Carmen Muñoz is a Costa Rican politician and Activism, activist. She is the Vice-Minister Of Government and Police named by List of Presidents of Costa Rica, president Luis Guillermo Solís and commissioned to separate and turn it into an independent ministry of the Ministry of Public Security. She was a congresswoman in the Legislative Assembly of Costa Rica where she headed the Citizens' Action Party (Costa Rica), Citizen Action Party. To date Muñoz is the only out lesbian in parliament or in charge of a ministry.
Muñoz was born in Alajuelita (canton), Alajuelita in Costa Rica. Her father worked at the Costa Rican Institute of Electricity and her mother was a housewife; she has seven brothers. She attended Saint Felipe School and the Liceo of Alajuelita. She left home at the age of fifteen to fight in Nicaragua with the Sandinista National Liberation Front, Sandinistas to overthrow Anastasio Somoza Debayle, Anastasio Somoza. Afterwards she traveled to Cuba where she studied history, philosophy and political economy at the Julio Mella school. When she returned she joined the People's Vanguard Party (Costa Rica), People's Vanguard Party and studied graphic design at the National Learning Institute (INA). In 2001 she entered the Citizens' Action Party (Costa Rica), Citizens' Action Party.
Muñoz held several positions in her party including district president, provincial delegate and member of the commission of women of the Citizen Action Party. She produced the radio program ''Las mujeres no'' and coordinated the Patriotic Canton Committee against the Dominican Republic–Central America Free Trade Agreement, free trade treaty with the United States in the period leading up to Costa Rica's 2007 Costa Rican Dominican Republic – Central America Free Trade Agreement referendum, referendum on the treaty.
Muñoz was elected deputy by the Citizen Action Party for 2010-2014 and was their parliamentary spokesman, the first of the opposition (politics), opposition for the 2013-2014 period. Muñoz is characterized by her support for Feminism and the fight for equality for the LGBTIQ Queer Studies, community, as well as promoting recognition of same-sex unions.
Controversy
In May 2013 the congressman and evangelic Pastor, minister Justo Orozco of the Christian Costa Rican Renewal Party, Costa Rican Renewal proposed a motion to exclude Muñoz from the legislative commission that was going to analyse the law project to legalize the unions of same-sex couples, due to what he saw as a conflict of interest. The following day the Legislature gave Muñoz an ovation for her work as a congresswoman and she received flowers from congressmen on both the right and left.
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Munoz, Carmen
Government ministers of Costa Rica
Living people
Year of birth missing (living people)
Costa Rican women journalists
Costa Rican lesbians
Costa Rican LGBTQ politicians
Costa Rican LGBTQ journalists
Lesbian politicians
Lesbian journalists
Citizens' Action Party (Costa Rica) politicians
Costa Rican feminists
Costa Rican women activists
Women government ministers of Costa Rica
Members of the Legislative Assembly of Costa Rica
LGBTQ government ministers
21st-century Costa Rican LGBTQ people
21st-century Costa Rican women politicians