Gender Identity Law Makes Progress in Argentina

2010 Pride March Buenos Aires

By Roy Heale

Argentina's gay community has been aggressively campaigning for a new “gender identity” law for several years and following the Same-Sex Marriage act of July 2010 they increased the pressure on the national government. Under the motto “Let’s Go For More” Argentina’s gay and lesbian community have been campaigning for a “gender identity” law to enable individuals to change their gender on birth certificates and identity cards. The lack of a specific “gender identity” law has been causing transgendered Argentines difficulties when dealing with the government using documents that no longer matched their expressed gender.

The visibility of the campaign increased on the Saturday following the 2010 Gay Pride parade when thousands celebrated Argentina’s status as the first country in Latin America to legalize same-sex marriage. The proposed law had been stuck in Argentina's senate since 2007, but there was greater optimism following the passage of the gay marriage law. “The gay marriage law helped open the doors to discuss LGBT issues in Argentina,” said Socialist Deputy Roy Cortina. “And that's going to be beneficial for the gender identity law”.

Argentina's Congreso

Earlier in November of this year a package of four bills, commonly referred to as the Gender Identity Law, successfully obtained a majority of votes during a joint meeting of the General Legislation and Justice committees of Argentina. Presented earlier this year with the full support of various LGBTQ and trans organizations, the four bills together would make it easier for transgender people to obtain accurate government documentation and services.

Stating that gender identity is an internal and individual experience that may or may not correspond with that assigned at birth, the law would allow name and gender corrections on all documentation through a simple procedure at the National Registry of Persons. Additionally, the text does not set specific requirements for the change of gender, except for the applicant’s request, thus bypassing the need for costly and medical, psychiatric, or surgical treatments.

Currently, transgender people who wish to correct their documentation must go through a lengthy legal process that includes medical and psychological examinations, with no guarantee of a favorable ruling.

“We hope for the rapid advance of the Identity Law in the National Chamber of Deputies, so that the right we currently obtain judicially can be a right for everyone throughout the country,” said Marcela Romero, Secretary General of the Argentine Federation of Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Trans people (FALGBT) and President of the ATTTA (Asociación Trasvestis, Transexuales y Transgénero de la Argentina). “We want equality and identity for the trans collective and the opportunity to advance strongly the guarantee of integral health care, which is one of the principal demands of our collective.”

On November 30^th., 2011 The Lower House granted preliminary approval to the Gender Identity bill and sent it to the Upper House floor, where senators will continue to debate the new legislation. The much-debated Gender Identity bill, allows Argentina's citizens to officially change their name and sexual identity if they wish to do so, without the need to request a special permission from the courts.

The bill, drafted after four different bills coming from four caucuses in the Lower House, enables transvestites and transsexuals to officially change their name and gender identity no matter what their biological sex is.

As it became clear that the bill would receive preliminary approval, human rights activists and members of several homosexual, transvestite and transsexual rights organizations cheered as lawmakers voted in favour. Members of the Argentine Federation of Lesbians, Gays, Bisexuals and Transsexuals (FALGBT) were present during the Gender Identity bill debate and celebrated its passage through the Lower House.

In neighbouring Uruguay, a law on the right to gender identity was passed in 2009, but the name change procedure requires the involvement of a family court and an evaluation of the person in question by a multidisciplinary team at the civil registry office.

"In Colombia, people can get their names changed on their documents, but not their gender, while in Brazil rulings are being handed down in favour of the identity card change, but only for transsexuals: in other words, people who have actually had surgery," Romero said.

Argentina continues to take positive steps towards equality for its LGBT citizens.

Pink Point Buenos Aires Enters Second Year of Service To LGBT Visitors

Patrizia and Erik from Pink Point

By Roy Heale

After the successful inaugural year for Pink Point Buenos Aires plans are now underway for the second year of operations. Pink Point is now the Official LGBT tourist information centre of the Buenos Aires City Government (ENTE de Turismo de la Ciudad de Buenos Aires). A provider of LGBT information, gay city maps, and passes to bars and discos, Pink Point also has Pride articles, excursions, and the regular City informational brochures. The overall aim of Pink Point is to unite gay and gay-friendly businesses to build a stronger community spirit for all LGBT locals and for international visitors, ex-pats, and tourists. In Pink Point's mandate these are the fundamentals for a real gay capital city.

