In Defense of the Mónica Briones Library Space

On Monday, former officials from the Citizen Participation and Non-Discrimination Observatory publicly condemned the dismantling of the Mónica Briones Puccio Library Space by the current administration of Segegob. This act represents a serious instance of institutional violence and political erasure.

This facility was a democratic achievement established after a national consultation in which nearly 1,500 individuals chose to honor the memory of Mónica Briones, an artist and victim of the first documented lesbofemicide in Chile. Ultimately, progress in critical issues such as rights for historically marginalized communities should not be left vulnerable to the arbitrary whims of the current government. The State must ensure governance with and for all. Eradicating this space threatens to erase the public memory of a lesbian woman and shuts down an essential refuge for the education, safety, and visibility of the LGBTIQA+ community.

It is unacceptable that the very government of José Antonio Kast, which promised to protect the rights of dissident groups and all individuals, is now quietly dismantling its key infrastructures. The complaint made by organizations and former officials is clear: a community and democratic heritage built through citizen participation is being destroyed.

The erasure of the Mónica Briones Library Space legitimizes historical marginalization and leaves vulnerable those who face daily hate speech. Social achievements are not subject to the whims of state bureaucracy nor the agenda of the far-right to be dismantled with impunity.

By Ariadna Beneventi Pacheco

Director, Socio-Political Cohesion ONG Intransigentes

Source photograph