INTERNATIONAL

CHILE BEGINS DRAFTING NEW CONSTITUTION

DANNY O’BRIEN

In Chile, the elections for the candidacy of the Constitutional Convention, a panel of 155 delegates of equal gender parity, were chosen over the weekend from multiple political parties across the spectrum to draft the new constitution, according to Al Jazeera.

The decision for the rewrite comes after the city of Santiago saw approximately two million citizens take to the streets in 2019 to protest a hike in subway fare—and the entire structure of their economy.

After months of protesting, President Sebastian Piñera announced a compromise to the people, allowing them to reevaluate their constitution and consider drafting a new one. The vote to approve the rewrite, originally set for April 26, was postponed due to COVID-19 until October 2020, where a plebiscite was held, and it was decided that an overwhelming majority of Chileans wanted to have a new constitution drafted by elected members of a Constitutional Convention.

“This is the culmination of a political crisis that had been a long time coming,” said Claudia Heiss, the head of the political science department at the University of Chile. “An increase PRESIDENT SEBASTIAN PINERA, CENTER, ARRIVES AT LA MONEDA PRESIDENTIAL PALACE. ESTEBAN FELIX/AP PHOTO

in participation puts an end to a binomial era [since the return to democracy] in which Chile was ruled by two coalitions with high governability but low representation.”

To address disparity in the current constitution, a required 17 delegates, or 9% of the panel, must be indigenous Chileans. Seven of these 17 seats are reserved for the Mapuche, two for the Aymara, and one to Quechua, Atacameños, Qulla, Kawésqar, Diaguitas, Yaghanes, Changos and the Rapa Nui.

“We are voting with pride and identity for the first time,” said Maribel Mora Curriao, a Mapuche poet. “We have taken this process very seriously and we are very much aware that this is a unique opportunity not only for us but for the Chilean people as a whole.”

As of May 17, the results showed a mixed political spread for the seats. 48 of the seats have gone to those of mixed, independent political status, 37 have gone to conservative delegates, 28 have gone to left-wing delegates, 23 for center-left/ liberal and 17 for the previously mentioned indigenous delegates. The percentage of seats won by conservative delegates, less than 33%, will reduce the veto power of the right, which includes Chile’s current center-right ruling party, Chile Vamos.

Each bill that is to be added into the new constitution will be put to a vote for the Constitutional Convention, and a two-thirds majority approval will be necessary to include the bill. As BBC reported, “some of the more controversial proposals include changes to private property rights enshrined in the current text as well as to the employment legislation, which could clash with interests of traditional investors. Parties on the left want greater state control of mineral and natural resources...and more public spending on education, health, pensions and social welfare.”

The ongoing protests have included rejection of neoliberal policies that govern Chile. There is a strong malaise among Chileans regarding their partially privatized healthcare services, poor pension programs and the current state of education. Candidates likely to bolster proposals for reforms have two-thirds majority to make it into the New Constitution. “The new charter will involve a bit more state and a bit less market,” according to The Economist.

The Convention will have nine months to debate amongst themselves and make key decisions in the drafting process, after which they can request an additional three months, giving them potentially up to a year to draft the new Constitution. After a draft has been created, it will be put to a public vote for its approval. While the people are witnessing the writing of this revised constitution, they will remain as a democratic republic and must still abide by the international treaties previously signed.

In addition to these elections, there are concomitant municipal elections going on around the country. 345 mayors and 2,252 city councilors are also up for election. France 24 reported that these elections are “usually a litmus test for presidential elections, next due in November.”

“Many people are saying that [the constitutional convention election] was the day that the transition to democracy finally reached its conclusion,” said Verónica Figueroa Huencho, an academic at the University of Chile’s School of Public Affairs.

“The participation of indigenous peoples and independent candidates in a genderequal constitutional assembly is a launchpad for a new Chile,” Huencho said.

2021 SEES THE MOST ANTI-

STATE LEGISLATION

HUMAN RIGHTS CAMPAIGN PRESIDENT ALPHONSO DAVID. JOHN AMIS/AP IMAGES FOR THE HUMAN RIGHTS CAMPAIGN

ANTI-LGBTQ+ STATE LEGISLATION

IN RECENT US HISTORY

CONOR CARROLL

An estimated 250 anti-LGBTQ+ state legislative bills have been proposed nationwide since January 2021, and at least 17 bills have been signed into state law. This easily breaks the 2015 yearly total of 15 such laws, with 11 or more currently awaiting a governor’s signature, according to a Human Rights Campaign (HRC) report.

“The rights of LGBTQ people—and especially transgender people—across the country are being systematically threatened and undermined by national anti-LGBTQ groups coordinating with anti-equality lawmakers to wage an unprecedented war on the LGBTQ community,” Alphonso David, the HRC President, stated.