This year Pink Point is selling annual memberships to individuals and businesses. Pink Point Buenos Aires does not receive financial assistance from any local government agencies and needs to raise its own operating funds. Without the support of visitors and residents of Buenos Aires they would not be able to maintain the Pink Point services. Pink Point is a non-profit organisation and needs the reinforcement of local gay businesses to continue providing their FREE visitor services.

Members will be posted in the Pink Pages---the LGBT version of the yellow pages---which is an online guide with listings of all gay related businesses and services (from plumbers to dentists, from doctors to wedding planners). Once a year---commencing in July 2012---a printed version of the Pink Pages guide will be distributed all over the city and in relevant places across the country. The Pink Pages will also be FREE to download from their website and also available for FREE as an App for Smartphones and Ipads.

Every two months a Pink Point Member's event (workshop, talk, function, etc.) will be held starting in March 2012. With expert guest speakers on gay related topics, networking, and social activities, these events will be educational and informative. Also, an Official Pink Point member sticker will be supplied for promotional use by members. A newsletter will be published every two months with the Pink Pages new member updates and local upcoming events and information. There will also be an invitation to the Members' Pink Point Ball, to be held annually during the last week of October commencing in 2012.

Corporate Memberships are only available when businesses agree with the rules of being gay- friendly---a Pink Point document which requires a commitment signature.

The new Pink Point LGBT guide and map to Buenos Aires will be published shortly in conjunction with ENTE de Turismo de la Ciudad de Buenos Aires. This map will be distributed at Pink Point and other tourism locations throughout Buenos Aires and beyond.

For More Informaton Visit: www.pinkpointbuenosaires.com 

Location: Lavalle 669, local 24, Buenos Aires, Argentina or Phone Erik Hovenga:  (+ 5411)  4322-1343

Guido's Italian Dining Experience, Palermo Chico, Buenos Aires

By Roy Heale

There are some well kept secrets in Buenos Aires and Guido's Cafe-Bar is one of them. This authentic Italian restaurant is well-known to local residents, but is off the beaten track for most tourists. With a kitsch atmosphere this wonderful Italian restaurant offers an array of home-cooked Italian specialties served by smiling waiters. The walls, which are covered with movie posters and pictures featuring a variety of old school Italian actors, gives it a fun edge and a real---if not slightly over the top---Italian feel. It is a small cosy place with a few tables outdoors for patio dining. Reservations are a must if you don't want to be disappointed when the house is full!

Although there is a small menu available, most guests opt for the chef's set meals which differ daily. Dinner is a five course affair, including wines and soft drinks for around US$40 plus gratuity. To start there is an array of hot and cold antipasto---including a wonderful cherry tomato and bocconcini salad---with new and old Italian favorites to choose from. This is followed by two different pasta dishes with fresh home-made pasta combined with local ingredients. Then comes the carni---meat dish---and on this particular night it was a wonderful veal tenderloin in a light, creamy tarragon sauce accompanied by the best french fries I have had in Buenos Aires! If that is not enough for most appetites, then the dessert tray will top off the meal. A selection of home made treats included a unique Tiramisu, chocolate gelato, a pineapple cake, and a chocolate surprise. Throughout the meal there were bottomless bottles of excellent red and white wine offered, plus soft drinks and bottled water. The service is friendly plus unusually fast and efficient compared to other local establishments.

I can't believe I ate the whole thing---a testament to the excellent chef!

Guido's is located in the elegant Palermo Chico barrio at República de la India 2843 facing the Zoo grounds. It is open for breakfast, lunch, and dinner but it is recommended to call ahead and check on the opening hours as they have a tendency to vary, phone:(005411) 4802.2391. Dinner begins at 8:30PM which is perfect for those who do not wish to eat late at night, but be sure to allow about three hours to enjoy the many different courses at a leisurely pace.

