In his speech after receiving the presidential sash, Rodrigo Chaves made a brief mention of the sexually diverse population of Costa Rica.“I assure the LGBTIQ population that we are not going to go backward in the recognition of their rights.
“(Rights) that they have achieved throughout their struggles for equality and appreciation for diversity. Fights that I respect and that I guarantee will continue unscathed in their victories”.This was expressed by the 49th president of Costa Rica before the deputies, special guests and members of the previous government.
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Jota Vargas Alvarado was for a month (from April 8 to May 7) the person commissioned for issues related to LGBTIQ+ people in the country. Consulted, Vargas applauded not only the mention of Chaves to the community in his speech but also that the rights won so far will be maintained, including equal marriage and the possibility of adopting, among others.
“It is a good sign that allows us to open a dialogue with Mr. Rodrigo Chaves in order to encourage the advancement of Human Rights of the LGBTIQ+ population in Costa Rica. Rights must continue to exist,” he assured.
Vargas asked the new president to advance on other pending issues, such as the recognition of non-binary identities within the public administration as well as the rights of intersex people.
Non-binary and intersex
A non-binary person is one whose gender identity is related to feminine and masculine aspects, not as men or women. They also use neutral pronouns like ‘elle’ and ask to be identified as such.For its part, the term intersex is used to describe in a general way all people whose bodies do not coincide with the masculine or feminine.
Vargas – who also asked the new administration to create the figure of commissioner – lamented that these issues did not advance in the past government.
Actions not words
For her part, Shi Alarcón-Zamora, director of Casa Rara, agreed with the former commissioner to make progress for the LGBTIQ+ population of Costa Rica“I think that talking is very easy, but we occupy actions. Not only that there are no setbacks but that we require progress in human rights: appoint a commissioner, education for sexuality and separate the State from the church.
“And although he has referred to LGBTIQ+ people in a positive way, we are still concerned about the rule of law and the institutions that guarantee it: the CCSS, PANI, Salud, Inamu, among others.
“We need the human rights of all people to be guaranteed, it is useless if there are setbacks for LGBTIQ+ people, and there are other vulnerable groups and people,” she said.Casa Rara provides support to young people who have been rejected by their families because of their sexual orientation or gender identity.
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