News from Argentina – quoting The Bubble –
Yesterday marked yet another important day for the LGBTQ community in Argentina. The Buenos Aires City legislature approved a measure to name the Sante Fe station of the newly inaugurated “H” subway line after Argentine LGBT activist Carlos Jáuregui.
The memorializing of one of the country’s most impactful activists is an act that appears to bridge the gap that continues to exist between Argentina’s progressive social policies and the functional acceptance of members of the LGBT by segments of Argentine society. It should be noted though that the country’s track record on progressive policy making is remarkable – Argentina was first in Latin America to put marriage equality into law and has one of the most advanced and inclusive gender identity policies on the planet.
While there is zero argument that the legal recognition and reinforcement of these rights was important, and to a large degree revolutionary for the region, they are not a panacea for the discrimination still taking place on the ground.
The words Jáuregui wrote in his autobiography maintain a relevance today as much as they did in 1990s Argentina. “If being gay were to affect those who are, it is because of the lack of rights, discrimination and marginalization to which we are exposed to unfairly. All discrimination, which to me have touched me in particular is the legal helplessness.”
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