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The 4th LGBTQ Pride March in Ledesma, Jujuy, which took place on December 3rd, was marked by violent censorship amidst speeches, hate messages and threats of lawsuits against transvestite and trans leaders.

The Ledesma Department in Jujuy is part of the Southern Yungas, or cloud forest, which stretches from Venezuela to the province of Catamarca, Argentina. This ecoregion is characterized by its high biodiversity and serves as a bridge between the Andean Puna and the Chaco Forest. It also encompasses part of the extensive territory of the Coya indigenous people in the highlands and the Ava Guaraní in the lowlands.

Libertador General San Martín is the main municipality of Ledesma, located in the Yungas region of Jujuy province. This area was the site of "The Night of the Blackout" during the last civic-military-ecclesiastical dictatorship, in the early morning of July 20, 1976. During those years, state terrorism, carried out by the armed forces, operated in conjunction with the Blaquier family—owners of the Ledesma sugar mill—and the Catholic Church. More than 400 people were kidnapped during that period, and 33 of them remain missing.

Jujuy is a region steeped in historical injustices , and this has been one of the most painful and traumatic moments that remains unpunished. In the same coordinated effort as that Night of the Blackout, today, December 2022, the Argentine judiciary reaffirms that the interests it defends are those of racist, land-destroying, and transphobic businesspeople. Several Indigenous worldviews understand life and history as recurring events, as a great cyclical spiral from which we should learn.

The boycott

The 4th Pride March took place on Saturday, December 3rd. In the days leading up to it, the organizing committee received little support and even outright rejection from the Ledesma Municipal Council regarding its declaration of public interest.

Councilman Maximiliano Espinoza stated: “The LGBTQ collective in Ledesma is a farce of the march in the capital. Completely unnecessary.”

The trans women from the Iron Ladies Foundation were the largest group in attendance. During the speeches, the local leader alluded to this situation from the stage. Upon hearing her, the municipal officials cut the audio and confiscated the equipment. All the artistic performances by women who had come from different parts of the department were still to come.

That same day, the announcer of the most listened-to local radio station said… “These people shouldn’t be holding these obscene marches in public places, or in front of children. If they want respect, they should show respect first.”

Under threat

The following day, a message was leaked in which the Secretary of Government of the Municipality of Libertador Gral. San Martín, Paula Cepeda, threatened to denounce the trans leaders who were on stage.

In a clear act of intimidation, this public institution threatened trans activists with lawsuits. In doing so, they revealed their power to manipulate the justice system and their intention to instill fear in those who think differently.

The municipality and human rights institutions ignore the transphobic rhetoric directed at the LGBTQ community by council members and public figures, reinforcing their indoctrinating stance of heterosexual and religious supremacy. They remain silent and inactive in the face of gender-based violence. Similarly, they remain silent about the arson attacks intended to convert land use to farmland for the company.

“We have been breathing toxic smoke for weeks, which leaves our lungs tired and sick,” commented one of the trans women at the march.

“No trans woman is alone”

A press conference was scheduled for Tuesday where the mayor of the municipality was to present some complaints. But it has not yet taken place.

In a territory so deeply scarred by blatant injustices and with the obscene influence of the Ledesma company, which is so pervasive in people's lives, the restoration of a healthy coexistence is difficult. The company maintains territorial power, surveillance, control over bodies, impunity, and the technology necessary for political persecution, to the point that social organizations decide not to pursue legal action against the municipality.

This year, a trans man, after working for the Ledesma company for a long time, stopped receiving calls when he began his gender transition. He preferred to remain anonymous and also declined to report the matter to the authorities for fear of persecution and possible expulsion of family and friends who worked there.

“It’s never easy being a trans person, anywhere, but in places with a repressive culture like Ledesma, it’s even worse. You have to endure mistreatment and threats even from public institutions that should be protecting our integrity,” says a comrade, also speaking anonymously, during the march.

In a statement, the Iron Ladies announced that they will not back down from the culture of terror established centuries ago. “We are fighting for our right to exist, not for partisan politics. We are political beings who have come together to assert our historically denied rights. No trans woman is alone.”