Argentina is considered the most progressive country in Latin America for the LGBTQI* community. Pride Marches have been held annually in Buenos Aires since 1991 and it was a pioneer for its marriage and gender equality laws. However, the country still needs to act on the concrete implementation of its progressive laws.

Trans* people suffer from a healthcare system that is difficult for them to access, as much of the staff denies their identity. Improvements have come with the so-called ‘Gender Act’ of 2021, which makes it possible to have one’s legal gender registration adjusted without a medical diagnosis, as well as have the cost of surgical operation covered by the healthcare system. These changes have reduced the proportion of discrimination in the healthcare system by more than 60%, but the proportion is still at 30%. Separate hospital wards for trans* people have been established, but this is limited to a few large hospitals.

Access to education and employment is difficult for many trans* people. Many drop out of school due to negative experiences. After the law of 2021, the world’s first evening school has opened for trans* people only in Buenos Aires, where trans* people have the opportunity to graduate. This is also possible in the community project ’Casa Trans’  which opened in 2017 in Buenos Aires.

Approximately 85% of trans* women and about 65% of trans* men are employed in precarious sex work.  Often, there are insufficient opportunities to protect oneself from HIV or other sexually transmitted diseases, which contribute to the poor health situation of many trans* people. To improve the employment situation of trans* people, many legal organisations have called for a 1.5% quota in the public service, which should apply nationwide. This was submitted to the Chamber of Deputies. Since the beginning of September 2020, a one percent quota has been in force. Therefore, at least one percent of public service positions must be filled by trans* people.

The life expectancy of trans* people in Argentina is 35 years, more than half of the rest of the population. On the one hand, this is due to a high HIV rate, but also to high numbers of victims of physical or psychological violence. The rate of trans* people infected with HIV has dropped by a third after the introduction of the so-called ‘Gender Law’ in 2021. Violent crime led to the deaths of 59 trans* people in 2018. A 2018 court conviction for ‘travesticide’ (span. ‘travesticidio’), the murder (‘homicide’) of a trans* person, is therefore seen by trans* activists as ground-breaking against transphobic hate crime.