Emilia Schneider (born 23 October 1996) is a Chilean activist and politician. She was elected to the Chamber of Deputies of Chile in the 2021 Chilean general election as part of the left-wing Commons party. She is the first openly transgender person to be elected to the Chamber of Deputies. She was reelected for the role in the 2025 Chilean general election.
Biography She was born in Santiago on 23 October 1996 to René Schneider Fernández and Paula Videla Bravo. She is the great-granddaughter of René Schneider.
She studied in the Colegio Latinoamericano de Integración, graduating from secondary education in 2014. She graduated from the Law program of the University of Chile in 2024.
Political career Overview She began her political involvement through social organizations linked to the feminist and student movements. In 2018, she served as spokesperson for Coordinadora 8M and played a prominent role during the feminist mobilizations of that year.
She was elected as interim president of the Federation of Students of the University of Chile (FECH) in 2019, due to low voter turnout. She was the first trans woman to preside over the FECH.
She was a member of the Comunes Party, where she served as vice-president between July 2021 and May 2022.
She ran as a candidate in the 2021 Chilean Constitutional Convention election, representing District No. 10 as part of the Apruebo Dignidad list, obtaining 12,533 votes (2.96% of valid votes), though she was not elected.
In November 2021, she was elected Deputy for District No. 10, representing the communes of Santiago, Providencia, Ñuñoa, Macul, San Joaquín, and La Granja in the Santiago Metropolitan Region, for the legislative term 2022–2026. She obtained 26,180 votes, equivalent to 5.73% of valid votes, becoming the first transgender person elected to the Chamber of Deputies in Chile.
On 21 December 2022, she resigned from the Comunes Party and announced her incorporation into Convergencia Social. Since July 2024, she has been a member of the Frente Amplio Party.
As deputy
Election history + 2021 Constitutional Convention election Candidate District Party (List) Votes (%) Elected Emilia Schneider District 10 Apruebo Dignidad 12,533 (2,96%) No
+ 2021 general election Candidate District Party (List) Votes (%) Elected Emilia Schneider District 10 Partido Comunes (Apruebo Dignidad) 26,180 (5,73%) Yes
+ 2025 general election Candidate District Party (List) Votes (%) Elected Emilia Schneider District 10 Partido Frente Amplio (Unidad por Chile) 31,365 (4,8%) Yes
References
External links BCN Profile