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BUENOS AIRES, Argentina. Alba Rueda, a trans activist and Argentine public official, was selected by Time magazine as one of the 100 emerging leaders in the world who are shaping the next generation of leadership. “I think it shows the world is paying attention to the value of our journeys,” she told Presentes about the news.

“Last year I was recognized by the BBC as one of the 100 most influential people, so I think there is also a focus on Argentina and on what our country can contribute,” the activist said.

Rueda has a long history of activism for LGBTQ+ rights. Born in Salta, she moved to Buenos Aires with her family as a child. She campaigned for the Gender Identity Law and marriage equality alongside historical figures like Lohana Bernkins and Diana Sacayán. She was the president and one of the founders of Mujeres Trans Argentina (Trans Women Argentina) , an organization she continues to be a part of.

With the new Frente de Todos government, she assumed the position of Undersecretary of Diversity Policies in 2019. Recently, since March, she has taken on a new role: she is Argentina's Special Representative on Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity at the Argentine Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Only four countries have a position of this kind: Jessica Stern in the United States, Nick Herbert in the United Kingdom, Fabrizio Petri in Italy, and Sven Lehmann in Germany.

In 2021, the magazine recognized the activism of two Latin American women : Indyra Mendoza, director of the lesbian network Cattrachas, and Claudia Spellmant, a trans activist.

Alba's fundamental political role

“Neither Alba Rueda nor I remember the first time we met. But over the years we often appeared together on panels, urging governments to meaningfully address the dehumanization of LGBTQI+ people and respect human rights.” This is how Time’s article about Alba begins, written by U.S. Special Envoy for LGBTQI+ Human Rights Jessica Stern . It was published yesterday as part of the TIME100 Next .

Stern highlighted the political roles Rueda has assumed, especially as Argentina's Special Representative on Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity. "Now he has a global platform," she emphasized. In that capacity, she organized the 2022 Global LGBTI Conference of the Equal Rights Coalition, which brought together more than 140 organizations and representatives from 42 countries. "Alba encouraged everyone to fight harder for LGBTQI+ people internationally," Stern said of the event.

For Alba, the importance of transvestite and trans people assuming spaces of political representation stems primarily from two issues. “The first is the same importance as women speaking in international spaces as a valid voice within the political agenda, which has its own particular characteristics,” she stated.

“Transvestite and trans people make an enormous contribution to our systems of government.”

Furthermore, she emphasized that these positions should prioritize the fact that “transvestite, trans, and LGBT+ people are affected by poverty, inequality, violence, lack of justice, and a lack of a transfeminist perspective.” In this regard, she also highlighted “the enormous contribution that transvestites and trans people make to our democracies and our systems of government.”

“The contribution we make from a gender and diversity perspective sets management priorities in our government. And this is related to the approach we have taken to structural inequality, knowing that concrete public policies are needed to provide answers,” the official said. 

Rueda described the months since assuming his new position as “very intense.” “This entire year has been about continuing an agenda in terms of foreign policy that has already been established by LGBTIQ+ organizations and by government agencies working from this perspective. So, it was about making contact with them to understand their priorities. The LGBTIQ+ Equality Rights Conference held less than a month ago in Argentina was one of those priorities. The Anti-Gender Movement was one of the central themes of that meeting,” he explained.

Furthermore, her team worked on renewing the mandate of the independent expert at the United Nations (Víctor Madrigal-Borloz). She recognized this as “fundamental” for promoting international policies for the LGBTIQ+ community. Meanwhile, they support other countries in advancing their hard-won rights. “Another key area of ​​focus is the support we provided to countries working on gender identity legislation. These countries are in Southeast Asia, and we visited Vietnam and are in contact with other countries. We want to contribute our 10 years of experience in our country regarding gender identity law,” she explained.

Decriminalization, an urgent task

Regarding the policies that are urgent for the LGBTIQ+ community worldwide, he emphasized decriminalization as fundamental. “One of the most urgent is the decriminalization of homosexuality—in general terms—(of LGBTIQ+ people) worldwide. The first and most urgent is the abolition of the death penalty,” he stressed.

“Alba’s leadership matters. She is tireless and will fight until governments truly serve, respect, and reflect all people, including trans people,” concluded Special Envoy Stern in her report.