This article originally appeared in The Huffington Post on 08/21/2012 »

By Pedro Garcia
Paula Ettelbrick Fellow, International Gay and Lesbian Human Rights Commission (IGLHRC)

Over the past few years there have been important milestones advancing LGBT human rights in Latin America. Recognition of civil unions in Brazil and Uruguay, same-sex marriage in Mexico City and Argentina, laws protecting gender identity in Chile and Bolivia, and historic, progressive legislation in regard to gender identity in Argentina. These advances question old stereotypes of the region as a conservative macho culture dominated by the Roman Catholic Church.

The fight for LGBT human rights in Latin America is full of paradoxes. When Mexico City legalized same-sex marriage, only 29 percent of the city's population supported the right to adoption by same-sex partners. In Ecuador the Constitution prohibits discrimination based on sexual orientation yet bans same-sex marriage and adoption by same-sex couples. Gay marriage is legal on a case-by-case basis in Brazil, but transgender people continue to be targets of violent crime. In Costa Rica the president of the Legislative Assembly's Human Rights Commission expressed his belief that homosexuality is a sin that can be treated. Clearly, homophobia and transphobia are widespread in the region.

Chile: A World of Latin American Paradoxes

When the Chilean socialist president Michelle Bachelet took office in 2006, LGBT groups saw an opportunity for advancing their rights in a country with rigid cultural conservatism. But ironically, most of the debate and legislation around LGBT issues had to wait until Sebastián Piñera, Chile's first right-wing president since Pinochet, took office.

Three issues received particular attention: An anti-discrimination law, prompted by a ruling in the Karen Atala custody case, in which the Inter-American Court of Human Rights condemned the State of Chile, and the homophobic murder of Chilean youth Daniel Zamudio; a bill for same-sex civil unions and a ban on same-sex marriage; and the announced health coverage of sex-reassignment surgeries by the country's public health plan.

Read the full article at The Huffington Post »

For additional information and resources, visit this post on the International Gay and Lesbian Human Rights Commission's blog.

Para leer este artículo en español, mira: "Paradojas Chilenas: Derechos LGBT en América Latina"