Santiago – The Chilean Movement for Homosexual Integration and Liberacion, or MOVILH, celebrated its 15th anniversary on Sunday by holding its annual “Gay Parade,” which included a pro-diversity and anti-discrimination cultural and musical festival.
An electronic music concert was scheduled to end the celebration Sunday evening, MOVILH president Rolando Jimenez told journalists.
“When MOVILH was created, the country was mostly homophobic. Now things have changed. The levels of homophobia have diminished because the country is respecting its diversity more and more,” he said.
“Today, celebrating along with us are the Jewish youth, the handicapped, immigrants and Mapuche (Indian) organizations because we understand that discrimination doesn’t affect just one portion of the population but that (the people who are discriminated against) are large groups of citizens,” Jimenez said.
He also emphasized that the movement, along with the other groups representing minorities here, is pushing for laws to end discrimination.
“We’re working on several issues like the bill against discrimination, the law for civil unions between people of the same sex and other matters related to the quality of life of the lesbian community,” he emphasized.
The Gay Parade was held on the Paseo Bulnes in front of the La Moneda presidential palace, where two stages were set up on which assorted artistic and musical groups appeared during the day.
The program included the participation of dance companies, folklore groups, outstanding disk jockeys and solo performers, along with rock, pop and transvestite groups.
Organizers said that during the festival a list of public figures who were pioneers in the struggle for the rights of sexual minorities over the past 15 years would be announced.
Among the people on the list are the president of the Catholic Bishops Conference, Bishop Alejandro Goic, journalists Carolina Rosseti, Tati Pena and Pamela Giles, the director of Amnesty International in Chile, Sergio Laurenti, and businessman and former rightist presidential candidate Sebastian Piñera.
