Chile takes the first steps to introducing marriage equality
Chile has taken the first steps to introducing equal marriage.
President Bachelet announced on Tuesday that a public discussion on same-sex marriage would take place.
She said the aim of the consultation was to produce a “satisfactory bill on marriage equality, recognising the same rights for everyone.”
Ms Bachelet added that it was “not only a demand of the international justice system but a legitimate demand of Chilean society.”
In September last year, the President promised she would introduce a same-sex marriage bill in the first half of 2017.
She made the announcement at a UN event organised by LGBT-friendly countries.
Recently, Chile has taken steps to become more LGBT-inclusive.
Following the murder of Daniel Zamudio, a man who was beaten and carved with swastikas, the country introduced hate-crime laws based on sexual orientation and gender identity.
It also supported the creation of a UN expert on sexual orientation and gender identity, something a number of countries tried to block.
Chile would join Argentina, Brazil, Columbia, Uruguay and parts of Mexico as the sixth Latin American country to legalise equal marriage.
There are currently 21 countries and territories with same-sex marriage including around 1 billion people.
