Lesbian judge in Chile fights for new US anti-discrimination laws

By Steve Brewer  -


A lesbian judge from Chile is calling for new anti-discrimination laws to be introduced across North and South America.
Karen Atala, 47, lost custody of her three daughters in 2004 because of her sexual orientation. She won custody of her children in two hearings, but they were overturned by the Supreme Court in 2006.
The Supreme Court ruled that the girls were in a “position of risk” and could become “objects of social discrimination”.
Ms Atala is now taking her fight to the Inter-American Court of Human Rights in Washington.
Her lawyer, Jorge Contesse, told the Metro: “She’s not litigating this case to regain custody of her daughters. But she knows the message that could be sent here, to the Chilean government and other countries, is significant and would be worth the struggle.”

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