By Mariana Cianelli* from Montevideo Photos: Mariana Greif and Coordinator of the March for Diversity On Friday at 6:30 p.m., half an hour before the scheduled start of the March for Diversity, the stand for the national campaign “Trans Law Now” had run out of yellow bandanas: the small strips of fabric adorned the bodies, bikes, and backpacks of people preparing to walk along 18 de Julio Avenue. In Uruguay, it has been called the “March for Diversity” and not the LGBT Pride March (as in other countries) since 2006, when it sought to unite other struggles with the mobilization. In Montevideo, LGBT groups began marching in 1993. “Have you signed yet?” trans activist Daniela Buffa asked a teenager walking along the street surrounding Plaza Independencia, holding the form in her hand. “I’ve collected 14 signature sheets in just a short time,” she says, satisfied, adding, “The average is good.” The signature drive and the green handkerchief protest are part of the initiatives developed by the national campaign to get the comprehensive bill for transgender people passed into law as soon as possible. “Transgender people are marginalized; we’ve been through everything, that’s why we want it approved now,” says Buffa. The crowd swells in the street, leaving almost no room to move. At the front, the LGBTQ+ groups begin to march, raising glittery letters that spell out the slogan of this march: “Trans Law Now.” Other hands hold up signs that read: “In time, our love will prevail”; “To be able to be”; “Trans Fury.” In the middle, the mobile stage makes its way forward while songs by Gloria Trevi, Madonna, Thalía, and Lady Gaga blast.

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On the way to the esplanade of the University of the Republic, there is dancing, jumping, waving rainbow flags, glitter, and confetti. There are also some chants that, at times, are sung loudly: “Trans / consciousness / memory / and resistance,” as well as a chorus calling for the approval of the trans law.

Signatures to Parliament

Josefina González, spokesperson for the national campaign for the trans law, explains that during the first week of October they will go to Parliament to deliver the signatures they have collected over the past few months to demonstrate that this is a “political action” and to generate “social pressure” that “will lead to the law being passed effectively.” The trans activist feels they have managed to create an “effect” and an “impact” that “makes us realize we are not alone, that we were alone in the past, but that today we are raising more social awareness.” She also highlights that for the first time in our country's history, "trans identities speak in the first person, we take ownership of our voice and lead a discursive front. That has empowered us immensely." Upon reaching the end of the march, the social organizations that make up the Coordinating Committee of the March for Diversity read their proclamation. It demands the swift approval of the comprehensive law for transgender people, access to "decent work" not only in the public sector but also in the private sector; that name and gender change procedures cease to be judicial and become administrative; and that "every person be able to have the name and surname they choose." It asserts the "right to be" and calls for a fight for an environment free of racism. It is argued that the March for Diversity comes to defend what has been achieved against the reactionary voices that are rising up these days. “The march is a profoundly political act,” they say. The party continues; from the stage, they suggest hugging the person next to you, kissing them, and taking a picture. selfieCell phones are raised and record those hugs, those kisses. This article is published in partnership with the Uruguayan media outlet La Diaria .]]>