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BUENOS AIRES, Argentina. Ayelén Mazzina Guiñazú learned she would be the new head of the Ministry of Women and Diversity during the closing ceremony of the 35th Plurinational Meeting of Women, Lesbians, Trans, Transvestites, Bisexuals, Intersex, and Non-Binary People . As Secretary of Women, Diversity, and Equality for the province of San Luis, she was instrumental in bringing over 130,000 people to the province to participate in workshops and two massive marches.

“La Aye,” as Ayelén is known to her family, colleagues, and friends from San Luis—her home province—will be sworn in today as the youngest minister in the national cabinet. She is 33 years old, comes from a humble background, and has proudly embraced her lesbian identity for several years. She has been politically active since her youth, when she understood that politics “generated tools for transformation.” She is a Peronist and says she is “an Albertist, but of our Alberto” (Rodríguez Saá), the governor of her province.

“Our way of governing in San Luis has always been from the periphery to the center. And if there’s one thing I want to do from the national government, it’s to replicate that same approach,” said the future minister and political science professor on Tuesday in an interview with the San Luis News Agency (ANSL) . She also emphasized the need to “embrace the most vulnerable, those who are far away.” Ayelén and her communications team decided to give interviews first to local media outlets and then to the rest of the country.

After serving as a city councilor in San Luis and running for national deputy in 2019, she assumed the position of Secretary of Women, Diversity, and Equality for the province that same year. Her associates and she herself emphasized the local focus of her administration. Among her most notable policies are the integration of transgender and transvestite individuals into the public sector, the creation of "Weye," , and reparations for adult transgender individuals.

She also carried out the "Project Condom for Vulvas" survey to "develop a comprehensive response that considers sexual practices between people with vulvas."

Key policies

“There is a very large community at the national level that we in the province were able to embrace. Without a law, creating job placement programs for transvestites and trans people, creating programs of historical recognition for trans elders, simply through a decree. How did we do it? By listening to the needs of a community that historically has never been heard,” Mazzina said.

Likewise, efforts were made to support diverse families. For Roque Quilodran, 38, a teacher and activist with the Casita de Varones Trans y Familias (House of Trans Men and Families) , Mazzina's administration "worked to embrace everyone from childhood to adulthood, providing support and guidance to families through a specific department within the Secretariat." He explained that "awareness-raising initiatives were developed through training programs." Furthermore, in an interview with Presentes, the opening of the inclusive Azul Montoro clinic , "named after a long-time trans activist from San Luis."

The Directorate headed by Ayelén also launched the " Violet Pavilion " program, aimed at incarcerated women and LGBTQ+ individuals, offering workshops and educational activities, as well as a menstrual management policy. "This program addresses health, self-care, and closing the inequality gap faced by those of us who menstruate. It's historic that the State is taking responsibility and being present in this," Yanina Schwindt, one of the program's facilitators, told Presentes . She explained that the program, called " I Menstruate ," fosters support groups to share experiences and provides sustainable and environmentally friendly menstrual management kits. The program also seeks to demystify menstruation.

“It’s a very good initiative. Through the job placement program, more than 35 women have been hired within the provincial public administration in less than a year. Furthermore, all necessary resources have been allocated to begin surgeries in compliance with Article 11 of the Gender Identity Law. Now, work is underway on a comprehensive law for transgender people,” Gema Rosales, a transgender activist and INADI delegate in the province, Presentes

The questions

Ayelén Mazzina also faced criticism for her handling of the murder of Florencia Magalí Morales, which occurred in April 2020. Two police officers have been charged in connection with the crime, accused of torture resulting in death and unlawful deprivation of liberty, committed by a public official through abuse of power. Florencia's sister, Celeste Morales, is demanding justice and believes Mazzina "was not effective .

“If they’ve put her there—as the new Minister of Women—it’s because the president saw her qualities or because he believes she should be efficient in certain areas. In my case, she wasn’t efficient. Let’s hope she’s more proactive now, not just for Magali Morales, but for everyone,” Morales stated.

Mazzina hopes to “rise to the occasion” in her new role and affirms her commitment to the position she will now hold. “I believe there are still many things to resolve, that transformations are slow, not fast. But a great deal has been achieved since the creation of the Ministry of Women, Gender and Diversity. It is a Ministry that was born out of the struggles of a movement in 2019 after a National Women's Meeting,” she said.