately", were some of the questions they used to ask the child.

Stunned, perplexed and, above all, not knowing what was really going on, she just wanted to be with her parents. She was older the cunning of love than that of prejudiceA close relative ended up going to her house every afternoon so that, when the ICBF was there, the institution could see that she had the "required" female presence. Thousands of witnesses, including friends and co-workers of the "grandfather" and "uncle", had to take part in the battle to defend the Aponte family. And so love won out and they were able to stay together.

Like one of those convoluted soap opera plots, the story of this family kept changing. In 2009 the "grandfather", Álvaro, became terribly ill and was on the verge of death. His situation got his partner and Geraldine thinking, because if he died, the two of them would possibly be out on the street, since it was not until 2007 that the first ruling of the Constitutional Court opened the door to inheritance and other property rights for same-sex couples. (You may be interested in this: Constitutional Court recognises property rights of same-sex couples )

The solution? Declare the de facto marital union. The love and affection that these two men had for each other for more than 50 years ended with this union, supported by two lawyers, and which allowed them to have full rights in the light of the law.

After so many stares, obstacles and all those things that tend to happen when prejudices feed a society, the Aponte family lives happily today. Álvaro continues to enjoy classical music, Álvaro Hugo cooks his best recipes and Geraldine is a specialist in peace building.

"I want to thank you infinitely for having the courage to be together and to take on the challenge of raising me at 6 months. We are a family full of love. I didn't have a mum or dad. I had them. And that was enough. I had everything. I didn't have any emptiness. I love living with them. They are divine. They are the most beautiful thing that has happened to me in my life", says Geraldine about her life with her "Grandfather" and her "Uncle".