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By Airam Fernández, from Santiago, Chile

December 27, 2019 will be recorded as a historic day for the trans community in Chile: after more than five years of discussion, the Gender Identity Law (LIG) , allowing trans people to change their name and registered sex and adapt their identification documents to match their identity.

Paula Carrasco is a tarot reader, actress, activist, and spokesperson for the trans community of the Movement for Homosexual Integration and Liberation (Movilh). This Friday, she became the first person to begin the process of legally changing her gender marker at the Civil Registry of Santiago, the agency responsible for issuing identity documents to Chilean citizens and foreign residents.

“I feel like I’m being reborn today.”

Her hearing for the change was scheduled for 8:30 a.m., but it was delayed several minutes. During the wait, Paula spoke with Presentes and confessed her nerves and excitement: “The first thing I did this morning when I woke up was thank the Orishas, ​​because I believe in them. I thanked them for allowing me to experience this moment at 42 years old.” At 8:45 a.m., she entered a room accompanied by Rolando Jiménez and Óscar Rementería, spokespeople for MOVILH. To complete the process, it is mandatory to bring two witnesses, and Paula chose them. The hearing lasted half an hour.

“I feel like I’m being reborn today, with the identity I always had but that was always denied to me. This marks a turning point for our community, a substantial improvement in our quality of life. And I think it becomes even more special to be able to experience it during these critical times for the country,” Paula said as she left the hearing.

[READ ALSO: The challenges of the gender identity law in Chile ]

“I can finally close a crucial chapter in my life.”

Alejandro Berríos, 21, was the second person to complete the process at that office. One of his witnesses had an accident on the way and was delayed. This made him even more nervous, pacing back and forth, unsure of what to do. He slept little Thursday night: he left the bar where he works as a waiter in the early hours and didn't get home until 4 a.m. His alarm went off at 6 a.m. He only had time to eat a piece of fruit, got dressed, and left for the Civil Registry.

He feels that this Friday the 27th marked the culmination of his transition: “I waited so long I can’t believe it. I can finally close a crucial chapter in my life. I’m also very happy because I’m accompanied by people who are super important to me, and I know I’m privileged for that, since most trans people only receive rejection from their families,” Alejandro expressed before entering the room, finally accompanied by his two witnesses.

In 45 business days, Paula and Alejandro will receive their identity cards with the corrections to their names and gender identity. While they were completing their paperwork, the same process was happening with other transgender people at other Civil Registry offices.

“I’ve been waiting 45 years for this moment”

Alejandra Soto, president of the Amanda Jofré Trans Sex Workers Union, also arrived at the Civil Registry. She was accompanied by other trans women and migrant sex workers supported by the organization. She explained that none of them were able to get an appointment for the first day and complained that she believes the authorities prioritized the procedures that MOVILH (Movement for Homosexual Integration and Liberation) had assisted with earlier that Friday morning. She said that's why they came as a group to request appointments for all their colleagues, but an official told them that they only had four slots available at the moment and that they would have to wait for more to open up in the system.

Her appointment was scheduled for March of next year. “I’ve been waiting 45 years for this moment, so I’m willing to wait three more months, even if it means putting up with some leaders who have historically done nothing for the trans community trying to exploit us right now,” she said.

“Seeing the name I chose on my ID card is one of my biggest dreams.”

Abigail Ibarra, 43, is one of the sex workers who belongs to this union. She is Venezuelan and has lived in Chile for two years: “I feel very grateful to this country because it gives me and other migrant colleagues this opportunity, women who don't have this right in our countries and who also work in this out of pure necessity,” she said.

“Seeing the name I chose on my ID card is one of my biggest dreams,” she added. But right now she can’t fulfill it because her Chilean ID card has expired and she can’t renew it until the Department of Immigration and Foreigners approves her permanent residency in the country.

Constanza Valdés, a transgender legislative advisor and co-director of the Chilean Association of Feminist Lawyers, explained to Presentes what should be done in cases like this: “If a transgender migrant is applying for permanent residency, it’s more complex. They need to have that resolved and also complete another process to register their birth in Chile. Without that, it can’t be done.”

As of Friday morning, the Civil Registry had recorded 972 appointments for this historic procedure. On the first day the Gender Identity Law (LIG) came into effect—introduced to the Senate on May 7, 2013—136 procedures were completed, 53 of them in the Metropolitan Region, Elssy Sobino, Deputy Director of Operations for the institution, told Presentes. The law establishes two procedures for changing one's name and registered gender: an administrative procedure at the Civil Registry for single individuals over 18, and a judicial procedure at Family Courts for adolescents and individuals in a current marriage. When it was approved, transgender children were excluded.