Argentina introduces quotas for transgender people

Buenos Aires - The Argentine Chamber of Deputies has introduced a law through which one percent of public service positions will be reserved for transgender people in the future. "These laws position us as pioneers, not only in Latin America, but also in the world," said Congresswoman Maria Rosa Martinez during her speech in the plenary hall.

The law was passed with 207 votes in favor, eleven people voted against and seven abstained. Now the new law with the title “Trans Quota” only needs to be approved by the Senate. It follows a number of other laws of the Argentine government from the past few years and accelerates its feminist and LGBTQI + agenda. such us the "marriage for all" from 2010, the law on "gender identity" from 2012 or the legalization of abortions in 2020.

Create 2,500 jobs in the public sector

"We are responding to a historical need of this community, which has been systematically excluded from the family, education, health, access to housing and work," said the President of the Parliamentary Commission on Women and Diversity and one of the architects of the draft law, Mónica Macha.

The law aims to create around 2,500 jobs in the public sector. According to the newspaper, financial incentives will be promised to many municipalities, universities and also the private sector to support the innovations. For example, the law states that the state wants to give preference to companies with transgender employees when making purchases.

Ways out of prostitution

Of the 9,000 Argentines who have applied to change their gender identity, 95 percent would not have a formal job and 70 percent would not even get an appointment for an interview. Therefore, for 80 percent of transgender people, only the path to prostitution remains.

“We are trying to achieve a situation in which it is more and more common for trans people to have access to regular work and the possibility, if they wish, of the prostitution situations in which they normally live leave ”, the MP underlined her position.

Source: Junge Freiheit