“Are you a woman or a transvestite? Because if you’re a transvestite, we have to charge you admission,” Ximena, a young trans woman, recounted being told at the Clip Club nightclub in Mar del Plata. They also complained: “Training on sexual diversity and gender identity isn’t being provided.” After a meeting held yesterday, the club owners pledged to respect the Gender Identity Law and to create awareness workshops for their staff. [Note updated Saturday, September 2, 2017, at 6:00 PM] On Saturday, August 26, Ximena Lorenz, a 24-year-old trans woman who lives in Mar del Plata, went out dancing with friends at the Clip Club nightclub. “Are you a woman or a transvestite? Because if you’re a transvestite, we have to charge you admission,” she recounted being told at the door. Ximena returned home and posted about her experience on her Facebook account. Following the widespread attention to the case, the nightclub called a meeting, which took place last night at the venue. Ximena is an activist with the Association for an Equal World (AMI) and one of two people selected to work at the University of Mar del Plata through the trans quota. “ It was an act of discrimination because the club had a promotion offering free entry to women, but trans women were charged. This violates the Gender Identity Law,” the young woman told Presentes . She recounted that the owner approached her and “very politely” offered her entry, but she decided to leave and share what had happened on her Facebook page. “Tonight I’m going to sleep proud because I didn’t fall for it. When the owner tried to offer me entry, asking how we could work things out, I said no, because that encourages them to do it to other trans women. And they probably will continue to do it because no one is monitoring this, and just for being trans, you have to let them violate all your rights.” My greetings and thanks for these past seven years that I've been going to CLIP CLUB, to the bartenders, the women's restroom staff, the cloakroom staff, the DJs, and the drag queens, whom I admire and appreciate with all my heart because, besides being great performers, they are great people. From now on, justice will take its course," Ximena wrote on her Facebook page.

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“Training on sexual diversity and gender identity is not being done.” Claudia Vega, president of AMI, told Presentes that The sit-in planned for today at the entrance of the bowling alley was suspended after a meeting held yesterday with the owners. There, they pledged to respect the Gender Identity Law and to provide awareness workshops for staff. “We consider this a violation of the Gender Identity Law. Five years after its enactment, we cannot allow this to continue happening at the entrance of any establishment, nor can we allow this question or this connotation to persist. Therefore, we will continue to constantly monitor compliance and receive complaints on our website.” Facebook”. Claudia explained that training sessions on Sexual Diversity and Gender Identity are no longer being offered to those working at the entrances of nightclubs. “We used to participate, we were invited to these training sessions, and now they're not happening anymore. That's why we're going to protest. The government isn't doing what it's supposed to be doing. This is a consequence of the dismantling of public policies regarding LGBT issues,” she said. She added that they are considering filing a complaint with the Municipal Human Rights Office, the Consumer Protection Agency, and the National Institute Against Discrimination (INADI). “They call saying nothing happened, but something did happen, and we don't want anything else to happen,” she emphasized.

“If the security personnel made a mistake, we will correct it.”

Lautaro Reyes, Clip Club's press officer, contacted Ximena and Claudia Vega to "clarify" the issue. He offered to meet with them and sign an agreement guaranteeing respect for gender identity and free entry for trans women, as advertised in the club's promotional materials. "I think it's perfect that they're doing this because that was my goal," said Ximena. "There have never been any problems with the trans women. The only thing we see on the security cameras is that the security guard asks for ID, but it's asked of everyone because they're minors, so we don't get shut down," Reyes explained to Presentes. He clarified, however, that "the club always reserves the right of admission. We don't want it to be just a trans club," he said. He added, "If the security staff made a mistake, we'll rectify it with the agreement." Another case of discrimination in nightclubs in Mar del Plata Ximena recounted that several girls had already contacted her, telling her they had experienced similar situations. “Some had to leave or lower their heads and pay the entrance fee. It’s not fair; a law is being violated. Now other clubs will look at what happened from a different perspective, and I hope they train their staff so they don’t discriminate against other girls again,” she said. In January, Magalí Vidal (25 years old) had reported that bouncers at the Mar del Plata clubs Bookan and Sobremonte had denied her entry because she is transgender. She filed a complaint with INADI (National Institute Against Discrimination, Xenophobia and Racism) and the Human Rights Directorate. She went to the first club with a friend to take advantage of a promotion that allowed free entry for women until 2 a.m. However, when she tried to enter, A security guard told him he had to pay the entrance fee “like a man.”  Despite Magalí showing them her ID and explaining the scope of the Gender Identity Law, the staff repeated: they wouldn't let her in unless she paid for her ticket first. The second incident occurred 24 hours later at the nightclub. SobremonteTo avoid another argument with the person who also wouldn't let her in free, as advertised, The young woman paid for her ticket. But when she approached with the ticket, the man in charge of security explained that she still had to pay. I wasn't going to let it go. They refunded his money and told him he couldn't enter, even if he paid.