Meet Diana Zurco- Argentinian Newscaster

Some good international news for transkind to report out of Argentina.

The Argentine trans community, like their Brazilian neighbors has been caching hell there to the point that the average age for an Argentinian trans woman to live to is 41.

This media trailblazer is beating the odds.

Meet 40 year old Diana Zurco.   She made her debut recently as the first out trans newscaster on Argentinian television.

“We didn’t look for Diana because she was a trans announcer. We looked for her because she was a very good professional,” said Rosario Lufrano, president of Radio and Television Argentina. “The only way to get there is to have the doors opened for you. We all know how difficult it is for these women to win a spot.”

She had a tough road to get there.   She was in a Catholic boys school until age 17 and made it clear she was trans.  She was expelled because she refused to cut her hair.   Zurco finished her studies at a public high school, and nearly ended up in sex work until she took a hairdressing course. 

She worked in a salon and later an office job before she took the difficult exam along with 1500 applicants in 2012 to study for a career as an announcer.  After graduation she worked at Radio Cuidad before landing the job as the co-anchor of Argentina Public Television's prime time evening news program.

Trans women have appeared on Argentinian television, but they have predominately been on entertainment shows or soap operas.   Zurco is breaking ground as a newscaster.

She is quite aware her presence on this news show is not only groundbreaking and inspirational to the Argentinian trans community, it also sends a message to Argentinian society at large.   Zurco is also aware she has a platform that will be a catalyst for breaking down anti-trans prejudice.

"My presence challenges society," Zurco said in an AP interview.  "It is an invitation to society that says: 'This is me'  behind me are more people like me who want to express themselves.  We are capable, we can study, we can train ourselves, we can communicate to you what is happening in our country., . .

She's another one of the growing ranks of trans media professionals, and I hope she has a along and successful media career.

WPATH Conference Starts Today

The 25th biennial World Professional Association for Transgender Health Conference (WPATH) is starting today in Buenos Aires, Argentina and running through November 6.

So what is WPATH?   It is a professional association headquartered in the United States devoted to the study and treatment of gender dysphoria, that was formerly known as the Harry Benjamin International Gender Dysphoria Association. 

 

Its mission is to promote evidence based care, education, research, advocacy, public policy, and respect in transgender health.  In addition to medical professionals and trans activists, other attendees include people working in the fields of psychology, law, social work, counseling, psychotherapy, family studies, sociology, anthropology, speech and voice therapy and sexology.

Non professionals in those fields are also welcome to join WPATH, but don't have voting privileges in the organization.

With trans communities in the US, Great Britain and elsewhere facing unprecedented facts free attacks on their humanity and human rights, this conference is happening in Argentina at a crucial time in our community's history.

Argentina has also been a leader in the last few years in passing trans supportive human rights policies and laws.

Good luck to everyone traveling to Buenos Aires for this conference, and may they all return to their home nations better informed on trans medical issues and the issues of importance to trans communities around the world.

Argentine Trans Activist Diana Sacayan Murdered

There has been an unfortunate spike in anti-trans murders in Pope Francis' home country, with three happening this month.   Ominously, all three have been trans activists.

The latest was respected Argentine activist Diana Sacayan, who was found dead by fellow activists in her Buenos Aires apartment Tuesday with multiple stab wounds.  Speculation is that she was murdered over the weekend  

Sacayan was active in MAL, Moviemento Antidiscriminatorio de Liberacion, the local LGBT human rights organization in Argentina, and she was active in international activist circles as an alternate member of the Trans Secretariat of the International Lesbian, Gay Bisexual, Trans and Intersex Assn (ILGA)

In 2012, she made history in her home country by being part of the first group of Argentine trans persons to change their gender markers without having to seek approval from healthcare professionals under the provisions of Argentina's groundbreaking Gender Identity Law.  

Argentine President Cristina Kirchner handed Sacayan her new government ID in a live televised ceremony




Buenos Aires police are searching for two men who may have known Ms. Sacayan, and the building superintendent reported that the door to her apartment was broken from the inside, indicating she may have known her attackers.

Rest in power, Diana.   Hope the people who did this will be swiftly caught and punished for this crime.  

History Making Argentine Trans Woman Murdered

Sad news coming out of Argentina.  

32 year old Laura Aguilar, one of the first people to obtain a gender ID change under the Argentine Gender Identity Law in Tierra del Fuego province, was killed in the city of Rio Grande.

She was fatally stabbed May 12 in the home of her former partner Carlos Humbeto Traberg in what appears to be a relationship quarrel that went horribly wrong.

According to a spokesperson, Aguilar had gone to the home of the 55 year old Traberg where he cares for his mother with the intention of trying to rekindle their relationship.   In the midst of a heated argument in the kitchen he took out a knife and stabbed Aguilar in the heart and neck.  

