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Antofagasta, Chile – Chile has become the latest country to legalize same-sex marriage, with both chambers of Congress legalizing same-sex marriage in large-scale voting on Tuesday.
“This is a historic day,” said Pedro Arraya, the newly elected senator for the Antofagasta region, when he voted in favor of the bill.
The Chilean Senate voted 21-8 in favor of marriage equality legislation by noon Tuesday with three abstentions. An hour later, the House passed the bill 82-20, with two abstentions, in a vote on the top floor.
The law includes same-sex marriage ties, full benefit for spouses, and recognition of adoption rights. It will also replace gender terms with the words “marriage” and “parent” in the country’s civil code and other laws, among other reforms.
Chilean President Sebastian Pinera, whose term ended in March next year and appeared in favor of the bill earlier this year, must now enact legislation. It will then enter into force 90 days after its publication in the country’s official gazette.
“We have mixed emotions: first, a lot of joy, and second, a lot of nostalgia,” Oscar Rementeria MOVILH, a spokesman for Chile’s LGBTQ organization, said about Tuesday’s vote.
Nearly a decade ago, MOVILH and three same-sex couples took their case to the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights to promote marital equality. This eventually led to a bill passed in Congress, but marriage equality has been a demand since MOVILH was founded in 1991.
“Marriage equality was one of the many requirements, but it is very important because it is of paramount importance in the social and family life of our country,” Al Jazeera said.
Encourage marriage equality
Chile is the ninth largest country in the United States to support marriage equality legislation, joining Canada, Argentina, Brazil, Uruguay, the United States, Colombia, Ecuador and Costa Rica.
In Mexico, most states have enacted marriage equality laws, and same-sex marriage is legal in almost every European and U.S. territory in the hemisphere.
The Chilean bill was introduced in 2017 and was initially promoted by former President Michelle Bachelet of Pinera. The Pine government advocated for marriage equality this year.
“I believe that the time has come to guarantee this freedom and dignity to all people. I believe that the time has come for equal marriage in our country, “said Pineira on June 1 annual conference for Congress, encouraging the rapid push of the bill.
LGBTQ representation is also ready to move forward in Congress.
On November 21, four women were LGBTQ selected The House of Representatives and the country’s first open-minded lesbian, transgender and bisexual lawmaker will take office in March.
Return to the presidency
But the country’s LGBTQ community is still on the brink, as the December 19 presidential election pits Gabriel Boric, a progressive Social Democrat, against it. Jose Antonio Kast, a right-wing religious conservative.
Boric, a 35-year-old congressman and former student activist, has advocated for full equality in marriage and same-sex couples, including adoption rights. She has consistently voted for LGBTQ rights, and her campaign platform includes a comprehensive transgender rights law.
Kast, a 55-year-old lawyer and former congressman, has spoken out against same-sex marriage and adoption rights. When he was in office, consistently He voted against LGBTQ rights and refers to “gender ideology,” a conspiratorial term used to deny transgender people and their rights.
The potential delay in LGBTQ rights has encouraged many in the community. In the decade since its inception, the LGBTQ rights group Fundacion Iguales has always remained neutral in the election, but in late November it announced its commitment to Boric after the second round of Kaste.
People reacted in a Senate session to approve a same-sex marriage project [Rodrigo Garrido/Reuters]“Jose Antonio Kast has a background not only in the opposition but also in the opposition [LGBTQ rights] but also of open confrontation, ”said Alessia Injoque, director of the group. “Given the danger it poses, we saw the need to take a stand.”
For now, though, the Chilean LGBTQ community is celebrating a historic victory in Congress.
“We are seeing more and more countries moving in the direction of a world where we can live freely, without fear and without discrimination,” Injoque said after approving the Al Jazeera bill. “It’s a big day for Chile.”
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