TRAILER: The 33

The Guardian recaps:

You would suppose that the rescue of a bunch of miners buried deep underground and facing certain death would be perfect source material for a major motion picture, and you’d be right: the story of the 2010 Chilean mining disaster has been shepherded on to the big screen in (relatively) short order. And now the trailer for The 33 is out, we can get a sense of what’s transpired. First things first, this film is in English – or at least the heavily accented variety that makes everyone sound a little like a 40s cartoon character. We also know that this film will contain some of the corniest dialogue ever minted – “that’s not a rock, that’s the heart of the mountain – and she finally broke!” – delivered in Antonio Banderas’ best breathy quaver. On the other hand, even in this snippet form, it looks like the scenes of actual cataclysm are efficiently mounted. But however it plays, the main thing is the Chilean miners story is one of those chestburstingly amazing things that actually happened, and a film would have to be completely awful to mess that up. Never mind if they say cheesy things on the way.

CHILE: Civil Union Signups Begin

Pink News reports:

Gay couples flocked to civil registry offices in Chile to schedule the first same-sex civil unions since they were approved in the country earlier this year. Thursday (July 9) was the first day that couples could apply for the licence, after a bill approving same-sex civil unions was signed by the country’s President Michelle Bachelet back in April. The first same-sex civil ceremonies will take place in October, and while the LGBT community in Chile still fights for the right to marry, many see this as the first step on the to gaining full equal rights for sam-sex couples. Many couples took to Twitter to share their joy and excitement, as well as to announce the date on which their ceremonies will take place.

RELATED: Elsewhere in South America same-sex marriage is legal in Argentina, Brazil, French Guiana, and Uruguay. Civil unions are legal in Colombia and Ecuador. A same-sex marriage lawsuit is pending before the Venezuelan Supreme Court. Homosexual acts remain illegal in Guyana, but nowhere else on the continent.

CHILE: 50K March For Marriage Equality

An estimated crowd of more than 50,000 turned out yesterday in Santiago for a march in support of marriage equality in Chile. 

The march, organised by by the Movement of Integration and Sexual Liberation (MOVILH) and the Movement for Sexual Diversity (Mums), ended at the presidential palace of La Moneda, with speeches from various activists and political leaders. ​The demonstrators urged the government to implement the Gender Identity Bill, currently being debated in the Senate. They also recalled the murders of five people in 2014 because of their sexual orientation with a short ceremony during the march. Chilean President Michelle Bachelet signed a bill into law recognising civil unions between same-sex couples on 13 April, while another piece of legislation on gay marriage. The LGBT movement in Chile has made great advances in recent years, they now are protected by anti-discrimination laws covering employment, gay people also can serve openly in the Army, gay men are allowed to donate blood and lesbian couples can have access to in-vitro fertilisation treatments.

RELATED: Last month MOVILH was sued by Opus Dei over their ownership of the URL OpusGay.cl.

CHILE: Opus Dei Sues LGBT Group For Ownership Of "Opus Gay" Web Domain

The secretive Catholic group Opus Dei has filed a lawsuit against a Chilean LGBT group whose name translates as the Movement For Homosexual Integration & Liberation (MOVILH). The suit seeks control of the OpusGay.cl web domain and claims that the words "Opus Gay" create confusion in the public's mind and suggest that MOVILH's mission is supported by the Catholic Church. The domain was registered in 2002 and the URL redirects to the group's digital magazine. The suit further claims that the word "Opus" is "inextricably linked to the prelature." The lawyer for MOVILH notes that other sites begin with the word "Opus" and accuses Opus Dei of "irrational homophobia." At the time of the domain's registration Opus Dei filed an objection against the use of  "Opus Gay" as the title of a Chilean print magazine. That demand was granted in 2007.

CHILE: President Signs Civil Unions Bill

Via the Washington Blade:

Chilean President Michelle Bachelet on Monday signed a bill into law that will allow gays and lesbians in the South American country to enter into civil unions. “The civil union law is a vindication in the struggle for sexual diversity rights,” said Bachelet during the signing ceremony that took place at the Presidential Palace in Santiago, the Chilean capital. The measure received final approval from Chilean lawmakers in January. Bachelet — who publicly supports marriage rights for same-sex couples — signed the measure less than two weeks after the Chilean Constitutional Court upheld it. Her government earlier this year announced it would no longer oppose nuptials for gays and lesbians in a lawsuit before the Inter-American Court of Human Rights that three same-sex couples filed in 2012.

(Tipped by JMG reader Lulu)

RELATED: Elsewhere in South America same-sex marriage is legal in Argentina, Brazil, French Guiana, and Uruguay. Civil unions are legal in Colombia and Ecuador. A same-sex marriage lawsuit is pending before the Venezuelan Supreme Court. Homosexual acts remain illegal in Guyana, but nowhere else on the continent.

