Tens of thousands of activists on Saturday joined a protest in Santiago, Chile to demand passage of laws that would extend marriage rights to gay and lesbian couples and protect transgender people.

According to organizer the Movement for Homosexual Integration and Liberation (Movilh), 100,000 people attended the protest. Demonstrators marched from Plaza Italia to Plaza Los Heroes, where a cultural and political festival lasted into the night, news service EFE reported.

The government of President Michelle Bachelet backs these reforms and has introduced legislation. The administration agreed to introduce a marriage equality bill last year after Movilh filed a lawsuit with the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights on behalf of three gay couples who are seeking to marry in Chile. Read more via On Top