14/05/2012 | Writer: Heber Tito Galvez
Under the framework of the activities being held this month for the International Day against Homophobia, LGBT groups in the capital cities of Chile and Cuba organized this weekend demonstrations to demand respect to sexual diversity and to protest against homophobia and transphobia in their respective countries.
Under the framework of the activities being held this month for the International Day against Homophobia, LGBT groups in the capital cities of Chile and Cuba organized this weekend demonstrations to demand respect to sexual diversity and to protest against homophobia and transphobia in their respective countries.
Approximately 400 people led by sexologist Mariela Castro Espín, daughter of Cuban president Raul Castro, marched in the streets of Havana last Saturday to demand respect for sexual diversity and protest against discrimination in the island. Within the objectives of this celebration -now in its 5th consecutive year- emphasis was placed on increasing the awareness of the Cuban population in order to promote permanent educational actions, as well as provide full protection to the exercise of one’s gender identity and sexual rights.
Castro Espín, president of the National Center for Sexual Education (Cenesex), expressed her confidence that the Cuban government will act to reform the family code by the end of the year, which would provide rights to same sex couples. Additionally, she took the opportunity to congratulate U.S. president Barack Obama for his decision to publicly support gay marriage.
On the other hand, the main square of Santiago in Chile witnessed yesterday the gathering of around 10,000 people to commemorate the International Day Against Homophobia and Transphobia, organized by the Chilean Movement of Sexual Minorities (Movilh). This year’s event was of particularly relevance because of the newly approved Anti-discrimination law, which finally passed congress after 10 years of struggle by social minorities.
“We are here to celebrate these accomplishments. Chile is changing, it is not the same, and now we are looking forward to full social and legal equality”, the spokesperson of Movilh stated. The occasion also paid tribute to Daniel Zamudio, the young man who died on March 27th after suffering a brutal beating by four individuals due to his sexual orientation. Zamudio’s death sparked a national debate about hate crimes in Chile, which created the momentum for the approval of the anti-discrimination law on April 4th.
Translation from Spanish to English: Heber Tito Galvez
Tags: life
