[READ ALSO: Gender Identity Law Process Accelerated: Moves to Committee ] The decision was surprising since last week, days before assuming the Presidency, Piñera had said he agreed with the bill. This came after the film “A Fantastic Woman,” starring trans actress Daniela Vega and portraying the lives of trans people, received the Oscar for Best Foreign Language Film: “The discussion isn’t about whether or not to move forward with the gender identity law. We are going to move forward, and it’s part of our program. The discussion is about when,” he stated.

[READ ALSO: “A Fantastic Woman,” starring a Chilean trans actress, won the Oscar]

"It would be a very regrettable mistake not to include children."

“We believe it would be a very regrettable mistake not to include children. Furthermore, since President Piñera stated that child protection is a priority in his government, it would be wrong for him to turn his back on and not listen to trans children: Chile is violating the rights of its children. So we hope this can be reversed,” Juan Enrique Pi, executive president of Fundación Iguales, told Presentes.     The organization Miles also criticized the government's decision, although they considered it part of the conservative agenda that the new government was already expected to pursue. Miles posted on its social media: “Suspicions are beginning to materialize that this government will consolidate a conservative agenda that ignores the demands of millions of Chileans,” Miles stated.  

#GenderIdentity bill Suspicions are beginning to materialize that this government will consolidate a conservative agenda that ignores the demands of millions of Chileans. @OTDChile @Movilh pic.twitter.com/1JelZ879VW

— Miles Chile (@MilesChile) March 14, 2018

The Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW) urged the Chilean government to approve the gender identity law, arguing that the initiative promotes the reduction of discrimination against transgender people. Despite this setback, organizations and activists agree that the Oscar win for the film "A Fantastic Woman" was key in prompting President Piñera to place the issue on his agenda. Prior to this, he had stated that it was not only not a priority for him, but that he was outright opposed. This opposition stemmed primarily from pressure from his party, Vamos, with whom he had pledged to reject the law during his candidacy, and from the support he received from evangelical groups.

[READ ALSO: Tension at public hearings for the Gender Identity Law ]

The film was broadcast on Chilean television a few days before the Oscar ceremony, drawing a large audience and making a significant impact: "The film greatly helped the bill gain momentum and increases the chances of its passage," Armando Escoffer, from the Trans Diversities Organization (OTD) and father of a trans girl, told Presentes. He also noted that the bill is currently in a joint committee and that they will work to ensure that minors under 18 are included. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AFRuO8li05Q

67% of people in Chile support the law

Following the Oscar win for the film that portrays the life—plagued by discrimination and violence—of a trans woman, and the widespread exposure of Daniela Vega, the online polling firm Plaza Pública Cadem conducted a survey. The result was that 67% of Chileans agree that people “should be able to change their gender identity once, rectifying their sex and name before the Civil Registry.” “Chile needs a gender identity law to end the discrimination that trans people experience in their daily lives, and which is so well reflected in A Fantastic Woman. This survey demonstrates that there is a social majority that wants a Gender Identity Law for the country. And this bill also has a majority in both houses of Congress, so there is no reason to continue delaying its approval because it is already ready,” Pi stated.