Gay Rights in Venezuela under Hugo Chávez, 1999–2009

• Published in: The Politics of Sexuality in Latin America p. 220
• Main Author: José Ramón Merentes
• Format: Book Chapter
• Language: English
• Published: University of Pittsburgh Press 24.05.2010
• Subjects: Behavioral sciences; Civil rights; Gay rights; Gender bias; Gender discrimination; Gender studies; Government; Homosexual relationships; Homosexuality; Human rights; Human societies; Interpersonal relations; Jurisprudence; Law; Legal rights; Legislative bodies; Legislatures; Marriage; Natural law; Natural rights; Parliaments; Philosophy of law; Political activism; Political processes; Political protests; Political science; Politics; Protest marches; Psychology; Same sex marriage; Sexual orientation; Social institutions; Social psychology; Social sciences; Sociology
• ISBN: 9780822960621; 0822960621
• DOI: 10.2307/j.ctt5vkfk6.18

In 1999, when the Constituent Assembly met to debate and draft Venezuela’s current constitution, delegates considered a provision that would prohibit discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation. This provision, however, never made it into the final document. The decision not to go forward with the provision seems to have been made almost overnight. According to press reports, representatives of the Catholic Church and other Christian denominations held a meeting with the president of the Constitutional Commission, Herman Escarrá, a well-known Opus Dei member. Escarrá was in charge of revising the final text of the constitution. Following this meeting, the