UC San Diego UC San Diego Electronic Theses and Dissertations Title The Gap: The Discrepancy Between the de Jure Rights and the de Facto Reality Experienced by LGBTQ+ Students in Uruguay Permalink https://escholarship.org/uc/item/8jg37150 Author Etlin, Stuart Publication Date 2019 Peer reviewed|Thesis/dissertation eScholarship.org Powered by the California Digital Library University of California UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA SAN DIEGO The Gap: The Discrepancy Between the de Jure Rights and the de Facto Reality Experienced by LGBTQ+ Students in Uruguay A thesis submitted in partial satisfaction of the requirements for the degree Master of Arts in Latin American Studies by Stuart Etlin Committee in charge: Professor Scott Desposato, Chair Professor Stephanie Jed Professor Matthew Vitz 2020 Copyright Stuart Etlin, 2020 All rights reserved. The Thesis of Stuart Etlin is approved, and it is acceptable in quality and form for publication on microfilm and electronically: _____________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________ Chair University of California San Diego 2020 iii DEDICATION I would like to dedicate this thesis to the LGBTQ+ children of Uruguay. From my humble perch in academia I hope that this work supports your God-given rights, enshrined in Uruguay law, to full citizenship, free of discrimination for the rest of your lives. It is my hope that other scholars, international organizations, and individuals build upon this research and advocate for your right to self-esteem, and inclusion in the classroom. iv EPIGRAPH Reivindico el poder sanador de las palabras. Poder decir las cosas en voz alta sana el alma. Diana Mines El reloj, Canal 10 27 junio, 1997 I assert the healing power of words. To speak out loud heals the soul. -Diana Mines El Reloj, Channel 10, Uruguay The moment the movement came out of the closet v TABLE OF CONTENTS Signature Page ....................................................................................................... iii Dedication .............................................................................................................. iv Epigraph .................................................................................................................. v Table of Contents .................................................................................................. vi List of Abbreviations ........................................................................................... vii List of Figures………………………………………………………………….... ix List of Tables .......................................................................................................... x Acknowledgements ............................................................................................... xi Abstract of the Thesis ........................................................................................... xii I. Introduction: LGBTQ+ Rights in Uruguay and the Adolescent Experience………………………………….....……..1 II. The Persecution of LGBTQ+ in Uruguay; Activism and Legislative Gains……………………………………...….17 III. Visualizing the LGBTQ+ Student Experience…………………...……..68 IV. Harm Reduction: Current Programs to Mitigate the Gap………..…….140 V. The Roadmap Forward………………………………………….……..157 Epilogue ……………………………………………………………………….161 Appendices…………………………………………………………………….172 Bibliography…………………………………………………………………..174 vi LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS ANEP Administración Nacional de Educación Publica ASSE Administración de Servicios de Salud del Estado ATRU Asociación Trans del Uruguay BPS Banco de Previsión Social CEP Consejo de Educación Primaria CETP Consejo de Educación Técnica Profesional CES Consejo de Educación Secundaria CFE Consejo de Formación en Educación CNDD Consejo Nacional de Diversidad Sexual CPD Centros Educativos Promotores de Derechos CODICEN El Consejo Directivo de la Administración Nacional de Educación Publica CRAM Centro de Referencia Amigable DNPSC Dirección Nacional de Promoción Sociocultural ENAJ Encuesta Nacional de Adolescencia y Juventud FA Frente Amplio FUDIS Constitución de la Federación Uruguaya de la Diversidad Sexual GSA Gay-Straight Alliance GLSEN Gay, Lesbian and Straight Education Network HU Homosexuales Unidos ILGA The International Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Trans, and Intersex Association IMM Intendencia Municipal de Montevideo INAU Instituto del Niño y Adolescente del Uruguay INJU Instituto Nacional de la Juventud (división of MIDES) INMUJERES Instituto Nacional de Mujeres (división of MIDES) INEED Instituto Nacional de Evaluación Educativa LGBTQ+ Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer, Questioning, Intersex, Asexual MCT Mesa Coordinadora de Trasvestis MEC Ministerio de Educación y Cultura