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A6 WORLD NEWS
Monday 21 noveMber 2022

Mothers of LGBTQ children join forces in Latin America

By DANIEL POLITI censor information about
Associated Press LGBTQ people. In Brazil, at
BUENOS AIRES, Argentina the federal and state lev-
(AP) — Fabu Olmedo is so el there are bills and laws
nervous about clubs and that either ban, or would
restaurants in Paraguay ban, information about
that before a night out sexual orientation and gen-
she often contacts one to der identity, said Cristian
make sure that she'll be let González Cabrera, LGBT-
in and won't be attacked rights researcher for Latin
or harassed. America and the Caribbe-
Olmedo doesn't know if she an at Human Rights Watch.
can go out in public safely And laws often fail to tell
becauses daily life is hard the full story.
for transgender people in "Irrespective of what legal
the capital, Asunción. Now, regime a youth finds them-
a new group of allies in Lat- selves in, prejudice and
in America is trying to make discrimination in the region
life better by changing continue to be common-
minds in this socially con- place," González Cabrera
servative and often highly said.
religious region. Vitinia Varela Mora said
Founded in 2017, the Latin Members of the Latin American Movement of Mothers of LGTB+ Children pose for a group photo that her daughter, Ana
American Movement of during a march in Buenos Aires Argentina, Saturday, Nov. 5, 2022. María, decided to hide her
Mothers of LGTB+ Children Associated Press lesbian identity after see-
lobbies governments to uel came out 11 years ago annual massive gay pride faith also often preaches ing other gay students bul-
eliminate prejudical laws and suffered so much bully- march on Nov. 5. against same-sex relation- lied at her school in Tilarán,
and better enforce existing ing at school that he spent "Our main battle is to make ships.There are stark differ- Costa Rica, which is about
bans on violence and dis- recesses with the teachers. sure our children enjoy the ences in the acceptance 124 miles (200km) from
crimination. "He's constantly at risk of same rights in all of Latin of sexual minorities across the capital, San José. She
It's a difficult fight that will being yelled at or worse in America," said Patricia Latin America. Argentina came out to her mother at
require patience and a the street because of his Gambetta, 49, the head of and Uruguay have been 21.
years of effort but the moth- sexuality," she said. the Latin American Move- regional pioneers in mar- In some countries, mothers
ers are working together to Olmedo, 28, said that in ment of Mothers of LGTB+ riage equality and trans- who try to help their chil-
help others in their position, July she was barred from Children, which has mem- gender rights. Other coun- dren deal with discrimina-
and function as a refuge an Asunción nightclub with bers in 14 countries and the tries in the region have yet tion suddenly find them-
for LGBTQ children whose her friends. goal of expanding to all to institute protections for selves the subject of scru-
families are not as support- "Many times they let you in the countries in the region. the LGBTQ population. tiny.
ive. but there are violent peo- The work of the mothers Marriage equality became Claudia Delfín tried to seek
"It's all about recognizing ple inside," Olmedo said. is often made more com- law in all of Mexico's states help in government offices
the strength and power The Latin American Move- plicated by the endur- last month. Honduras and for her transgender twins,
that we have as mothers to ment of Mothers of LGTB+ ing power of the Catholic Paraguay both ban same- who were facing bullying
accompany our kids and Children held its first in- Church, which teaches that sex marriage. In Guatema- and discrimination in their
help other families," said person meeting in early gay acts are "intrinsically la, a conservative congress school in Santa Cruz de la
Alejandra Muñoz, 62, of November in Buenos Aires, disordered." The increas- has repeatedly tried to Sierra, Bolivia, when they
Mexico City. Her son Man- where they attended the ingly popular evangelical pass legislation that would were 16.q

Brazilian economist will lead regional

development bank

of the previous president. He denied the allegation. inflation and rising interest
Governors from the Inter- The Inter-American Devel- rates in the U.S. and Europe.
American Development opment Bank is the biggest Last month, the IMF slashed
Bank's 48 members select- multilateral lender to Latin its forecast for growth
ed Goldfajn to lead the America, disbursing last across the region to 1.7% in
Washington-based multilat- year a record $23 billion 2023 — down from an esti-
eral lender from a slate of to alleviate poverty made mate of 2% made in July.
five candidates nominated worse by the coronavirus Gaspard Estrada, director
by Argentina, Brazil, Chile, pandemic in the region. of the Political Observa-
Mexico and Trinidad & To- The U.S. is the largest share- tory of Latin America and
bago. holder, with 30% of voting the Caribbean at Sciences
Brazil Central Bank Governor Ilan Goldfajn speaks at the forum
Flexible Inflation Targeting: Advancing the Frontiers of Monetary It follows the firing in Sep- rights. Po in Paris, said that the
Policy at the World Bank/IMF Annual Meetings on April 18, 2018, tember of Mauricio Claver- The new president will return of a Latin American
in Washington. Carone, who had been the be tasked with bolstering to the helm of the bank
Associated Press first American to lead the economies that were hit by should help reduce the po-
bank in its 63-year history. the coronavirus pandem- larization that surrounded
NEW YORK (AP) — Latin to lead the region's larg- He was removed after an ic are now suffering from Claver-Carone's election
American governments on est development bank in ethics probe found he likely weakening currencies, in- and make the task of se-
Sunday selected Brazilian the wake of a misconduct carried on an intimate rela- creasing foreign debt and curing additional resources
economist Ilan Goldfajn probe that led to the firing tionship with a subordinate. capital flight spurred by easier.q