For Italian food lovers and gourmands this is an absolute must during a visit to Buenos Aires and now my personal favorite Italian restaurant in the city. 

2011 Queer Tango Festival of Buenos Aires

Queer Tango Dancers From 2010 Festival

By Roy Heale

The Fifth Annual International Queer Tango Festival of Buenos Aires will take place from November 14 – 20, 2011. Without a doubt this is one of the best events on the gay and lesbian calendar in South America. The Festival will take place in the city’s principal tango venues and studios. There will be milongas and practices every day of the week, plus shows, orchestras, performances, and classes with renowned Argentine tango experts. Copenhagen is this year’s Honorary Sister City.

During the Festival there will be a salute to Copenhagen, Europe’s pioneer city in the fight for human rights, as the Festival’s 2011 Honorary Sister City. Gunner Svendsen and Tina Solveig Koch, organizers of the International Queer Tango Festival of Copenhagen, will be among the honored participants in Buenos Aires.

The Festival goal is to build a truly open tango community, encouraging new forms of expression within a living tradition of music and dance. Because of her longstanding, unconditional support and counsel, renowned dancer and tango teacher Aurora Lúbiz has been recognized since 2010 as godmother of the Festival.

On Tuesday, November 15, the celebrated Lidia Borda will open the International Queer Tango Festival for the second consecutive year at Milonga Tango Queer (Perú 571). On this occasion Borda will perform with the talented Ariel Argañaraz on guitar and Daniel Godfrid on piano. Borda will sing from her beautiful repertoire of recorded works and unreleased tracks, including Manzi, caminos de barro y Pampa, from her latest album. She is famous for her emotional and profound interpretations of the greatest writers. Rolling Stone Magazine described Lidia Borda as “the best tango singer of the present”. Borda is highly regarded as the foremost female voice in the last few decades, and she has been widely acclaimed. Although inspired by the pioneer interpreters of tango, at the same time Borda is a modern and original interpreter with a classic and unconventional repertoire which rediscovers beautiful pages of the genre, inexplicably forgotten.

Lidia Borda

For the second time, the Buenos Aires Queer Tango Festival will present the Orquesta Típica Los Reyes del Tango on Thursday, November 17, 2011 at Milonga Confitería Ideal (Tango Ideal – Suipacha 380).

The Quinteto Negro de La Boca was born as a band in the neighbourhood of La Boca in 2008. It is their members' intention to rejuvenate the cultural heritage of the community through the music of tango, featuring authors such Pedro Laurenz and Juan de Dios Filiberto. Not in vain was La Boca, one of the most important sites in the creation and development of tango throughout the ages. They will perform on Wednesday, November 16, 2011 at Milonga La Marshall (Independencia 572).

Renowned Tango Artists Alejandro Andrián, Augusto Balizano and Claudio González will dance together for the first time in an unforgettable exhibition on Tuesday, November 15, 2011 at the Festival’s opening milonga at Milonga Tango Queer (Perú 571).

On Wednesday, November 16, 2011 there will be a presentation of experimental dance theater at the Centro Cultural de la Cooperación Floreal Gorini (Av. Corrientes 1543, CABA). Works to be performed are: Appears, directed by Miguel Elías; Dual, directed by Gustavo Soto; SinFilm A staged composition in dance-theater, directed by Maestra Arena Belén and Maestra Celeste Gadea.

Los Reyes del Tango

Whether you are a dancer, a student of tango, or just an observer who is fascinated by this artistic dance form, the place to be is Buenos Aires for the 2011 Queer Tango Festival.

Historic Tramway In Caballito, Buenos Aires

Caballito Tram

Inside The Tram

By Roy Heale

Historically, the Buenos Aires barrio of Caballito was where wealthy Porteños would go on the weekend to kick back at their colonial-style mansions. Some of these mansions are still standing today on Avenida Rivadavia---for example, the house of the wine baron Ambrosio Lezica. One of the most notable things about Caballito these days is the presence of a faculty of the University of Buenos Aires. The students of the Faculty of Philosophy and Letters help to add character to what is otherwise rather a patrician and well-to-do district.

