Name: Pablo "Vasco" Sartore

Identity: Cis Gay Male

Candidacy: National Deputy

Political party: Socialist Workers' Movement (MST) within the Left and Workers' Front Unity (FITU)

List: 136A-Unite and strengthen the left

Position on the list: 4

Why does a person from a diverse sexual/cultural background have to be in Congress or the Legislature?

Because, while the essential aspect of every candidate and what will shape their parliamentary conduct is their general political program, belonging to our community and especially being active in that area obviously allows for greater sensitivity and openness to issues related to our rights.

When did you decide to run for office and why?

I've been active in politics since before the military dictatorship, not only as a socialist but also in the human rights and gender and sexual diversity movements, so this isn't my first time running for office. I believe there's a very deep unity among these movements and that they serve as an example to the world, a topic I address in my latest book: "30.400, Human Rights and Diversity.".

How do you think hatred can be combated through politics?

I believe it is necessary to reform the national anti-discrimination law to include pretexts of sexual orientation and gender identity, which are not currently included, as well as sanctions for those who discriminate and greater prevention tools. It is also essential that comprehensive sexuality education be truly implemented in all schools and at all levels, with a gender and diversity perspective, and that the necessary budget be allocated for its implementation.

Did you think of any strategies to respond to the smear campaigns and disinformation against LGBT people in the media?

In this regard, reforming the anti-discrimination law is essential, as is reporting specific cases of media outlets that defame, discriminate, demonize, and/or disseminate hate speech to INADI (National Institute Against Discrimination, Xenophobia and Racism). If appropriate, file the corresponding criminal complaint. And as always, call for mobilization to raise awareness of the problem and pressure for an end to it and redress.

How do we prevent a decline in rights?

With the same tools we used to achieve the legal advances of recent years, such as the laws on marriage equality, gender identity, trans and travesti employment quotas, and the new HIV law: organization and mobilization, with unity in diversity. Of course, we must demand that governments allocate the necessary funds to effectively implement these laws and ensure that these rights are not just empty words.

What is the first project you are going to present?

The complete separation of church and state, and of all other faiths, is essential. It's unacceptable that the entire society's money continues to fund a particular religious group and all its schools—most of which, moreover, campaign against our rights and protect pedophiles and abusers—with billions of pesos each year. In fact, I have a book titled "Church and State: Separate Matters." Anyone who wants a priest should pay for it themselves!

Recommendation

A film, song, book, or cultural experience that politically influenced you?

"My Life" by Leon Trotsky