LGBTI activism responds to Milei's alleged anti-rights bill
According to reports in national media, Milei will present the "Equality before the Law" project at the opening of legislative sessions on March 1st.
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Javier Milei's government is seeking to align itself with the frontal attack against the LGBTIQ+ community and feminist movements by far-right leaders, following the measures enacted by Donald Trump since assuming the presidency of the United States. He did so in his speech in Davos , in which he listed a series of disinformations, fallacies, lies, and manipulations . And now he will seek to do so on a legislative level. According to reports in national media, Milei will present the "Equality Before the Law" bill at the opening of the legislative sessions on March 1st. With it, he will attack hard-won rights such as the gender identity law—a landmark law worldwide—the trans employment quota, and the legal definition of "femicide," among other issues. Activists have responded with denunciations and a call to action for this Saturday.
There has been no official statement from the government on the matter. When contacted by this publication, the Ministry of Justice confirmed that the issue is "under review" and that they will not provide any further details at this time. However, details of the proposed bill have been leaked to some media outlets.
Their goal would be to eliminate laws of “selective discrimination,” government sources indicated off the record. Among the various points being considered for the project are repealing the Trans Quota Law, the Gender Identity Law, the gender representation quota on electoral lists, and the employment quota for people with disabilities. Additionally, they would modify the Penal Code to eliminate the crime of femicide (homicide aggravated by gender-based violence). And finally, they would amend the Micaela Law, which mandates gender training for public administration employees.
According to leaked information, the project is being drafted by the Secretary of Strategic Planning, María Ibarzabal Murphy, together with the Ministry of Justice.
To empty of content, to distort reality
“Milei was only attacking trans people, and now that Trump has gotten involved in LGBT issues, he’s changed his tune. The Davos event was a declaration against the LGBT community. During 2024, they accused our agenda of being a vote-loser. If we don’t take responsibility for defending this, it’s because we haven’t learned anything from Argentina’s gender perspective,” shared trans activist Alba Rueda, former Special Representative on Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, in an interview with this publication.
She also warned that far-right movements study feminist discourse and twist its slogans. "It's the symbol of our times: emptying things of meaning to distort reality," she analyzed.
In the face of these attacks, Rueda believes it is urgent to coordinate the struggle with other sectors and unite the agendas of environmentalism, migrants, women, and the LGBTIQ+ community. “We are not an isolated movement; we must unite. Alone, we have no power. This is something the LGBT movement has been asking for a long time: that they come and march with us.”
“They will not pass because these are rights that no one gave us. We achieved them with the support of society and all democratic political forces. They will have problems with the forces that are open to dialogue, which are not necessarily anti-rights. We are vigilant, organized, and in permanent mobilization,” Martín Canevaro, lawyer and secretary of 100% Diversity and Rights, Presentes
This organization released a statement requesting “the intervention of all state institutions in response to the president’s shameful diatribe against the law, as well as the adoption of urgent protective measures against the violence, abuse, stigmatization, and discrimination generated by his statements.” They also called on all political and social forces to reach an agreement to stop fascist violence, while inviting the international LGBTIQ+ movement to stand united against these attacks.
Complaints in court
Milei's remarks had repercussions. Among them was a criminal complaint filed by Congressman Esteban Paulón . There were also other complaints and a preventive habeas corpus petition to protect human rights defenders in our country, filed by the Argentine LGBT Federation (FALGBT) and signed by activists María Rachid and Flavia Massenzio.
“We are going to do everything necessary to put a stop to the ignorance and violence of this national government. We hope that society and its leaders will stand with us, and we demand that the justice system act accordingly,” Rachid stated in an interview with Presentes . She emphasized the need to speak out to put a stop to this violence, “whether by resorting to the justice system, demanding that it fulfill its role in a democratic state, or by taking to the streets and organizing ourselves—the diverse communities, women, and society as a whole.”
Meanwhile, the LGBTQ+ Antifascist Assembly called for a rally this Saturday at 5 p.m. at the Lezama Park Amphitheater in the La Boca neighborhood of Buenos Aires to protest the president's remarks. "Life is at risk. Enough! We're never going back in the closet," is their chosen slogan.
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