Movilh

Movilh — the Movimiento de Integración y Liberación Homosexual — was founded in 1991, making it the oldest surviving LGBTQ+ organisation in Chile and one of the oldest in South America. Its founding came in the immediate aftermath of the Pinochet dictatorship, when open organising by gay and lesbian people became possible for the first time in nearly two decades. The timing is significant: Movilh was not founded in a context of established freedoms but in the fragile early years of Chile's return to democracy, when the social stigma and legal vulnerabilities of the dictatorship era remained fresh and operative. Over three decades, Movilh has been the driving force behind every significant legal advance for LGBTQ+ people in Chile: the anti-discrimination law of 2012, the civil union legislation of 2015, the Gender Identity Law of 2018, and the marriage equality law of 2022. Each of these campaigns was long, contested, and shaped by Movilh's capacity for sustained legal and political advocacy. The organisation also publishes an annual report on homophobia and transphobia in Chile — a systematic documentation of discrimination and violence that has been one of the most important tools for making the case for legal change. For visitors who want to understand the political and historical dimensions of LGBTQ+ life in Chile beyond the nightlife scene, Movilh's website and public resources are the essential starting point.