Marriage Equality: Chile approves same sex marriage in a landslide

In December 2021 Chile became the thirty-first nation in the world to legalize same-sex marriage, and the eighth Latin American country to do so. After years of inaction, President Sebastián Piñera said he had changed his position on the issue after years and years of opposition.

It was a landslide vote with little opposition as both the Senate and the Lower House of parliament voted strongly in favor of the bill. Chile joins Argentina, Brazil, Columbia, Costa Rica, and Uruguay after a decade-long struggle for LGBTQ+ equality.

The long journey to marriage equality started in 2010 in Chile. Knowing they would be denied on the spot, a same-sex couple walked into a government office requesting the right to be married. The request was of course denied but the couple left the building and it started the uphill battle for Chile’s LGBTQ+ community.

As well as the right to marry, the new law also includes parental rights for same-sex couples as well. Covering both spousal benefits and the right to adopt, same-sex families are now being completely legitimized in Chile.

It is unclear exactly what changed President Piñera’s mind on the issue. The man is set to leave office in six months, but during his annual State of Union address in June (2021), he vowed to push the legislation through parliament, making some comments that stunned some of his conservative allies.

He said in his address that Chile must guarantee this freedom and dignity to all people. “I think we should deepen the value of freedom, including the freedom to love and to form a family with a loved one. Also the value of the dignity of all relationships of love and affection between two people,” the right-wing leader added.

This surprised us in a good way and we’re happy for Chile’s LGBTQ+ community. Here at Q+ Magazine, we applaud every country that legitimizes same-sex marriage, and we hope that soon we can report on many more joining this, so far, shortlist.

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