Chile: Same-sex marriage made official
Reuters reported on December 9 that Chilean President Sebastián Piñera has signed a law legalizing same-sex marriage. The law was approved by Congress just days before. Reuters noted Chile's reputation as a conservative nation, even relative to other Roman Catholic Latin American countries, adding that most Chileans now support same-sex marriage and seem to be on the way to becoming more socially and culturally liberal. Pres. Piñera said at a ceremony with LGBT activists, "All couples who so wish, regardless of their sexual orientation, will be able to live love, marry, and form a family with all the dignity and legal protection they need and deserve."

Senegal: Harsh laws may get harsher
Reuters reported on December 13 that lawmakers in Senegal have drafted laws against same-sex relations that would lengthen jail time for those convicted of "LGBT+ activities." A 2020 review by the International Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Trans and Intersex Association reported that arrests and prosecutions for Gay sex have risen sharply in the country, where such activity already carries a prison sentence of five years. Senegalese LGBT+ activist Djamil Bangoura told Reuters, "When individual freedoms, in particular the most sacred — privacy between consenting adults — are attacked, then there is little time left to realize that democracy is in danger." According to Reuters, how much support the bill will win in Parliament is unclear.