CHILE: Government To Formally End Its Opposition To Same-Sex Marriage

Just last month the Chilean Congress issued its final approval for civil unions. And yesterday the government reached an agreement to formally drop its opposition to a pending same-sex marriage lawsuit. Michael Lavers reports at the Washington Blade:

Members of President Michelle Bachelet’s administration on Tuesday met with representatives of the Movement for Homosexual Integration and Liberation, an LGBT advocacy group, in Santiago, the Chilean capital, to finalize “an amicable settlement” in the case filed in 2012 on behalf of three same-sex couples who are seeking marriage rights in the South American country.

The Movement for Homosexual Integration and Liberation in a press release it posted to its website said the government’s decision to end opposition to nuptials for gays and lesbians in the Inter-American Court of Human Rights case is part of a broader agreement that includes the introduction of a same-sex marriage bill in the Chilean Congress.

“We left the meeting very satisfied,” said the Movement for Homosexual Integration and Liberation. “We appreciate the government’s good disposition towards our proposals and principles, which stress that marriage equality is a human rights issue.” The Movement for Homosexual Integration and Liberation on its website said the group and the government will sign a formal agreement in April. It remains unclear when the Bachelet administration and the Movement for Homosexual Integration and Liberation will formally introduce the same-sex marriage bill in the Chilean Congress.

Elsewhere in South America same-sex marriage is legal in Argentina, Brazil, and Uruguay. Civil unions or partnership laws exist Chile, Colombia, and Ecuador. A civil unions bill is due to be heard in Peru next month. No relationship recognitions presently exist in Bolivia, Guyana, Paraguay, Suriname, or Venezuela.

CHILE: Civil Unions Are Now Law

Via the Washington Blade:

A bill that would allow same-sex couples to enter into civil unions in Chile on Wednesday received final approval in the South American country’s Congress. The Chilean Senate approved the measure by a 25-6 vote margin with three abstentions. The bill passed in the country’s House of Representatives by a 78-9 vote margin. “A historic step against discrimination and for the advancement of human rights has taken place today with the passage of the civil unions bill,” said the Movement for Homosexual Integration and Liberation, a Chilean LGBT advocacy group, in a statement. President Michelle Bachelet has said she will sign the bill — under which unmarried heterosexual couples would also receive legal recognition — into law. Bachelet’s spokesperson, Álvaro Elizalde, on his Twitter page described Tuesday as a “historic day” in Chile.

(Tipped by JMG reader Eduardo)

CHILE: Civil Unions Near Final Hurdle

Last night Chile's Chamber of Deputies overwhelmingly approved a civil unions bill with a vote of 86-23.  Two weeks ago the Chilean Senate approved the bill with a 28-6 vote after which anti-gay protesters had to be forcibly ejected from the gallery. The bill must now return to the Senate for another vote as the Deputies last night approved an amendment regarding parental rights. The bill also appears to legalize the recognition of foreign same-sex marriages, unless Google Translate is deceiving me. Readers?

UPDATE: JMG reader Douglas clarifies: "The bill does appear to recognize foreign marriages, but it is not clear at what level they will be recognized; it sounds like such marriages will only be given the same status as Civil Unions in Chile (with whatever restrictions might apply)."

CHILE: Pols To Introduce Marriage Bill

A multi-party coalition of Chilean lawmakers say they plan to introduce a same-sex marriage bill next week. Via Gay Star News:

The MPs, from the Christian Democrats, Socialist Party, Party for Democracy and Amplitude movement, say they expect the bill to go to the Congress on Wednesday or Thursday and hope that the Government of Michelle Bachelet will back the reform. Bachelet said she supported same-sex couples being allowed to marry prior to her re-election in March of this year but her government is yet to address the issue – though a bill which would have created civil unions for gay couples was passed by the Senate this year. That bill has yet to be voted on by the Chamber of Deputies though, and Bachelet has been promising legal recognition for same-sex couples since before her first term as president in 2006. Christian Democrat deputy Gabriel Silber told MDZ Online that it was important that "equal feelings, must have equal rights - there is no reason to have first and second class citizens."

Same-sex marriage is legal in Brazil, Argentina, and Uruguay. Civil unions are recognized in Colombia and Ecuador.

CHILE: Civil Unions Advance

In its first session of 2014, yesterday the Chilean Senate advanced its civil unions bill. The Santiago Times reports:

Senators voted in favor of the Life Partner Agreement (AVP) late Tuesday evening with 28 votes in favor, six against and two abstentions. The bill will now pass to a constitutional assembly before returning to Congress on Jan. 20. The country’s leading LGBTQ organization hailed the outcome as significant step toward passing a law which “the majority of the country” wants. “We are happy for this significant progress towards bettering conditions and equality for all families, regardless of the sexual orientation or gender identification of its members,” a Homosexual Integration and Liberation (Movilh) statement read. “Today we have made one more step in the struggle for civil unions, which we began a decade ago. What was a dream is now becoming real.” Introduced to Congress in August 2011 by the administration of President Sebastián Piñera, of the center-right National Renewal (RN), the bill has endured a drawn-out two years of debate and stalling, mainly because of stiff opposition from the RN’s coalition partner, the right-wing Independent Democratic Union (UDI) party.