Former Weekend Residences

The main commercial area of Caballito is on Avenida Rivadavia, which is one of the city’s main thoroughfares and also one of the borders of this barrio.

For people who like to stroll around neighbourhoods and enjoy the sights, Caballito has plenty of interesting attrcations. Parque Rivadavia features an every-day street market selling books and music including vinyl records, music scores, and more. The other park, Parque Centenario, is also beautiful, and was very recently refurbished after some years of neglect. For tram buffs and history enthusiasts there’s the Historical Tramway Museum of Buenos Aires, and for architecture admirers there’s the English District, which features buildings from the late 19th century British style. The Mercado del Progreso, a historic and still-functioning market, is also impressive.

Tram Sheds

Buenos Aires grew at the side of the streetcar tracks, like most Argentine cities. Many neighborhoods were formed thanks to its services, and although in 1962 all trams were removed from the streets of Buenos Aires, there are countless memories and stories that still linger from earlier days. On November 15, 1980 the "TRAMWAY HISTORY OF BUENOS AIRES" opened, with support from the Association of Friends of the Tram, which brings together those who share the enthusiasm for this mode of transportation. Several old trams have been restored and every day free fifteen minute rides are offered to anyone who would like to journey back through time. Trams leave every twenty minutes from the only stop on the line, located at Emilio Mitre 500 (E. Mitre between the Board and Jose Bonifacio Avenue) and travel a road circuit of 2 km along the streets Emilio Mitre, Av Rivadavia, and Avenue Directory Hortiguera. During each trip, the traditional "motorman" and conductor give an outline of historical data and technical information. Members of the Association volunteer their time to run this service, including restoration and maintenance of vehicles, actively working to make this a free service. The tramway is just three blocks from the Subte station Emilio Mitre on Line “ E ”. This is an interesting introduction to the historic Caballito barrio.

Spend a relaxing time with the tram ride and strolling through the neighbourhood parks.
For More Information Visit:
http://www.buenosaires.com/guia_turistica_argentina/index.php
http://www.tranvia.org.ar
http://www.gringoinbuenosaires.com/neighborhood-guides/caballito
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Caballito,_Buenos_Aires

Beatles Museum in Buenos Aires

By Roy Heale

               It may not be the traditional Liverpool surroundings for the Fab Four, but the recently opened Beatles Museum in Buenos Aires boasts an amazing collection of memorabilia. Created by 53-year-old Rodolfo Vazquez the museum features thousands of items related to the famous foursome from England. The Beatlemania collecting obsession began for the Argentine accountant when he was just 10 years old.

"With the song 'In My Life,' on the Rubber Soul album I fell in love with the Beatles," Vazquez told The Associated Press. He holds the 2001 Guinness World Record for owning the world's largest collection of the legendary rock band's memorabilia. At that point, Guinness noted that he had 5,612 items in the attic of his home in Buenos Aires. His hoard has grown to more than 8,500 records, gadgets, puppets and games since then, more than 2,200 of which are on display in the Beatle Museum that just opened this year at Paseo La Plaza, Corrientes Avenue 1660, in an area of the capital city where tourists throng.

Museum visitors will be able to view items like a check signed by drummer Ringo Starr, a large collection of album covers, toys, figurines, and a brick from The Cavern Club, where the band was discovered in the 1960s.

There are Beatles museums in Liverpool, England, and Hamburg, Germany, that display memorabilia along with objects from the band members' lives, and other private collections as well. But this storefront museum stands out for the sheer quantity of pieces, carefully arranged in display cases and on the walls. There are objects for all tastes: a box of condoms with the name of John Lennon and Yoko Ono, a wig that says it adjusts to any head size, and signed pictures of the four musicians.

Vazquez also keeps accumulating objects, either buying or trading for them with other collectors around the world.

The Beatles broke up in 1970, but there's no letup in interest about the band: When their song list was added to iTunes last year, more than 2 million individual songs and 450,000 copies of Beatles albums were sold in the first week.

