Aug 29, 2007News: Chilenian Groups Form A Federation For Sexual Diversity
By vanrozenheim
(Chile) - Thirteen Gay rights groups met last Sunday to create the Chilean Federation for Sexual Diversity (Fedisech). Founding members include groups advocating women's rights, worker's rights, ethnic minority rights, and student’s rights, representing 11 of Chile's 15 regions. The Federation aims to "eradicate sexual orientation and gender identity discrimination from Chile" and to "strengthen the bonds among human rights groups and the rest of society." The Federation also called for the government to include sexual minority data in the next population census.
"Currently there are many people who have a different sexual orientation or gender identity from the majority, and who would be willing to record their differences in a census," said the group. "Therefore, we should at least have the right to approximate the number of sexual minorities who live in Chile, and the government should make that happen."
Fedisech also aims to modify Article 373 of the Criminal Code to include the protection of sexual minorities, as well to establish equal age of consent for heterosexual and homosexual contacts. Currently, the age of consent is 18 for Gays, while 14 for heterosexuals.
The group also pursues the goal to prohibit Catholic Church from discrimination in employment.
According to reports of the Santiago Times, although the establishing the new rights advocacy group was originally considered three years ago, organizers decided to postpone the launch of the group until membership had firmed up and they felt more secure about going public and urging for action.