The transgender community has seen the most targeted political attacks, with at least 33 states introducing more than 100 bills aiming to restrain the rights of transgender people across the United States, according to a CNN report.

Anti-trans legislation typically is classified as either a bathroom/locker room ban, youth sports ban, a ban/restriction on transgender medical care or “other,” according to an HRC analysis.

While the bills restricting trans rights would affect the trans community as a whole, there could be a greater effect on trans youth. According to a study by The Trevor Project of LGBTQ youth mental health in 2020, “40% of LGBTQ respondents seriously considered attempting suicide” and “86% of LGBTQ youth said that recent politics have negatively impacted their well-being.”

The bans on trans participation in same-gender youth sports are also prominent in 2021. 31 states have presented measures which ban trans athletes from partaking in sports in relation to their gender affiliations.

Some states, such as Arkansas, have already signed bills of this nature, including an April bill making Arkansas the first to outlaw gender-affirming treatment for trans youth. In April, Florida’s House of Representatives passed a bill that prevents trans athletes from competing in girls’ and women’s sports in college and school writ large. It also requires students to participate in a “physical examination” of their genitals should their gender be disputed.

The NCAA has issued a warning to states that have enacted or are planning to enact measures restricting or banning trans youth from participating in sports events that they will remove events from said states should those bills become law. Many states have also begun criminalizing or banning medical treatment for the trans community. According to the HRC, 20 states have introduced legislation which makes it illegal or very difficult to obtain gender-affirming therapy for minors, such as the one which overwhelmingly passed the Alabama State Senate in March. Alabama lawmakers argue minors are unable to make gender-affirming decisions on their own.

“Genital surgery is never performed on children, and puberty blockers and hormonal therapy are used only after lengthy informed consent, mental health oversight and subspecialized medical care,” said Dr. Morissa Ladinsky in testimony regarding the bill. Medical best practice ideology from organizations such as the American Psychological Association, Child Mind Institute, and the American Medical Association all recommend that gender-affirmation care for trans youth is safe and effective, despite legislation passed in states such as Alabama. “There is a growing body of research that supports access to gender-affirming care in adolescence,” a recent CNN report said. “A 2020 study by the American Academy of Pediatrics found that access to pubertal suppression treatment was associated with lower odds of long-term and consistent suicidal thoughts among transgender adults.”

Some states have not had as much or any such legislation introduced but have still been in an advocacy position, as have organizations within them. The Oregon-based LGBTQ+ organization Basic Rights Oregon is one of such organizations.

Mikki Gillette, the “Major Gifts Officer’’ or press affiliate for the group, assisted with recent Oregon state legislation which will provide further protections for the LGBTQ+ community and discussed the recent rash of anti-LGBTQ+ legislation around the country.

Basic Rights Oregon hosted a “Queer Rights Town Hall” at PSU in 2018, where legislators and constituents discussed LGBTQ+ rights.

“We held a queer rights town hall [at PSU] in 2018,” Gillette said. “We invited all the out-gay legislators and legislators of color and our constituents to an auditorium there. It was successful and informative, and really allowed people to speak their minds and learn at the same time.”

Despite a lack of direct anti-trans legislative action, Oregon legislators and advocacy groups have been concerned regarding the national trend towards legislating against the trans community.

“I thought public opinion was moving towards broader acceptance of trans people. I really didn’t expect this direct assault from politicians,” Gillette said. “In 2016, North Carolina paid a serious political price for trying to enact such legislation. Polls are broadly showing that [anti-trans] legislation is really unpopular across the political spectrum.”

In a recent PBS/NPR/Marist poll, 67% of Americans and over 65% of Republicans oppose the aforementioned anti-trans sports ban measures spreading around the country.

“Most parents are scrambling to educate themselves about their children and their struggles, ‘’ Gillette said. “A lot of times kids display psychological distress from just hearing about this legislation. I would think this is a no-brainer.”

Gillette, as a trans woman, said that she “[tries] not to feel too bad about it, because I think it would be too painful. I don’t know what it’s [the legislation] in response to, except people that don’t want transgenders to exist.”

“It just seems cruel,” she said.

“When I heard people talk about the political calculations, a lot of these representatives are in districts that went Trump plus-40, so they’re not worried about losing to a democrat, but they are about being primaried by a Republican further to the right than they are,” Gillette said.

The legislative branch is not the only government institution which may be involved further in such ideations—the highest court in the U.S., the Supreme Court, could be presented with a case regarding trans rights. “My thinking is so shaped by the Bostock ruling that I do honestly have hope that trans rights will be protected [by the Supreme Court],” Gillette said. “This was a 6-3 ruling, and before it had shifted so far to the right, so I think the conservatives on the court will keep to that.”

“I just don’t see how you could tell parents what kind of health care their kids could receive.”

In regard to the bills inhibiting trans youth from playing sports, Gillette drew upon her own experience transitioning.