Although the Beatles never performed in Argentina, people here seem to have a soft spot for them, ensuring that cover bands have regular gigs. Many such bands play in Vazquez's "The Cavern Pub," a bar next to the museum named after the Liverpool nightclub.

Vazquez claims he doesn't know the total value of his private collection, which also includes record covers, autographs, toys, original pictures, concert programs, and cups and plates with Beatle images. Other rarities are four music boxes with figures of John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr. Vazquez even has certified copies of their birth certificates. Rarities include a hunk of the stage of Hamburg's Star Club, a strip club where the musicians worked as the house band, at that point with Pete Best as drummer. A pair of drumsticks signed by Best, who was replaced by Ringo Star in 1962, is in the Buenos Aires museum.

There's also a piece of the floor of Strawberry Fields, a Salvation Army orphanage near Lennon's boyhood home whose name inspired the 1967 psychedelic rock tune "Strawberry Fields Forever."

Getting the chance to show his treasures to fellow fans is immensely satisfying to Vazquez and thousands have already rushed to the museum to relive Beatlemania at its best!

http://www.thecavern.com.ar

Paseo La Plaza, 1660 Corrientes Avenue, Buenos Aires, Argentina

Clarifying Argentina's Same-Sex Marriage Act

By Roy Heale



Over six months have passed since the Argentina Federal Same-Sex Marriage and Adoption Act was signed into law on July 22nd., 2010. A predominantly Roman Catholic country, Argentina is now at the vanguard of gay rights in South America and is one of only a handful of countries globally which allow gay couples to wed. Although actual statistics are not available, estimates claim that already over 1000 same-sex couples have taken advantage of the new law and tied the not in Argentina last year.


However, there is some confusion and uncertainty as to whether LGBT tourists from other countries may also visit Argentina for their wedding and honeymoon. But there is no ambiguity when it comes to declaring Argentina as the most gay-friendly and gay-welcoming country in South America after taking this bold step forward towards equality for its gay and lesbian citizens.


Within the text of the new law it states that same-sex “residents” of Argentina may marry and this is where the double meaning of the new law has caused some misunderstandings. There are two ways to qualify for residency in Argentina. The first is to apply to the Immigration Department for permanent residency which is a lengthy, complicated process and, if you qualify, usually takes up to six months. Secondly one can obtain a domicile-certificate from the local police department which costs about US$8.00 and takes about forty-hours hours to complete. But only the official residency from the Immigration Department is currently acceptable for marriage in Argentina. It is possible for a non-resident to marry an Argentine citizen or official resident but this involves another complicated and lengthy application process.


On December 17th., 2010 Argentina's Minister of the Interior, Florencio Randazzo, agreed to issue a disposition soon clarifying that non-resident aliens will be allowed to get married in Argentina since most Civil Registries are not currently allowing this to happen. No indication was given as to when this clarification will be issued but the local LGBT community leaders are optimistic it will be sooner rather than later.


It should be noted that same-sex marriages are being treated in the same manner as heterosexual couples when it comes to the application process for a wedding license. According to immigration lawyer Hector Gabriel Celano, of Celano & Associates, the paperwork for any marriage license in Argentina can take about two weeks to process and in the cases involving foreigners several documents have to be officially translated into Spanish and notarized. A blood test is also required and must be conducted at a recognized clinic in Argentina. Approximately one week after the wedding ceremony a marriage certificate is issued. So even if two non-residents are allowed to marry in the future it will require a minimum three week stay in Argentina and may require assistance from a local expert to ensure that the application process goes smoothly without any delays.


So while Argentine citizens and official residents can take advantage of the new same-sex marriage act, foreigners and tourists will have to be a little bit more patient.


Having said that, an unconfirmed rumor claims that a same-sex couple of tourists were married in Mendoza. Must have been under the influence of the local Malbec wines!


But one thing is for sure---a very gay-friendly welcome is waiting for LGBT visitors to the South American gay mecca of Buenos Aires and throughout Argentina.


For More Information Visit: www.celano.com.ar
www.facebook.com/matrimonioigualitario
http://www.lgbt.org.ar/