Latin America’s Anti-Women Movement Is Spreading
Far-right leader José Antonio Kast's rise to power in Chile marks a continuation of anti-women and anti-LGBTQ+ trends seen in other Latin American countries. His administration is expected to roll back sex education and reproductive rights, following strategies used by leaders in Brazil and El Salvador. Feminist and LGBTQ+ activists are facing increasing legal and digital threats as these movements gain momentum across the region.
- ▪José Antonio Kast, Chile's newly elected far-right president, aims to change school sex education by removing content he labels as promoting abortion or 'gender ideologies.'
- ▪Similar policies have been implemented in Brazil under Jair Bolsonaro and in El Salvador under Nayib Bukele, both of whom restricted comprehensive sex education in schools.
- ▪Activists in Chile, including Martín de la Sotta and transgender lawmaker Emilia Schneider, have faced intensified online harassment and coordinated digital attacks.
- ▪Kast's predecessor, Gabriel Boric, supported expanding sex education, but the proposed bill remains pending despite passing a congressional committee.
- ▪Far-right movements in the region often use digital violence and disinformation to discredit and silence advocates for gender rights and reproductive health.
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The Full Story Latin America’s Anti-Women Movement Is Spreading Chile's president José Antonio Kast is following the regressive examples set elsewhere in the region. April 28, 2026, 1:17 AM By Ester Pinhiero, Fuller's health correspondent. A colorful, stylized illustration on a black background featuring a purple podium with a vintage microphone tied with a green scarf. Surrounding the podium are floating symbols, including interlocking male and female gender signs, a large light-blue cross, a medical caduceus, and an illustration of Donald Trump's face on a piece of paper. Jawhar Soudini illustration for Fuller South America the-full-story-functional-tag-fuller-project-2026 The Full Story is a partnership between Fuller and Foreign Policy.
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