In a historic vote today, Chile has legalized marriage equality, becoming the 31st country in the world and the 7th in South America to do so.
Despite being known as a largely conservative country, both of Chile’s houses of parliament voted overwhelmingly in favor of the bill that will make LGBTQ+ marriage legal for all Chileans.
While civil unions have been allowed in the country since 2015, LGBTQ+ couples have not had equal rights to heterosexual married couples.
The new law will also allow LGBTQ+ couples to adopt children and utilize assisted reproductive technologies, Human Rights Watch reported. The bill also nullifies an existing law that says transgender people who are married must get a divorce to have their gender recognized legally.
The country’s president, Sebastián Pinera, has already voiced support for the bill and is expected to sign it into law before leaving office in March, according to Reuters.
The first version of the bill was introduced in 2017 by former President Michelle Bachelet. It took until now for the bill to reach a version that parliament would approve.
LGBTQ+ activists in the country are of course celebrating this huge win.
“It is hard to believe that today we are taking this step,” Rolando Jimenez, a member of the LGBTQ+ rights group Movilh, which helped lead the campaign for marriage equality, told Reuters.
Oscar Rementeria, another representative from Movilh, also expressed joy for the vote. “Marriage equality was one of many demands,” he told Al Jazeera, “but it is a very important one because it has such a tremendous importance in the social and family life of our country.”
A special day for same-sex couples in Chile: today their country becomes the 31st in the world to adopt marriage equality—and by a wide legislative margin in both the Chilean Chamber of Deputies and the Senate. https://t.co/Z0ZVROCZhQ pic.twitter.com/gEKPwsmulJ
— Kenneth Roth (@KenRoth) December 7, 2021
filed under: marriage equality, chile, lgbtq+ chile, lgbtq+ weddings, love is love, amor es amor
Molly Sprayregen
MOST VIEWED STORIES
- How to Find the Perfect Ring for Your Partner
- Bold, romantic, ethereal wedding inspiration
- Rebel Wilson marries Ramona Agruma in a stunning Sardinian wedding
- These nonbinary cosplay lovers brought anime to life for their ethereal wedding
- Adventurous Love: Laura and Jill’s Stunning Elopement in Olympic National Park