Various studies conducted in Argentina—by both civil society and the national government—confirm that 98% of transgender and transvestite people do not have formal employment and that at least 90% are or have been involved in prostitution, an imposed destiny that perpetuates inequality, repression, and a life expectancy of only 35 years. For this reason, on May 1st, International Workers' Day, various LGBTQ+ organizations are calling for a mobilization to demand job quotas for transgender and transvestite people through the passage of the Diana Sacayán Law at the national level. The demonstration will take place this Monday, April 30th, at 4:00 PM in front of the National Congress. “I think the demand this is generating in different municipalities, provinces, and institutional settings (like the National University of Mar del Plata) speaks to a need, a demand from this population to access formal employment. This is the path Diana intended to follow, and continuing to do so and fighting for it is to honor her legacy. We have to do it now, even if it contradicts the government's interests,” Say Sacayán, activist and Diana's brother, told Presentes. Sacayán is a plaintiff in the trial currently underway for her murder. In 2015, the murdered trans human rights activist Diana Sacayán spearheaded a law in the province of Buenos Aires that was passed but remains unimplemented: Law No. 14,783, the Employment Quota Law. This law establishes that 1% of public administration positions be reserved for trans and gender-diverse people. Although it has not been implemented at the provincial level, some eleven municipalities have incorporated the quota through ordinances.

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

To denounce the increase in violence

The march on April 30th also seeks to highlight the increase in discrimination and violence against the LGBT community, and especially against trans and gender-diverse people. “We will demand justice for Diana Sacayán, while the historic trial for her murder unfolds. We hope that the judiciary will recognize the deaths of trans people as a specific form of hate crime: transphobic murders. We will also demand an end to violence against lesbians and the acquittal of “Higui” de Jesús and Mariana Gómez, and we will join the call for the right to legal, safe, and free abortion,” the statement reads. Organized by: Anti-Discrimination Liberation Movement (MAL); Argentine Trans Women (MTA); Mocha Celis Trans Popular High School Student Center; Conurbanxs for Diversity; 100% Diversity and Rights; Feminist Trava Fury; Argentine Homosexual Community (CHA); and Lohana Berkins National Current]]>