Argentina already has one of the most progressive laws for trans rights in the world, but is still improving: One percent of jobs in the public sector will have to go to trans people in the future. Activists are enthusiastic because many are still discriminated against.
The trigger for a new law in Argentina is the number 9: Only nine percent of trans people in Argentina have a job, of these nine percent in turn 70 percent are sex workers. The new law of the Argentine government wants to counteract this. One percent of jobs in the public sector are now said to go to trans people. This applies, for example, to state-run banks, hospitals or government agencies. In addition, private companies should receive financial incentives to employ more trans people. The law was passed at the end of June and passed with a large majority.
“This Law Will Change Our Lives”
LGBTQ + activists are happy about the approval of the draft law: “This law will change our lives. Having a permanent job, a payroll and a credit card are natural things for a straight person, but not for us.” said Claudia Vasquez Haro from the Argentine Federal Assembly of Transgender (Convocatoria Federal Trans y Travesti Argentina, CFTTA) in an interview with the Reuters news agency.
Although Argentina has quite progressive legislation in terms of the rights of LGBTQ + people compared to other countries around the world, many of the community there are also discriminated against and experience massive social disadvantages. For example, many cannot finish school, are thrown onto the streets by families or cannot find a job. A 2017 study found that the life expectancy of trans people in Argentina was just 32 years, according to Reuters.
According to studies, the life expectancy of trans people is almost halved
Even today, many people around the world commit suicide, become infected with HIV or die of AIDS, also because many of them are driven into prostitution or become victims of hate crimes. The research project Trans Murder Monitoring (TMM) showed that between January 2008 and September 2018 almost 3000 people worldwide were killed simply because they identify as trans.
In contrast, Argentina was the first country in the world in 2012 to legally stipulate that people can freely choose the gender to which they feel they belong without first consulting a psychological counseling center or even having to go to court.
To celebrate the new law, the presidential palace was illuminated in the colors of the trans flag
The bill to “promote access to formal employment for transvestites, transsexuals and transgender people” goes back to center-left President Alberto Fernández. He originally introduced the draft as an emergency ordinance. In the vote at the end of June, the majority of the Senate voted in favor – only one person voted against – with six abstentions.
To celebrate this legislation, the president’s palace, the “Casa Rosada”, was illuminated in the colors of the trans flag: the light blue stripes stand for masculinity, the pink stripes for femininity and the white one in the middle for everything in between.
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