Share

Share this

Share on Facebook Share on Facebook Tweet Share on Twitter Share on WhatsApp Share on WhatsApp

SUBSCRIBE TO THE NEWSLETTER

BUENOS AIRES, Argentina. At the San Martín Palace, the building that houses the Argentine Foreign Ministry, the rainbow flag, the trans flag, and the flag of non-binary people fly proudly alongside the national flag. They are hosting more than 140 organizations from around the world, and representatives from 42 countries are participating in a crucial meeting for the global LGBT+ rights agenda. This is the Equal Rights Coalition's (ERC ) 2022 Global LGBTI Conference, taking place on September 7 and 8 at the Foreign Ministry headquarters in this city. The objective of this meeting is to inform, share experiences of accessing rights, identify best practices, and agree upon and commit to actions that will help improve the lives of LGBT+ people worldwide. But it is also about addressing how to confront the rise of anti-gender movements .

Argentine Foreign Minister Santiago Cafiero opened the 2022 Global LGBTI Conference of the Equal Rights Coalition, which is co-chaired by Argentina and the United Kingdom, highlighting the country's role in LGBTI+ rights . He did so alongside Alba Rueda, the Foreign Ministry's Special Representative for Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity, a position held in only five countries worldwide. Also present was Lord Herbert, who holds the same position in the United Kingdom. Other participants in the Conference include Jessica Stern, the US government's LGBTI+ envoy; Fabrizio Petri, Italy's special envoy; Víctor Madrigal-Borloz, the UN Independent Expert on protection against violence and discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity; Miguel Mesquita, from the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights; and Louise Wall, New Zealand's Ambassador for Gender Equality, among others.

“Today I speak in my capacity as Argentina’s Special Representative on Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity, which fills me with pride because it symbolizes the Argentine State’s commitment to enacting public policies that seek to overcome the inequalities of the community to which I belong,” Rueda said. “I am a trans activist in government, and this is a tremendous achievement for our societies.”

In a meeting yesterday with the press, Rueda, along with Silvina Montenegro from the Directorate of Women and Gender Affairs and Cecilia Meirovich, Director of Human Rights at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, spoke with journalists about the objectives of this Conference. They explained that it is a forum for dialogue and collaboration between activist groups and governments. It will also be the occasion for the presentation of a global report documenting both achievements and the challenges ahead. 

How to address the anti-gender backlash

Today, one of the main obstacles is the strong conservative backlash against the exercise of freedoms by LGBTI+ people. At the Conference, in addition to reporting on progress and the vision for the next two years, the aim will be to identify strategies and best practices for addressing the anti-gender movement. “There is no neutral ground when it comes to human rights. And this requires us to take explicit positions,” Rueda stated.

The official highlighted that Argentina is a global leader in human rights. It has had a gender identity law for 10 years, marriage equality for 12, and, above all, a powerful civil society that drives the political agenda. “Although we haven't settled all our debts,” she cautioned, “the Global South has some good practices to share regarding inclusion.” She referred, among other initiatives, to the trans and travesti employment quota and the adoption of the X on documents and passports, a way of breaking down binary information systems. 

Organizations and activism: experts

The conference is being held in Chattam House format. This means that participants can freely use the information shared there, but they cannot identify the speakers. This is precisely because many of them are at risk due to the criminalization of sexual identities and orientations that still exists in so many countries around the world. 

Although this conference was originally scheduled to take place in London, given the recent public discontent with the UK's stance on conversion therapy (progressing towards a ban only on sexual orientation but not on gender identity), it was decided to change the venue to avoid a negative impact from this widespread discontent. The event was then moved to Buenos Aires.

Civil society organizations, they explained yesterday, participate in all stages and hold a co-presidency parallel to that of the States. This time it is the turn of the Association of Diverse Families (from Argentina) and Stonewall and Kaleidoscope (United Kingdom). The next presidency will be held by Mexico and Germany. 

“The great strength of this Coalition is not only its intergovernmental nature, but also the inclusion of civil society organizations as a fundamental part. That is why it is wonderful to see so many NGOs from all over the world here; they are the true experts,” said Lord Nick Herbert, the UK envoy. 

On the first day, the Argentine Foreign Minister referred to the assassination attempt against Vice President Cristina Fernández de Kirchner. “The attack demonstrates the urgent need to end hate speech and its escalation ,” Cafiero stated. Addressing the participants, he said: “You know well how this escalation works if societies don't stop it in time. It begins with the search for scapegoats and continues with dehumanizing practices that can lead to the normalization of the elimination of another person or people. It is the final step in the violation of equal rights. As you know perfectly well, from your own dramatic experience, especially LGBTI+ people on every continent.”