Viviana Canosa and transphobia as a show
After linking Lizy Tagliani to a human trafficking and pedophilia ring, Viviana Canosa claimed to have evidence of such a network and appeared in court at Comodoro Py. However, she now denies that the Telefe host is involved.
Share
Lizy Tagliani is heard almost on a loop on television channels saying, “I have never in my life touched a minor. They will have to prove every single crime I am accused of.” Canosa's accusation against her has become a media scandal, escalating from a celebrity feud to the criminalization of the transgender television host who is part of the lineup of Telefe, one of the most important channels on free-to-air television.
In her accusation, Viviana Canosa claims that there are many other television "celebrities" online and also mentions Costa, a panelist on Cortá por Lozano (Telefe). Curiously, she doesn't name any heterosexual cisgender people.
Linking pedophilia to LGBT people is not new. The President of Argentina, Javier Milei, made this claim at the Davos Economic Forum in January of this year, and the response was the first Federal Antifascist Pride March.
“The association that has become so prevalent in society these days, everywhere, is once again the connection between LGBTIQ+ identities and pedophilia, and this is extremely serious. Regardless of Lizy Tagliani's story and other related cases, and how this plays out in the judicial system, the point is to dismantle this immediate link that is established between those of us who are LGBT people and those who could be abusers,” said Franco Torchia in his column on the program El diario de Mariana (América TV).
Canosa, in permanent transphobia
It turns out that attacks on sexual diversity, and particularly on trans people, are commonplace for Viviana Canosa, as are her transphobic comments. On March 28, in an interview with Traniela, a trans woman opposed to trans feminism, she told her, "You know what drives me crazy? You don't hide 'the bulge,'" once again contributing to the confusion between sex and gender.
Flor de la V, on her program "Los profesionales de siempre " (Channel 9), recalled: “When I decided to become a mother, I was subjected to every kind of abuse imaginable in the entertainment industry. That's why I don't think it's unusual for Lizy to be going through this right now. We women couldn't have access to a family, to having a husband and children, because only heterosexual people could afford that.” After recalling a fight she had with Canosa more than ten years ago, she added: “It's an encrypted message. It's what's happening in the world. There are things we can't allow. Society can't backtrack on rights.”
“Costa, Lizy, Mariana Genesio Peña, and so many others, we’ve earned this place. We come from very humble beginnings, and they don’t forgive us for that. We’re questioned about things that others aren’t. We occupy this position because the people elected us. I never had to grovel before anyone, I never had to lower my standards to ask for a job, and I don’t know if many people can say that,” she concluded.
Bruno Bazán, a journalist from Tucumán, also made a post on Instagram about the malicious link between pedophilia and trans people.
Confusion and denunciation
The anecdote of an alleged theft by Lizy Tagliani (Telefe host) from Viviana Canosa (El Trece host) escalated and ended with Canosa going to Comodoro Py to present the alleged evidence of this network in which, the host says, there are also producers and even a television businesswoman involved.
Little is known about the complaint, only that Canosa appeared to testify before prosecutor Carlos Stornelli and that there will be updates on the matter next Monday. According to sources who have seen part of the complaint, it cannot be confirmed whether Tagliani is on the list.
During an interview Viviana Canosa gave on Tuesday, April 15th, to the program Argenzuela, which airs on C5N, Jorge Rial asked her: “Amidst this mess of statements, it's being said that Lizzy is involved in crimes against minors. Would you like to clarify anything?” The host, smiling, chose to pass the microphone to her lawyer, Juan Manuel Dragani, who responded: “What Viviana said on Monday is one thing, and the complaint filed today is another. They are two different things. If Lizy wants to link one to the other, she's mistaken. The media game that took place between Lizy and Viviana is one thing, and then both Canosa and her lawyer invoked the confidentiality of the investigation.
The following day, Canosa denied having dismissed Tagliani from the network, but also did not confirm that the host of La Peña del Morfi was involved.
The murky source
In the same interview that Canosa gave to Jorge Rial, she acknowledged that she is working with Timmy Ballard, a member of a foundation that supposedly fights against pedophilia and child trafficking.
Ballard gained recognition with the release of the film Sounds of Freedom, produced by Mexican director Eduardo Verástegui, where he supposedly recounts his personal story, from his time as a CIA agent to founding Operation Underground Railroad (OUR), an organization dedicated to combating child trafficking. In less than 10 years, the organization raised approximately $50 million.
The website Data Clave published a profile of Ballard that also details his connections to Milei and La Libertad Avanza (LLA). It also recounts that during the 2023 campaign, Javier Milei and Victoria Villarruel met in Miami with producer Verástegui and signed a commitment agreement between the foundation and LLA to combat child trafficking.
Ballard is accused in more than 20 cases of sexual abuse and was also accused of presenting false cases to the press to obtain funding.
This article is published thanks to a partnership with the newspaper Tiempo Argentino.
We are Present
We are committed to a type of journalism that delves deeply into the realm of the world and offers in-depth research, combined with new technologies and narrative formats. We want the protagonists, their stories, and their struggles to be present.
SUPPORT US
FOLLOW US
Related Notes
We Are Present
This and other stories don't usually make the media's attention. Together, we can make them known.