Santiago: Young socialist Boric wins presidency
CNN reported on December 20 that leftist candidate Gabriel Boric has been announced the winner of Chile's presidential election, with 55.87% of the vote, beating his ultraconservative opponent Jose Antonio Kast's 44.13%. Chile had legalized same-sex marriage just over a week earlier. Reuters featured the voices of Chileans the day before election day, showing a votership "split" on the future of the country. Some who supported Kast compared his opponent to the "leftist dictator" Salvador Allende, who was democratically elected in 1970 and overthrown in 1973. Others claimed their support was "pragmatic," even if they disagreed with his social conservatism. Thirty-five-year-old Boric's supporters said they believed he, unlike Kast, would protect women's rights, abortion rights, sexual diversity, and "democracy itself."

Budapest: EU panel says new laws violate human rights
Reuters reported on December 14 that the European Union's criticism of Hungary's anti-LGBT laws has again advanced, with the Venice Commission, a panel of human rights experts, saying that the country's ban on the subject of homosexuality and Transgender issues in classrooms violates international human rights standards. The commission said the laws bar children from objective, unbiased information on gender identity and sexual orientation. "On the contrary," the panel's assessment said, "the amendments contribute to creating a 'threatening environment,' where LGBTQI children can be subject to health-related risks, bullying, and harassment." Meanwhile, Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban approaches the 2022 election, in which his party may face its first substantial challenge.