Chile's Oscar for 'A Fantastic Woman' Bolsters Gender Identity Bill

Chile's Oscar for 'A Fantastic Woman' Bolsters Gender Identity Bill

< Back to In the News

Woman in red dress speaking at Oscars

The New York Times

By Ernesto Londono and Pascale Bonnefoy

Photo Credit: Patrick T. Fallon for the New York Times

March 5, 2018

 

SANTIAGO, Chile — A bill that would give transgender Chileans the right to change their name and gender marker in official documents had been advancing at a glacial pace since a handful of lawmakers introduced it in May 2013.

Then along came Daniela Vega.

Last year, the acclaimed performance in the film “A Fantastic Woman” by Ms. Vega, a transgender Chilean actress, gave a face and a voice to the plight of a largely invisible and stigmatized community. On Monday, she was celebrated as a national hero after the movie won the Academy Award for best foreign language film, a first for Chile. Read more