Out Spotlight LV

Today's Spotlight is Rodrigo Opazo Muñoz, who is named one of the best young writers in Chile.

Born in Concepción ,Chile in 1973 Munoz studied to be journalist and even though he loved his career in journalism, he found a new passion in literature. From that he has written two novels. La Trilogía de las Fiestas is a look into the lives of 3 gay men trying to understand themselves in the middle of the city and Montevusto is a fantasty story where the super hero goes to save a gay town. Currently they are only available in Spanish but hopefully will be soon translated into English.

Rodrigo is helping the Chilean LGTB community put the gay issue on the table and fight for equal rights and non discrimination in Chile, which is in face of the traditional society of Chile. He is doing this by breaking the old roles to making new ones through his literature.

His first book La Trilogía de las Fiestas, he revealed that the book is 50% autobiographical and 50% is fiction. The main characters Cristobal, Gabriel and Sebastian, reveal parts of himself as he was coming out. He used people close to him such as relatives and friends that had a leading role in my story’s creation, but mostly people that sealed the decade of his "incredible ninities".

His second book Montevusto was inspiredfrom Queer as Folk (US version) when Mike and Justin created a gay hero comic to save Gaypolis from homophobic strikes. In his book, Ramiro Hidalgo leads as the first South American gay hero who creates a legion of gays, lesbians, a trans, and a bi and a few straight heroes to save Montevusto. It is the relationship that each one has with Fine Arts is where their power comes from.

And the33-year-old journalist and novelist has had first-hand experience with homophobic violence involving the Carabineros,uniformed Chilean national police force who's mission is maintain order and create public respect for the laws of the country, he may need help from a legion of heroes.

In the wee hours of the morning, Muñoz and a male friend left a house party and, hand-in-hand and happy to be enjoying a summer’s night in each other’s company, took a comfortable stroll through downtown Santiago. The two found a bench and sat. There they talked and flirted, hugging and kissing.

About half-a-block away, a pair of Carabineros – Muñoz guessed there were two, though he couldn’t say for sure – sat in a parked police van, observing the two gay men. After a few minutes, one of the police officers rolled down his window and yelled in the direction of the bench.

“Ok guys, it’s time for you two be to moving along,” said the police officer. Muñoz was quick to question the Carabinero why he should have to leave.

“And that’s when they started to insult us,” the young writer said. “Come on, run along faggots. Get out of here. The neighbors called and they want you out of here. Degenerates, motherfuckers, queers..."

Muñoz was indignant. He walked up to the police van and confronted the officers, warning them that they’d tangled with the wrong man. “I’m a journalist,” he told them. “I know the head of police. I have contacts with President Bachelet.” At that point the police took off – rapidly, too quickly in fact for Muñoz to note their van’s license plate number.

“I’m 33 years old. The majority of friends in other words are of the 30-something generation. They stay quiet about things. Things weren’t open when we were young. So they say, ‘come on, keep it to yourself. Stay quiet,’” he said.

“But the truth is that I have a different stance. Since publishing my novel last September – I participated in the gay march as a journalist, working for the first time as a journalist for a gay institution, and being gay – I said to myself, ‘I’m not going to stay quiet about anything. Never again am I just going to shut up.’ Whatever problem I might have, I won’t stay quiet about it. Because my family knows (I’m gay), they know at my job. I’ve come out of all the closets. Being gay, one comes out of various closets.”

He wasted no time in making sure as many people as possible – including the police themselves – found out about the incident in the park. He contacted a number of homosexual rights organizations. He also marched into the First Commissary headquarters, the very police station from which the abusive officers were dispatched, and spoke with an attending official. He happened to live next door the station

“What I’m hoping from either the government or the Carabineros is a letter of apology,” he said. “That’s what I’m hoping. And not a form letter, something standardized where the public relations person inserts your name. I want a formal letter of apology.”

“I’m also going to support MOVILH in its interest in training the Carabineros. Because something good has to come out of this,” Muñoz added.

Founded some 15 years ago, MOVILH has pushed hard to carve a safe space for the country’s sexual minorities out of Chile’s rigid social structure. Over the years the movement has worked closely with government officials in pushing for legislation that protects and promotes gay rights, an effort that in 2005 won the admiration of a complimentary United Nations. MOVILH is also the first place many people who have been harassed or victimized like Muñoz turn to for help.

“The case that affected Rodrigo (Muñoz) is more common than people think,” “The majority of the people [who] come to the organization [due to harassment] don’t want to file a formal complaint for fear of drawing attention to themselves as homosexuals.”

Muñoz did receive his letter of formal apology, but that is not stopping him from speaking out for the LGTB community in Chile. He is continuing to persue opportunities for increase awareness, and fight for the rights of individuals. He also is continuing to bring a new voice and perspective in Chilean literature.

On the media in Chile:

"One of the reasons that I don’t like journalism in Chile is because the press tries the subject about Sexual Diversity with indifference. The press distorts the information and only shows homicides related to prostitution and drugs. Barely have they informed about Gay Pride and they show only drag queens and muscular strippers, but never about gay culture or gay politics or gay rights. It happens because Chilean press is under the left right politics and as we know is very conservative and besides catholic, and they try to domain over us."


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