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Wednesday, January 5, 2011

Chile to extend legal protections to same-sex couples?

By Michael K. Lavers -

Members of a right-wing party political party in Chile have reportedly acknowledged the need to eliminate discrimination against same-sex couples in the South American country.

El Mercurio reported on Sunday, Jan. 2, members of the Independent Democrat Union support the need to include a statement in their party’s platform that acknowledges the need to study ways to eliminate "practical hurdles or situations of unjustified inequality for partners of the opposite or same sex who live together." This reported proposal would appear to suggest Chilean lawmakers could potentially modify the South American country’s laws to extend basic protections to same-sex couples.

Argentina became the first South American country to allow same-sex couples to marry after President Cristina Fernández de Kirschner signed her country’s marriage equality law in July. Gays and lesbians in neighboring Uruguay have been able to enter into civil unions since 2008.

El Mercurio further reported the IDU’s proposed platform would define marriage as between a man and a woman-the party’s 1991 and 2009 manifestos specifically state "the family always originates from a union between a man and a woman."

The Movement for Homosexual Liberation and Integration scoffed at the idea the IDU would support any pro-LGBT measures that could go before Chilean lawmakers. And it vowed to oppose any efforts to advance IDU-sponsored proposals.

"The UDI’s proposal seeks to impose absolutist and dictatorial visions that are motivated by religious ideology upon non-traditional ways to love and construct families," said the organization on its Web site, as translated from Spanish into English.

Michael K. Lavers manages the Fire Island News. His work has also appeared in the Village Voice, WNYC, the BBC, the Advocate and other media outlets. And he blogs at Boy in Bushwick [www.boyinbushwick.blogspot.com] 

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2 comments:

  1. This article originally ran on the EDGE Media Network. WGLB should cite the sources of their content before it simply cuts and pastes them.

    ReplyDelete
  2. The title here is the link to the original content, with author and credits listed at bottom.

    ReplyDelete