Nov 30, 2006
Articles: In Conservative Chile, a Push for Change
By vanrozenheim
(SANTIAGO, CHILE) - Emma de Ramon recently bought a condo here. But even before she moved in, she said, everyone in the building knew one fact about her: She's gay. De Ramon and her partner, Karen Atala, a judge, have become unintentional celebrities since waging a battle against Chile's Supreme Court, which forced Atala to surrender custody of her three daughters because of her relationship with de Ramon. Now the couple has become emblematic of a segment of the population growing noticeably bolder recently: those eager to shed Chile's questionable label as the most culturally conservative country in Latin America.