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Chilean teen fights homophobia with education

Chile is one of South America’s most socially conservative countries, and discrimination against gays and lesbians is still widespread. In March 2012, 24-year-old Daniel Zamudio was tortured and murdered after his attackers learned of his sexual orientation. And, just this January, 22-year-old Esteban Parada died in a similar attack in downtown Santiago.

Alberto Cid, 18, is determined to turn the tide and put an end to bullying and discrimination in Chile. The answer, he says, lies in education. First, he became president of Movilh Joven, a gay rights activist group that targets youth, and now he’s focused on getting sexual diversity into the local schools’ curricula.

Listen to the report by Eilís O’Neill in Santiago, Chile:

Alberto Cid is first tackling his own high school in Santiago, where he is a member of the student government and the LGBT student group (Photo: E. O'Neill)

Alberto Cid is first tackling his own high school in Santiago, where he is a member of the student government and the LGBT student group (Photo: E. O’Neill)

Alberto attends Barros Borgoño High School in Santiago (Photo: E. O'Neill)

Alberto attends Barros Borgoño High School in Santiago (Photo: E. O’Neill)

Date

Tuesday 01.04.2014 | 10:18

Tags

chile, gay rights, homophobia, Latin America, tolerance

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