For two months, several people approached the office to request information and register. Now the second stage begins, where five will be selected after the development of job profiles. The goal for 2017 is to have 10 transgender people hired. By Laura Hintze, from Rosario. The Single Registry of Applicants (RUA) for transvestite, transsexual, and transgender people closed last Friday with 62 people registered. Registration in this registry was the first step in selecting the five people who will be hired permanently by the Municipality of Rosario, as indicated by the Transgender Employment Quota ordinance. The second stage begins now: the development of job profiles to find work areas for the future selected individuals.

[READ ALSO: Rosario opens the call for trans workers ]

The Single Registry of Transgender Persons (RUA) opened on January 24th of this year. For almost two months, the Municipality's Diversity Department welcomed dozens of transgender women and men who came to inquire about and register for the opportunity to access safe employment. And more than that: the Transgender Employment Quota is a hard-won right. The Registry closed on Friday, March 10th. Noelia Casatti, head of the Diversity Department, celebrated the result and the progress made in implementing the Ordinance. "We launched an initiative," she summarized on Friday. Casatti explained that the days the Registry was open also served to connect with those interested and gain an understanding of the population and their concerns regarding access to employment and education.

Unemployed or with precarious jobs

Casatti noted that the predominant age range was 30 to 40 years old. She also emphasized that there were many inquiries from transgender people in other towns, many nearby, such as San Lorenzo and Baigorria, and others further afield: some even came from Buenos Aires. All of these people were excluded, since one of the requirements of the Ordinance and the Registry is having a legal address in Rosario. This, however, indicates that beyond the registered applicants, many more people expressed interest in participating in this selection process.

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Casatti emphasized that for many people, registering with the RUA (Single Registry of Unemployed Workers) was a way to find employment. In other words, they haven't found other alternatives that lead to formal and secure work. Many others do have jobs, but they are employed irregularly, in precarious or hidden employment, and work in unfriendly and uncomfortable environments.

Other possibilities

The first and most obvious conclusions are readily apparent. “Beyond the ordinance, we need to continue delving deeper into issues of inclusion,” the official emphasized. “This contact allowed us to see other situations and open up new possibilities, because many people approached us raising problems or concerns that went beyond the Employment Quota, and we addressed them. For example, the possibility of considering reconnecting with their studies was opened up.” The Trans Employment Quota ordinance was approved in May 2016. The project received the affirmative vote of the entire political spectrum of the City Council except for the Unión PRO Federal bloc, which abstained. The Trans Employment Quota stipulates that five transgender people must be hired as permanent staff members of the municipality each year. For this year, diversity organizations are demanding that there be ten: those corresponding to last year, when the ordinance was approved, and those for this year.

[READ ALSO: #TransWorkQuota What's happening with the law in the province of Buenos Aires? ]

The project almost languished on its laurels, but through tireless advocacy, it continued its formal implementation process. First came its regulation, then the opening of the Single Registry on January 24th of this year. The closure of the RUA (Single Registry of Unemployed Persons) signifies that the actual implementation of the Ordinance continues to move forward. The process now underway is the creation of professional profiles for each registered individual. There is no deadline for this, but there is a goal: to end 2017 with ten transgender people incorporated into the permanent staff of the local government.

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