“These bills seem like an extension of the ‘bathroom myth’ bills we saw so many of,” she said. “It’s this patriarchal idea that these poor, fragile girls will be invaded by trans girls.”

“Especially as someone who has transitioned, the nosedive in status you endure, when you don’t look anything like you want to…the idea that a high schooler transitioning would want to play sports in general, let alone draw even more attention to themselves, it just makes no sense.”

Advocates for LGBTQ+ rights believe that federal action will be required to protect against such legislation now and in the future.

The Equality Act introduced in Congress this February would add to the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and explicitly protect sexual orientation and gender orientation, making the demographics protected classes of citizenry.

While the bill passed in the House of Representatives, its fate in the Senate remains uncertain, considering the filibuster’s potential to halt such a resolution in its tracks.

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THIS WEEK around the WORLD

May 17–22

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May 17 GUJARAT, INDIA

Cyclone Tauktae, the most powerful storm to hit India’s west coast in two decades made landfall on Monday, according to The Guardian. Over 200,000 people were evacuated from low-lying areas in preparation for the impact of the cyclone on Sunday, which had already killed six people before making landfall in India. On May 19, the Indian navy issued a statement announcing they found 26 bodies after searching for a barge that sank in the storm, increasing the number of fatalities to at least 91. The storm comes as India grapples with a second wave of COVID-19 infections. “Our priority is to clear the roads, so there is no impact on oxygen movement,” said Gaurang Makwana, the top official of Bhavnagar district in Gujarat. According to Vijay Rupani, Gujarat’s chief minister, 160 state roads were destroyed in the storm and 40,000 trees were uprooted.

May 18 PARIS, FRANCE

French President Emmanuel Macron hosted approx. two dozen African heads of state and heads of global financial institutions for a summit to discuss ways to help with post pandemic economic recovery, according to Al Jazeera. The summit ended with Macron calling for vaccine patents to be lifted in Africa in order to allow for the manufacturing of vaccines to occur on the continent. The summit however, did not take place without controversy as some believe it was just a ploy for France to show power and control over its former colonies and the larger continent. “It is just another useless gathering, a waste of time and resources which is more beneficial to France than Africa,” said Cameroonian human rights activist Bergeline Ndoumou. “They have been holding countless summits, but how have those summits benefited Africa? Do we have potable water? Good schools or medical facilities? How have [the summits] impacted governance in our various African countries? We still have bad leaders.”

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May 20 COLOMBIA

The South American Football Confederation (CONMEBOL) announced the 2021 Copa América football championship will no longer host games in Colombia due to recent unrest, according to Reuters. This comes after the decision to host the games in two co-host countries for the first time in the tournament’s 105-year history. Earlier this year, Colombia asked to postpone the tournament to November so spectators could be present in the stadiums, but CONMEBOL said it was impossible “due to conflict with the international calendar.” Protests throughout Colombia have been ongoing since they erupted in late April over tax reforms. According to AP News, a match last week between Colombia’s América de Cali and Brazil’s Atlético Mineiro was interrupted multiple times due to the use of tear gas to disperse protestors nearby. The two guest teams from Qatar and Australia decided in February they would not compete in the tournament due to the pandemic.

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May 21 BANGKOK, THAILAND

Dogs trained to detect COVID-19 infections by scent were deployed in Thailand, according to Reuters. Three Labradors made their debut at Bangkok’s Chulalongkorn University following trials that announced a 95% success rate in the last month. “The canines are very fast at screening,” said co-researcher Thitiwat Sirprasart. “At this pace, we are able to isolate those whom we suspect are infected from those who are virus-free.” Thailand is not the only place undergoing trials for canine COVID-19 tests. In Oahu, Hawaii, training is underway at the Queen’s Medical Center with four dogs to identify COVID-19-positive samples based on scent. “At the moment, we are screening people based on history and based on a temperature check,” said Whitney Limm, chief physician executive at Queen’s. “This offers an opportunity for noninvasive testing, adding a layer of security without doing something intrusive.”

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May 22 ROTTERDAM, NETHERLANDS

On the final day of the 65th annual Eurovision Song Contest, Italy’s Måneskin took home top marks scoring 524 points in the grand final, according to The Guardian. The rock band was followed by France’s Barbara Pravi and Switzerland’s Gjon’s Tears in second and third place respectively for the first song contest back after the 2020 event was cancelled due to COVID-19. “Canceling for another year was never a consideration,” said Martin Österdahl, executive supervisor of the Eurovision Song Contest. “We said very soon, as soon as I started, that the Eurovision Song Contest would come back and we’ve held on to that promise.” Due to worries about the ongoing pandemic, the venue hosted an audience of only 3,500 people, all of which were required to present a negative COVID-19 test prior to the event. “It’s about bringing peace and bringing hope in a lot of homes of citizens in the world despite this very worst that we are passing,” said Ahmed Aboutaleb, mayor of Rotterdam.