For Pepa Gaitán, for Higui de Jesús, for the everyday and silenced violence, hundreds of lesbians participated in a festival with music, poetry, and a manifesto on Lesbian Visibility Day. They denounced street attacks and the arrests of six members of the Ni Una Menos Collective. And they called for a march this afternoon in their own column during the International Women's Strike.
LGBTQ+ groups—lesbian, trans, transvestite, and bisexual women—from major cities in Argentina will bring specific demands to the International Women's Strike. These include justice for Higui de Jesús, a trans quota law, implementation of the gender identity law, and other demands. Although the transvestite and trans community was not officially invited to participate in some localities, its members decided to join the day of action. There are calls to march wearing black, fuchsia, and purple.
Today, Argentina commemorates Lesbian Visibility Day. Seven years after the hate crime against Pepa Gaitán, murdered by her girlfriend's stepfather, Claudia Castrosin and Mariana Paz, from La Fulana, reflect on that day and the path they have traveled. They call for a re-evaluation of violent and sexist relationships, stating that lesbian and bisexual relationships are not exempt from them.
What do we mean when we talk about lesbian visibility? Women from different generations share what visibility means to each of them today. What activities are planned in different cities across the country? Why are they marching with their own contingent on March 8th?
Following reports of abuse, a judge ordered the Buenos Aires Province Penitentiary Service to allocate an exclusive wing of Unit 32 in Florencio Varela for transgender and transvestite female inmates. This must be implemented within 20 days and will be staffed by female personnel. It is a landmark ruling that recognizes transgender and transvestite identity.
Trans and gender-diverse rights organizations are denouncing police abuses in La Plata. Legal complaints have been filed regarding two raids in February and for an investigation into the death of Pamela Macedo Pandu, who was detained in a prison in Florencio Varela.
Vitit Muntarbhorn is the United Nations Independent Expert on protection against violence and discrimination based on sexual orientation or gender identity. His visit began with a tour of the greater Buenos Aires area. There, he heard the first reports of escalating violence and setbacks in public policy.
On Saturday, February 18, two LGBTQ+ couples were attacked in very close proximity to each other in Buenos Aires. Both attacks were motivated by homophobia, lesbophobia, and transphobia and occurred in broad daylight. In addition to physical violence, insults and the indifference of passersby were common elements in both incidents.
Around twenty men attacked trans activist Alessandra Luna and two companions in Glew, Buenos Aires Province. They beat them for twenty minutes and stole all their belongings. Today they expanded their complaint at Provincial Prosecutor's Office 20 in Lomas de Zamora. "We were terrified by the morbid curiosity of those who were watching and filming," Luna told Presentes.
The demand for justice for Eva Analía Higui de Jesús—attacked for being a lesbian and imprisoned for homicide—was the central theme of the latest Permanent Lesbian Assembly, held this week in Buenos Aires. It was agreed to join the March 8th #NiUnaMenos march, International Women's Day, with a lesbian contingent.
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