Gay Dads Make History as Chile's First Same-Sex Married Couple

Two gay dads made history last week as the first legally married same-sex couple in Chile.

Chile’s marriage equality legislation was approved in December 2021, and went into effect on March 10th, 2022 — making it one of just a handful of countries in South America to allow queer couples to tie the knot.

That same day, in a suburb of Santiago, Javier Silva, 38, and Jaime Nazar, 39, said their vows with their two young children in their arms.

"Now, yes, we can say we are a family," Silva said, according to CBS. "Our children have the same conditions (as kids of straight couples) and will have a better future without discrimination for having two dads who love each other.”

The couple has been together for seven years, and in a civil union for three years. Their son is 18-months-old, and they have a 4-month-old daughter.

They formed their family through international surrogacy, according to CBS. Until their wedding day, only one of them was legally recognized as the father; the biological donor.

“Being the first couple to get married in Chile for us is an honor, something to be proud of,” Silva said after the ceremony. “We did it! It’s something we didn’t think could happen.”

Chile’s marriage equality law makes it the 31st country in the world to legalize same-sex marriage. The law also removes restrictions on same-sex couples around parentage, adoption rights, and assisted reproduction, according to LGBTQNation. It also removes a requirement that transgender people get divorced before having their gender legally recognized.

Chile’s youngest-ever president Gabriel Boric, who was sworn into office the day after Javier and Jaime’s wedding, tweeted his congratulations to the happy couple.

“My congratulations to Jaime and Javier for being the first couple to marry under the new #EqualMarriage law,” then-President-elect Gabriel Boric tweeted. “To continue advancing for a Chile with equal rights and freedoms for all people.”