Same-sex marriage has recently been legalised in Chile. The tribunal accepted AL’s evidence as credible and said he may encounter “discrimination, harassment and hostility” if he returned to Chile. In 2019, there were five deaths and 32 reports of police abuse attributed to victims’ sexual orientation or gender identity. However, LGBTQI people still faced violence and discrimination. As of May 2021, 82% of Chileans surveyed supported same-sex marriage. However, there had been “considerable progress” over the past two decades.Īn anti-discrimination law, a marriage equality law and a gender identity law had all been recently passed. The tribunal noted gay and lesbian sexual activity was illegal in Chile until 1999 and the country had historically been “profoundly conservative”. (File photo)ĪL also reported being the victim of verbal homophobic abuse on multiple occasions. Chile, pictured, has historically been a conservative country but attitudes towards LGBTQI people are becoming more progressive, the Immigration and Protection Tribunal noted.
