Chile celebrates country's first same-sex marriage

History was made in Chile on Thursday after Javier Silva and Jaime Nazar became the first two men to be legally married in the copper-rich Andean nation after a law allowing same-sex marriage went into effect, Reuters reported.

Chile joined Argentina, Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador, French Guyana and Uruguay last January as the seventh South American country to legalize same-sex marriage after lawmakers in both of Chile’s congressional chambers overwhelmingly approved the measure.

The initiative introduced amendments to the Civil Code, the Labor Code and the laws on the adoption of minors. It also recognizes the right for individuals to legally define their own gender identity.

Chile previously approved civil unions between same-sex couples in 2015, but the benefits provided by the Civil Union Agreement were limited.

"Being the first couple to get married in Chile for us is an honor, something to be proud of," Silva told reporters after the civil ceremony. "We did it! It's something we didn't think could happen."

According to Chilean news outlets, the newlyweds have been together for seven years and have two young children. Silva and Nazar have been in a civil union for the last three years, but both believe that marriage will solidify their family unit – at least in the eyes of the state.

"Now our children have the same rights (as other families) and they will be able to have, we hope, a better future, that they will not be discriminated against for having two parents who love each other," Silva added.

Although Chile has a long and entrenched conservative and Catholic tradition, recent years have seen a shift in the country’s social fabric – making legal advances within the LGBTQ community possible.

"I think we're putting ourselves at the level the rest of the world is living in, which is great," Nazar said. "I know our society is very conservative, but I also know we have a promising future as a country."

But even Chile’s most conservative elements are having a change of heart.

As the bill was being debated in Congress, President Sebastian Piñera – who once opposed same-sex marriage -- publicly supported the bill and urged Congress to prioritize legislation that would "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," he previously noted, surprising many of his conservative constituency.

Shortly after Silva and Nazar exchanged vows, President-elect Gabriel Boric – who will be inaugurated on Friday – took to Twitter to congratulate the newlyweds.

Qué alegría! Mis felicitaciones a Jaime y Javier por ser la primera pareja en casarse bajo la nueva ley de #MatrimonioIgualitario. A seguir avanzando por un Chile con igualdad de derechos y libertades para todas las personas. https://t.co/l7jNhDIN99

— Gabriel Boric Font (@gabrielboric) March 10, 2022

"My congratulations to Jaime and Javier for being the first couple to marry under the new #EqualMarriage law. To continue advancing for a Chile with equal rights and freedoms for all people," President-elect Gabriel Boric, who takes office on Friday, said on Twitter.