A group of evangelical protesters were ejected from the Senate gallery shortly after the vote.

Chile Elects Pro-Gay Marriage President

Former Chilean president Michelle Bachelet, that nation's first female leader, was returned to power on Sunday after stepping down in 2010 because of a rule that forbids consecutive terms. Bachelet's campaign platform included a promise to pursue same-sex marriage.

The 62-year-old Bachelet fended off center-right candidate Evelyn Matthei by winning 62 percent of a runoff vote – the highest of any candidate since Chile returned to democratic elections. “The social and political conditions are here and at last the moment has arrived,” Bachelet told supporters. “If I'm here it's because we believe that a Chile for everyone is necessary. It won't be easy, but when has it been easy to change the world?” Bachelet also campaigned on gay marriage, reiterating her supporter in several interviews. However, her center-left New Majority coalition has only a slim majority in both houses and a full plate.

Three South American nations currently permit same-sex marriage: Brazil, Argentina, and Uruguay.

CHILE: Teenager To Lose Leg After Brutal Gay-Bashing By Machete-Wielding Thugs

A 19 year-old Chilean teenager will have his leg amputated after a brutal homophobic attack by six thugs. Gay Star News reports:

Esteban Navarro, 19, is struggling to stay alive in hospital as he recovers from the multiple injuries he suffered from the savage attack. On 23 June, he was jumped on by a group of six holding knives, iron bars and machetes in Peñalolen. According to reports, they repeatedly called Navarro a ‘maricón’, or a faggot. With his foot already amputated, the full leg surgery will take 15 days. A spokesman for Navarro’s family said they were ‘very sad and concerned’, according to local media. ‘We hope the courts will punish those responsible with the full extent of the law,’ they said. ‘Esteban’s life has changed dramatically.’

Last year Chile passed a hate crimes bill that includes protections for LGBT people.

CHILE: 50,000 March For LGBT Rights

Michael Lavers has the story at Washington Blade:

An LGBT rights march in the Chilean capital on Saturday drew more than 50,000 people. Chilean folk singer Camila Moreno; presidential candidates Andrés Velasco, Tomás Jocelyn-Holt, Marco Enríquez-Ominami and Marcel Claude and Rafael Dochao, the European Union’s ambassador to Chile, took part in the Santiago event that also commemorated the International Day Against Homophobia. Former President Michelle Bachelet, who is also a candidate to succeed President Sebastián Piñera in this November’s presidential elections, endorsed the march in a letter.

Lavers notes that Piñera has promised a civil unions bill, but has yet to formally introduce it.

CHILE: Gay Group Urges LGBT Couples To Identify Themselves On Coming Census

Andres Duque writes:

The government of Chile, for the first time in the nation's history, will include questions about same-sex partnerships in the country's census. MOVILH, the leading LGBT rights organization in Chile, has launched a campaign to dispel fears about the census and urge same-sex couples to answer truthfully about their relationship.

CHILE: Lesbian Mom Wins Back Kids

One of Chile's longest-running LGBT rights cases has ended with a win for the good guys:

Karen Atala (left), an openly gay judge in Chile, has finally won back custody of her three daughters after a nearly eight-year court fight, officials say. Atala, 48, was stripped of custody of her children in 2004 when she revealed she is a lesbian. The Chilean Supreme Court ruled her children would be in "a situation of risk" that may "damage their psychic development." However, Tuesday's reversal of that ruling rewarded her custody and $60,000 for pain and suffering. She will also be awarded $12,000 to cover legal fees. Atala only received 10 percent of what she asked for in her lawsuit.

Eight unrecoverable years without her kids though.

Photo Of The Day - Chilean Volcano

The Boston Globe has posted a Part 2 in its Big Pictures Of 2011 series. Lots more at the link.

CHILE: President Pushes Civil Unions

Yesterday Chilean President Sebastian Pinera proposed a bill to legalize same-sex civil unions.

"All forms of marriage deserve respect, dignity and the support of the state," said President Sebastian Pinera, who signed the proposal and sent it to Congress. "This puts opposite-sex and same-sex couples on the same footing, because in both cases it is possible to develop love, affection and respect." Pinera, who brought conservatives to power after 20 years of center-left rule in the country, grated on his own election campaign when he announced his intention to legalize civil unions for gay couples. He said two million people in Chile live together without marrying. But the president has repeatedly stressed his opposition to gay marriage. "I deeply believe that marriage is by nature between a man and a woman, but that conviction does not prevent me from recognizing that other forms of affective relationships exist," he said.

Chile Preps Civil Unions Bill

Chile's legislature is about to see a bill legalizing civil unions.

The bill, which could be presented to Congress by next week, would grant legal rights to gay couples who have lived together for more than one year, the Santiago-based newspaper reported, citing a copy of the draft legislation it obtained.

Click over for the latest on partnership rights across South America.

Chilean Miner Does Elvis On Letterman

He's a real charmer and the translator is a riot.

Chilean Domestic Abuse PSA: Don't Beat Your Wife, Don't Be A Faggot