Vitit Muntarbhorn is the United Nations Independent Expert on protection against violence and discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity. His visit began with a tour of the Greater Buenos Aires area. There, he heard the first reports of escalating violence and setbacks in public policy. Carolina Rosales Zeiger Photos: Ariel Gutraich Vitit Muntarbhorn is the first Independent Expert on protection against violence and discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity appointed by the Human Rights Council of the United Nations. He is currently on his first official visit to Argentina, where he will remain for ten days. During his stay, he will assess the progress made in eliminating violence against lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) people in the country.

The first visit of the LGBT expert

In office since November 2016, when the position was created, Muntarbhorn said he was particularly interested in Argentina "because of the legislative and policy reforms that have been implemented to protect people who are victims of violence and discrimination due to their sexual orientation or gender identity, and to create an inclusive environment," he stated just days before arriving. Vitit Muntarbhorn, a Thai national, is an emeritus professor at the Faculty of Law of Chulalongkorn University (Bangkok). His first official tour began with a visit to two neighborhoods in the greater Buenos Aires area. He was accompanied by Conurbations for diversity, a social organization for human rights and sexual diversity that works with the LGBTI population in the periphery and suburbs of Buenos Aires, and the Anti-Discrimination Liberation Movement (MAL), an organization for the rights of transvestite and trans people founded by Diana Sacayán and where Sasha, her brother, continues to be active. The tour began in the Carlos Gardel neighborhood of Morón. A few hours later, he visited Villa Jardín in Lanús. In both locations, he was welcomed by local soup kitchens and LGBTI rights activists. The final outcome of the meetings he holds throughout his visit, some with organizations and others with the government, will be compiled into a case report and an analysis of the country's situation regarding the implementation of rights. “Here you are surrounded by survivors,” Darío Arias, coordinator of Conurbanos por la Diversidad (Suburbs for Diversity), told him as the welcoming circle began, after touring the different areas of the neighborhood with him, including the least urbanized ones. At the “Los Gardelitos” Community Center and Soup Kitchen, a table was set up where, for two hours, trans, transvestite, lesbian, gay, and intersex people from the greater Buenos Aires area shared their stories and experiences. They denounced crimes but also the dismantling of services dedicated to the LGBTI population.

More violence towards the trans community

One idea resonated across the various voices: in the last year, the testimonies stated, violence and persecution against the trans community have intensified. This is something that various non-governmental organizations have been denouncing both locally and internationally. [READ MORE: These paths are the legacy of Lohana and Diana ] According to the "Report on the Status of LGBTI Rights and Context in the Argentine Republic" prepared by Conurbanos por la Diversidad (Greater Buenos Aires for Diversity), 12 million people live in Greater Buenos Aires. "It represents 25% of the country's total population in 0.1% of the national territory" and is "one of the areas with the greatest social problems and violence against LGBT people." “Trans women live thinking they’re going to die at 35… with nothing,” said Sasha Sacayán, brother of Diana Sacayán, the activist and driving force behind the trans employment quota law in the province of Buenos Aires, and secretary of the International Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Trans and Intersex Association (ILGA). She was brutally murdered in October 2015. Sasha, the current coordinator of the Anti-Discrimination Liberation Movement (MAL), expressed to the expert what the most urgent concerns are today. These include the worsening living conditions of the trans community, the lack of access to healthcare under the Gender Identity Law, the absence of regulations for the trans and travesti employment quota law in the Province, and the lack of the crime of transvesticide in the penal code. Sasha also recounted how, after her sister's murder, her friends "went back to the streets," alluding to a return to prostitution from which many had escaped. Transgender labor inclusion, perhaps Diana's strongest cause, is one of the community's key battles, as they continue to fight for historical redress and suffer one of the highest rates of unemployment and precarious work. "Even though we had the resources, we still couldn't make it," Sasha said. The expert listened attentively to the presentations through the headset that provided the translation. The accounts emphasized the worsening situation for trans and travesti people after the latest change in administration at the national, provincial, and municipal levels. Ivana Gutiérrez, an activist and one of the 15 daughters of “Piru,” the soup kitchen coordinator for over a decade, shared her experience as an example. “I worked for three years in the municipality of Morón, in a program that no longer exists.” Before being fired, Ivana received a note on her desk that read: “Now it’s your turn, you lesbian, you repentant macho.”

Argentina, known worldwide for its LGBTI laws

After nearly three hours of meetings, the expert and his companions headed to their second destination: the "El Eucalipto" dining hall in the Villa Jardín neighborhood of Lanús. "You are the experts," Muntarbhorn told his companions. He added, "Argentina is world-renowned for its laws. And you are enlightening us on their application." With a prologue similar to the one in Morón, the visit began with a brief walk through the neighborhood's alleyways and continued with the stories of those present. "The only inclusive clinic here was closed due to a lack of supplies," was the first complaint the expert heard. The same complaint had been repeated regarding another health center, the one in the Carlos Gardel neighborhood, just a few minutes earlier. In Lanús, the testimonies became even more diverse. "I'm a trans man and a biological father," Lautaro said. "I'm dating a trans man," another woman said. Another person recounted how difficult it is to be the mother of a young trans woman. The common denominator of all those initial testimonies the expert heard could be summarized in two words: exclusion and violence. For Conurbanos por la Diversidad (Urban Areas for Diversity), this visit by the LGBTI expert is an honor they attribute, hypothetically, to Argentina's role (during the previous administration) as one of the driving forces behind the creation of the UN LGBT rights expert position. However, they believe that what might initially appear to be a gesture of gratitude should go further: they should use the meeting to raise with the Organization the demands and grievances of a context marked by setbacks.

"The agenda goes backwards: to make sure they don't kill us"

In his closing remarks, Darío Arias addressed four points: the diversity intersected by social class, the social gains made under laws that are now seen as setbacks, the dismantling and gutting of public policies, and the increase in hate crimes over the past year. “Today the agenda is regressing, and we must prioritize, above all else, ensuring that we are not killed,” he summarized. “These are wise words, but very sad,” concluded Vitit Muntarbhorn. She encouraged the group: “Don't give up. We must seek non-partisan strategies so that when governments come and go, they don't take away the progress we've made.”

Why a UN LGBTI expert

Over the next few days, the expert will meet with government and independent organizations in Buenos Aires, La Plata, Mendoza, and Salta, among other cities. He will also have a special meeting with MAL to learn about the investigation into the transphobic murder of Diana Sacayán. [READ MORE: The justice system will continue investigating the transphobic murder of Diana Sacayán] “This visit will allow me to identify not only good practices but also problems. And I will make recommendations to combat violence and discrimination,” Muntarbhorn added. The expert will not hold private interviews with the media. On March 10, he will conclude his visit with a press conference at the United Nations information center in Buenos Aires. At the request of the Human Rights Council, its role includes, among other tasks, evaluating the implementation of existing international instruments to overcome violence and discrimination; identifying good and bad practices; and engaging in dialogue with States and working in cooperation with them to promote the implementation of measures that contribute to the protection of all persons against violence and discrimination. [caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="1024"] Follow Presentes:
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