Chilean Lawmakers Overwhelmingly Approve Same-Sex Marriage Bill
- By
- Carlos Santoscoy
- | December 08, 2021
Chilean lawmakers on Tuesday gave final approval to a bill that extends marriage rights to gay and lesbian couples.
According to The New York Times, the bill cleared both chambers with overwhelming majorities.
Chile will become the 31st nation with marriage equality.
In June, outgoing President Sebastian Piñera backed the marriage bill during an annual address to lawmakers.
Piñera served as president from 2010 to 2014. He returned to the office in 2018.
During his first term, Piñera, a conservative, introduced a civil unions bill for gay and straight couples who have lived together for more than one year. In backing civil unions, Piñera snuffed a burgeoning campaign for same-sex marriage in Chile. His bill became law in 2015.
In 2017, former President Michelle Bachelet, the first woman to hold the Chilean presidency, introduced a same-sex marriage bill.
Gay couples can marry in neighboring Argentina. Other South American nations with same-sex marriage include Brazil, Ecuador, Colombia, and Uruguay.