The Chilean Senate has reopened a
debate on a bill that would allow gay and lesbian couples to marry in
the South American country.
According to the
Washington
Blade, a brief meeting on the bill was held Wednesday.
The marriage bill was introduced in
2017 by former President Michelle Bachelet. But movement on the bill
stalled after Bachelet left office. During her 4 years in office,
Bachelet signed a bill that recognizes gay couples with civil unions.
President Sebastian Piñera
has not placed a priority on marriage equality.
Piñera
administration representatives declined to attend Wednesday's
meeting.
“It seems the government not only
wants this bill not to be approved, but also does not want it to be
discussed,” said Juan Enrique Pi, executive president of LGBT group
Movilh. “The administration has to understand that we are talking
about human rights [for the] LGBT community, and that it can not omit
itself from this debate.”
Pi said that he believes there is
sufficient support in Congress to approve the bill.
“The majority in Chile want this bill
to be a law and it is possible, because we have the votes in both
houses of Congress,” he said.