Coming Out
Consuelo came out as a lesbian in the 1980s, after a trip to the UK. From then on, her sense of self as a lesbian shone through much of her poetry. But, typically, she wanted to do more, and so set up the group LEA (Lesbianas en Accion). The story behind LEA is recounted by her friend Luisa, also a member of the group (link below, in Spanish; English summary also below).
Consuelo se declaró lesbiana en la década de 1980, después un viaje al Reino Unido. A partir de entonces, su sentido de identidad lesbiana brilló en gran parte de su poesía. Pero, por lo general, quería hacer más y así creó el grupo LEA (Lesbianas en Acción). La historia detrás de LEA la cuenta su amiga Luisa, también miembro del grupo (enlace abajo, en Español).
Link here for recollections of LEA from Luisa San Martin Rivas, sent to Consuelo's sister Nancy/ recuerdos de LEA de Luisa, mandó a Nancy, la hermana de Consuelo (in Spanish)
Luisa (Micky) and friend Yudith
Summary of Luisa's message in English:
I first met Consuelo at a book fair in the Plaza des Armas in Concepcion, where she was presenting her poetry book. She also said she taught English, and she mentioned that, with a friend, she was forming a group. That same day I went to her house and had tea, and we talked about the formation of LEA, and again the following weekend. Consuelo and I were perhaps the most visible members of the group; we sent invitations out to the University and to other places, and talked about how to make lesbians more visible in Concepcion. We began to connect with others, such as the lesbian group Ayuquelén in Santiago - that group connected lesbians from Santiago to the north, and LEA connected from Concepcion to the south. In 1990, we organised a meeting with the gay community, especially the Las Yeguas del Apocalipsis (The Mares of the Apocalypse), with which the radical artists Pedro Lemebel and Pancho Casas were involved. LEA was a landmark in the story of lesbians in Chile. Consuelo was the oldest of the group, and she drove LEA, organised meetings at the University, and other places, I can't remember.
For more about lesbian and gay rights in Chile see Wikipedia entry below, and for an introduction to the joint meeting with Las Yeguas see link:
