A former adult film actress, Deyci Alejandra Omaña Ortiz, has been sworn in as a senator in Colombia.
Ortiz, popularly known by her stage name, Amaranta Hank, secured the seat after a March election victory on a platform advocating rights and protections for adult entertainment workers.
According to Colombian outlet El Tiempo on Thursday, Omaña will represent Colombia’s Norte de Santander region as part of the leftist Historic Pact bloc for the 2026-2030 parliamentary term, having placed 23rd on the coalition’s closed list.
The Historic Pact is currently the strongest political force in the country, with data from Colombia’s National Registry showing the bloc secured 22.72 per cent of the Senate vote, more than 4.4 million ballots, translating to 25 seats.
The lawmaker, who transitioned from journalism into the adult film industry before returning to public life, has said her past should not stand in the way of her legislative work.
According to Infobae Colombia, she argues that women who have worked in the sexual economy contribute meaningfully to the country’s finances and deserve legal recognition rather than continued stigma.
She pushed back against critics questioning her fitness for office in a TikTok video addressing the controversy around her win. “¿Por qué una mujer que estuvo en la industria para adultos no puede aspirar a un cargo de elección popular?” she asked, which translates to why a woman who was in the adult industry cannot aspire to a popularly elected office.
Omaña, born in the city of Cúcuta, has said her broader agenda in the Senate will also include mental health and sexual abuse initiatives.
Her emergence marks one of the most closely watched developments in Colombian politics in recent years, coming months after her appointment, alongside fellow former performer Juan Carlos Florián, as a deputy minister in the Ministry of Equality had already stirred controversy within President Gustavo Petro’s cabinet.