Abstract

Public policies on non-heterosexual sexualities in Chile have shifted from an intentional invisibility to a recent focus on the identity of LGBTI+ people. After the dictatorship, the category of “sexual diversity” in health became gradually acknowledged as a right, at the same time that regulations were established about legitimate practices of making/being for LGBTI+ people. Through a discourse analysis of health regulations, plans and guidelines, we present an historical analysis of the way in which views about sexual orientation and gender identity have evolved in this area from the end of the dictatorship (1990) to the present. Three forms of action have emerged over time: a) invisibility as a norm or “policy of non-policy”; b) a problematic construction of sexual orientation and gender identity; c) identity overspecification of public health policies.