The Homosexual Integration and Liberation Movement (Spanish: Movimiento de Integración y Liberación Homosexual, or Movilh) is a Chilean human rights advocacy organization in Chile which focuses on civil rights and liberties for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender citizens.[1]

MOVILH
Movimiento de Integración y Liberación Homosexual
TypeNGO
Legal statusFoundation
PurposeLGBT activism
HeadquartersCoquimbo 1410
Location
President
Rolando Jiménez

History

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There is controversy regarding the date of foundation of the organization, since they indicate as such 28 June 1991; however, this corresponds to the creation of the Homosexual Liberation Movement (Movimiento de Liberación Homosexual), which also used the acronym Movilh, which in 1997 merged with other organizations to create the Unified Movement of Sexual Minorities (Movimiento Unificado de Minorías Sexuales, MUMS), formally constituted on 28 June 1998. At the end of 1999, a splinter group of said group -led by Rolando Jiménez, who had been expelled from the first Movilh in 1995-[2] created the Homosexual Integration and Liberation Movement, which adopted the acronym Movilh.[3][4][5]

It led the campaign to the eventually-successful repeal of sodomy from the list of punishable acts under Article 365 of the Criminal Code in 1999. It also persuaded the judiciary to reopen the case regarding the 1993 Divine nightclub fire in Valparaíso, which killed 16 patrons; the case was finally closed in 2010 with the owner of the club, Nelson Arellano, being solely blamed for the fire and deaths on the basis of homophobia, but Arellano was not prosecuted. The organization's work to draw attention to this and similar cases has put pressure on the Chilean Government to act on passing an anti-discrimination law.[1]

References

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  1. ^ a b Witte-Lebhar, Benjamin (April 20, 2012), "Chile: equal rights bill fast-tracked following beating death of gay man", The Free Library By Farlex, NotiSur – South American Political and Economic Affairs, retrieved May 28, 2013
  2. ^ "Rolando Jiménez renuncia al Mmovilh después de 27 años ligado a la organización". El Día (in Spanish). 5 March 2019. Retrieved 10 April 2021.
  3. ^ "Las renuncias que quiebran al Movilh". The Clinic (in Spanish). 1 May 2014.
  4. ^ Víctor Hugo Robles (25 June 2018). "Manzana De La Discordia: La Dictadura #LGBTI De Rolando Jimenez Y El Movilh". VCC.cl (in Spanish). Archived from the original on 26 June 2018. Retrieved 25 June 2018.
  5. ^ Movimiento Unificado de Minorías Sexuales (2006). "Informe de Derechos Humanos y Discriminación 2006" (PDF). MUMS (in Spanish). Retrieved 30 June 2021.
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