MIDES Ministerio de Desarrollo Social MIH Movimiento de Integración Homosexual MSP Ministerio de Salud Público OAS Organization of American States OECD The Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development ONUSIDA The Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS PES Programa de Educación Sexual PC Partido Colorado PI Partido Independiente PISA Program for International Student Assessment PIT-CNT Plenario, Intersindical de Trabajadores-Convención Nacional de Trabajadores PLEMU Plenario de Mujeres del Uruguay PN Partido Nacional (Partido Blancos) PNS Programa Nacional de SIDA ROUS La Red de ONGs con trabajo en SIDA UDELAR Universidad de la Republica UNFPA United Nations Population Fund UTU Universidad del Trabajo del Uruguay vii WHO World Health Organization viii LIST OF FIGURES Figure 1: Untitled…………………………………………………...……………………....25 Figure 2: The governance of education in Uruguay……………………………………….114 Figure 3: Diagram from ANEP’s website visualizing the structure of CODICEN…...…...116 Figure 4: Photo of public-school uniform………………………………………………….119 ix LIST OF TABLES Table 1: Timeline of Uruguay LGBTQ+ Benchmark Legislation………………………… 24 Table 2: Key Findings of the Ovejas Negras Report……………………………………….72 x ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS I want to thank Scott Desposato for offering me admission into the UCSD program, nominating me for the San Diego Fellowship, and chairing my thesis committee. I want to thank Matt Vitz for opening my eyes to the back story that always seems to be lurking somewhere beyond appearances when it comes to Latin American policy initiatives. I want to thank Stephanie Jed for finding generous slots of time to read segment drafts, challenging me to find the answers to difficult questions (frequently involving further research) first orally, and then incorporated into the body of the thesis. I want to thank the CAPS department of UCSD. I want to thank Dr. Dan Caldwell who encouraged my return to graduate studies in my fifties and took the time to read my thesis and make valuable comments. I want to thank my dear friend Dr. Ed Franks for this wealth of knowledge and words of wisdom and encouragement for all things academic. This would not have been possible, and I would not have survived the isolation of graduate studies without the unwavering love and support of my partner Joshua Siebuhr. Every chance he had he would make the two-three-hour drive from our home in Pacific Palisades to my UCSD housing in La Jolla to take me out for a meal and a movie; leaving the apartment with a fully stocked refrigerator, clean clothes; Thank you for being my bookend, your love, and your patience. I am delighted to have graduated the UCSD program the same year my son Cody Etlin, a Rangel Fellow, graduated his program at SAIS, and has begun his career in the foreign service. Cody is a Latinamericanist par excellence; I derived much encouragement from his hard work and his gentle words. Finally, I would like to thank all of the amazing Uruguayans who made themselves available to me for interviews, introductions, and invitations. You are extraordinary people and my life is richer having known your beautiful corner of the world. xi ABSTRACT OF THE THESIS The Gap: The Discrepancy Between the de Jure Rights and the de Facto Reality Experienced by LGBTQ+ Students in Uruguay by Stuart Etlin Master of Arts in Latin American Studies University of California San Diego, 2020 Professor Scott Desposato, Chair Uruguay elected its first left-of-center government in 2004 on a human rights platform that has maintained power for fifteen years. Numerous organizations recognize Uruguay as having the most progressive LGBTQ+ legislation in Latin America as measured by benchmark laws. xii All available studies indicate that there is a deep discrepancy between the de jure rights and protections and the de facto experience of LGBTQ+ students who report high rates of absenteeism, feeling unsafe at school, and experiencing verbal and physical homophobic bullying by both students and teachers. Interviews that I conducted with experts in various professions confirm this reality. The purpose of this investigation is to identify institutional and societal factors that have created this gap and have reinforced replication of entrenched societal homophobia in the school place; actions and initiatives designed to bridge the gap that are being taken or are under consideration, and look at the possible roadmaps for the path forward. Uruguay has a history of passing progressive legislation that remains inoperable for years or even decades. Educational institutions self-govern with constitutionally granted autonomy; having their own mechanisms for handling grievances, answering to neither judicial nor legislative branches. Many of