Far-right takes control of Chile’s constitutional council
In a twist that raises concerns about LGBTQ and intersex rights in Chile, the body charged with writing the country’s new constitution is now under the control of a far-right political coalition that former presidential candidate José Antonio Kast leads.
Compared to the progressive approach that had characterized the previous Constitutional Convention, the change in the composition and the Republican Party’s control of the constitutional council raises serious concerns.
The former council demonstrated a willingness to address equality and nondiscrimination, including the rights of LGBTQ and intersex people.
With the Republican Party in control, however, there have been warnings of potential pushback on hate speech and constitutional protections for queer people. “The current constitutional process is the last effort to replace the current constitution, which, with all the modifications it has undergone, is still the one built during the dictatorship and reformed with the rules established by the dictatorship,” Gaspar Domínguez, an openly gay man who was the vice president of the previous Constitutional Convention, told the Washington Blade.
