Date: Wed, 5 Jun 1996 02:32:45 +0200 (MET DST) From: skolander@bahnhof.se (Bjoern Skolander) Subject: CHILE: Gay Candidate in Forthcoming Elections History is being made,in Santiago de Chile:an independent candidate,ROLANDO JIMENEZ, will be put up for the forthcoming local elections,this October, supported by MOVILH (homosexual liberation movement)for the burough of Santiago. It all started March,5th when CIHOM (homosexual initiative committee)was set up to propose the well known homosexual leader for councilman and on March,16th said candidature was first made known to homosexual circles in Santiago de Chile and on March,30th to the public at large by means of a press conference. The press then began to publish this but the daily "El Hocicon" refered to it in a vulgar manner, for which the daily's Editor was asked to publicly retract, which she did on April, 13th when said daily reported serious and respectful newscoverage. This is an unprecedented first in Chile, because for the very first time a mass medium was made to report an event involving a homosexual person, in a serious and respectful fashion. Further interviews were published during the months of April and May,both in the written and audio-visual press. On April,29th the candidature was officially launched at "La Movida" disco and different activities have since been undertaken with a view to divulging it. We need 724 signatures to get it on the books...it is difficult to get the chilean man-on-the-street out of the closet and it will be even more difficult to have him make his mind known (allbeit in the secrecy of the voting booth). Thanks to constitutional reform,local elections are twofold:electing the Mayor and the municipal council...Rolando Jimenez is running for the latter.The city of Santiago de Chile has 5 million inhabitants and is made up of different buroughs, the most heavily populated ones being La Florida and Santiago Centro: Rolando Jimenez is running in Santiago Centro which should elect 12 councilmen, due to the number of dwellers, whereas the normal figure is 6. If you know of any chilean who lives in Santiago de Chile or can move his electoral register into this burough, please pass on this news. It will the first major step in outing our identity, time to get out of the closet and affirm our dignity as human beings. If I'll have any further news or if you wish to get in touch with MOVILH or CIHOM let me know and I will be only too happy to put you in touch with them. -------------------------------------- Thanks to Manuel from Portugal for translating this text from Spanish. Bjoern Skolander skolander@bahnhof.se ****************************************************************************** * To subscribe to QUEERPLANET, send mail to: majordomo@abacus.oxy.edu * * In the mail message, enter ONLY the words: subscribe queerplanet * * To unsubscribe to QUEERPLANET, send mail to: majordomo@abacus.oxy.edu * * In the mail message, enter ONLY the words: unsubscribe queerplanet * * Words in the Subject: line are NOT processed! * ******************************************************************************