Crimes against lesbians remain unpunished in Chile: they demand justice

Every July 9th, since 2015, the memory of Mónica Briones - a lesbian murdered during the dictatorship of Augusto Pinochet - drives a day of Lesbian Visibility.

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By Airam Fernández, from Santiago (Chile)

This Tuesday marked Lesbian Visibility Day in Chile, with a march in Santiago to remember lesbian victims of hate crimes and agitation activities in several cities across the country.
Every July 9th since 2015, the memory of Mónica Briones—a lesbian murdered during Augusto Pinochet's dictatorship—moves a group of women to the streets to demand justice. This time, some 200 people gathered in Plaza Italia to raise their voices against 35 years of impunity. Briones was tortured and murdered on July 9, 1984, in Santiago and is the first lesbian victim of a hate crime on record in the country.
During yesterday's gathering, they also remembered Nicole Saavedra, a lesbian murdered three years ago in Limache . Like Briones' case, this one also remains unpunished.
[READ MORE: 3 years without justice for Nicole: negligence denounced and calls made to address the case of lesbicide ]

Fewer men, more lesbians

The activity evolved into a symbolic three-block march to Forest Park. During the march, a neighbor came out onto his balcony to complain about what was happening. "Less macho men, more lesbians!" the women present responded in unison. From another window, they even threw eggs into the street, and the group stopped to shout even louder: " Lesbians exist in the streets, without permission!"
Erika Montecinos, from the Lesbian Group Breaking the Silence, spoke at the close of the meeting: "It was never really known who was responsible for Mónica's murder, and that's why the case was closed in 1993. We still continue to demand justice," she said.

A tragic milestone

Victoria Muñoz, from Visibles, called on women and lesbians to remain organized and vigilant against threats: “Unfortunately, a tragic event has brought us together. The hetero-cis-patriarchal system is hindering legal proceedings in cases of murders of lesbian, trans, and bisexual women, and that is why we must remain organized in our various territories . It is time to make the authorities listen to us.”
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