Because homosexuality was still a crime in those days, Montoya and several of his acquaintances who were also part of the LGBT community were arrested by the police on several occasions, particularly during the time of the escuadrones volantes.

[14][15][16][17] Among the complaints made by Montoya during this period was protesting against the requirement by authorities to demand stylists get tested for HIV, which was in turn a condition for receiving a health card.

[18] Faced with the risk of the organization being penalized for having the word "gay" in its name, SOGA later became FEDAEPS (Ecuadorian Foundation of Help, Education, and Prevention of AIDS).

[23] As a result of this campaign and after a period of collecting signatures to file a lawsuit against article 516 of the Criminal Code, the Constitutional Court issued a ruling on 25 November 1997 that decriminalized homosexuality in the country.

[24][25] After achieving the decriminalization of homosexuality, Montoya began working with the Andean Triangle collective to submit proposals to the Constituent Assembly of Ecuador of 1997 and 1998 [es] which was in the process of drafting a new Constitution.

[26] However, this statement led to a break-up with Irene León [es], who was the director of FEDAEPS at the time, because the idea was to submit proposals together with feminist movements.

[27] In order to achieve the inclusion of non-discrimination in the Constitution, 4,000 signatures of support were delivered, a brief was submitted, and conversations were started with other groups, which helped the amendment to be finally included.