Human Rights Spanish Network
Chile: Movlih reports discrimination against a lesbian mother to the government Santiago de Chile, movilh.org .-

The Movement for Homosexual Integration and Liberation (Movlih, initials in Spanish) this past August reported to the Ministry of National Women's Service (Senam, initials in Spanish), Cecilia Perez, a new discrimination case against a lesbian mother, who faces a child custody lawsuit. We are talking about Karina Arenas, whose husband filed a child custody suit at the Fourth Circuit Courthouse for Minors in San Miguel. “A few weeks ago, a social worker from that courthouse advised me not to mention my lesbianism because not even a Judge (Karen Atala) had won custody of her children when her homosexuality was made public”, stated Arenas. This fact, added to the fact that Karina still doesn't know under what grounds is she being challenged for custody of her children, was reported by Movlih directors, Sofia Velasquez and Rolando Ramirez directly to Perez, who they asked to make a concrete argument about the issue. “The minister told us that if she is consulted in any way (by media or legally) about Serna's situation around homosexual maternity, she will defend an ample view about the concept of family”, explained Velasquez. The concept of family This concept is based on the Report by the National Family Commission, which after gathering groups and people from various areas, beliefs and ideologies, defines a family as “a social group joined by its blood ties, affiliation (biological or adoptive) and of an alliance, including unions that are in fact stable”. According to Movilh's president, Rolando Ramirez, such “an integral concept of a family coming from the government should prevent or stop a mother from being torn from her children only because she is a lesbian”. Minister Perez stated that even when homosexual rights are not a part of the governments agenda, it is clear that in the future of the next State should make a clear announcement about the subject because discrimination against sexual minorities is a real fact. Having Sernam's backing, Karina and Movilh will start legal actions to defend the custody of her four children, mainly showing that the father is “morally, psychologically and economically unable to take care of them”.