Aguilar had recently filed a complaint because she was facing resistance in terms of local implementation of the nearly year old Gender Identity Law and access to trans specific medical care mandated in it.  With the help of local OHA activists and the backing of Tierra del Fuego provincial Governor Fabiana Rios she prevailed and was on track to get SRS before her untimely death.
   
She is being mourned by her activist colleagues in Argentina and hailed for her history making role.


H/T Eduarda Santos Transfofa em Blog

2012 FIBA Women's Olympic Qualifying Tourney In Quarterfinals

The 2012 FIBA Women's World Olympic Qualifying Tournament tipped off in Ankara, Turkey June 25 with our FIBA number 11 ranked Canadian neighbors being amongst the femme roundball teams trying to dribble their way into the London Olympic basketball tournament that starts a few weeks from now

Out of the 12 nations that started their quest for the five remaining spots to go to London only eight remain after they survived group play.  The host nation Turkey won Group A and will play Group B runner up and FIBA number 12 ranked Argentina. Group B winner and FIBA number 4 ranked Czech Republic will play Group A runner up and FIBA number 15 ranked Japan.  

Canada was in Group D with FIBA number 8 ranked France and Mali and got their tournament off to a rousing start June 25 by crushing Mali 89-23.  

The next day against France they brought their bricklayers union cards and got off to a slow start that resulted in a 57-46 loss and a 1-1 record in Group D play.  

Despite the loss they were still in great shape to qualify for the quarterfinals because of the blowout win over FIBA number 19 ranked Mali.   The only way they would be knocked out of the tournament is if Mali upset France and beat them by a 65 point margin in doing so. 

Umm no. France routed Mali 88-37 on June 27 to win the group with Canada finishing as the runner up.  France will play Group C runner up and FIBA number 9 ranked Korea for one of the Olympic spots.

The Canadians will play Croatia, the group C winner that has jumped 23 spots in the FIBA rankings to number 31 with a spot in the Olympics going to the winner and the loser moving on to play June 30 the loser of the Turkey-Argentina game.   The losers in the Czech Republic-Japan and France-Korea games would also battle it out on June 30 in the semis.

The winners of the June 30 semifinals would play July 1 for the final Olympic berth.  

I would think the Canadian women's b-ballers would rather handle their business today and be celebrating on Canada Day a trip to London rather than playing a nerve racking two additional must win games tomorrow and on Canada Day to get the final Olympic berth.

Argentina's Gender Identity Law Takes Effect

Our trans cousins in Argentina are also savoring a huge win for transkind as their groundbreaking Gender Identity Law took effect on June 4. 

It overwhelmingly passed both houses of the Argentine Legislature by lopsided margins.  It passed in the Argentine Chamber of deputies by a 167-17 margin and a 55-0 one in the Argentine Senate before being signed into law by Argentine President Cristina Fernandez. 

It makes it easier for trans people in that country to change their national identity documents to reflect who they are now in addition to adding groundbreaking benefits that ensure access to trans specific medical care in their national health plan..

Transpeople in that nation are eagerly lining up to take advantage of their new rights to change their identity documents without having to navigate the hurdles of a doctor or a judge and it's something that needs to be replicated in the United States.

Argentine Senate Passes Gender Identity Law

The United States rainbow community wasn't the only one getting some wonderful news today.

My trans cousins in Argentina according to Blabbeando and Rod 2.0 tweets witnessed their national legislature passing a bill affirming their human rights.  

Been talking on these electronic pages about their Gender Identity Law that has been winding its way through the Argentine legislature.

It would make it easier for transgender peeps in that country to change their national identity documents to reflect who they are now in addition to groundbreaking benefits that ensures access to trans specific medical care in their national health plan..

It passed the Argentine Chamber of Deputies by a lopsided 167-17 margin and has been percolating in the Argentine Senate pending today's vote

It passed the Argentine Senate today on a 55-0 vote with one abstention and is now headed to President Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner's desk for her signature.

Nice to see at least one country doing some groundbreaking things for its trans population and hope other nations emulate this.

Argentina Gender Identity Law Advancing In Senate

I've been keeping up with the Argentine legislature's attempt to pass the groundbreaking Gender Identity Law that would make it easier for its trans citizens to change names and gender codes on their identity documents without surgical intervention.

Here's the great updated news about how that is progressing for our Argentine trans cousins.   According to Blabbeando the Gender Identity Law is now in the Argentine senate.  

It passed a Senate committee with the identical language from the one passed in the Argentine Chamber of Deputies by a lopsided 167-17 margin.   It is scheduled to hit the Argentine Senate floor for debate on May 9 and if it passes, President Kirchner has indicated she will sign it into law when it hits her desk.

Wow.  More groundbreaking trans positive bills from a Latin American national legislature on the verge of becoming law. 

It leads me to ask the question when am I going to see the same trans positive law coming from my own national legislature?

Argentine President Cristina Fernandez Has Successful Surgery

Argentine president Cristina Fernandez was recently sworn in for her second term as president of Argentina, and for those of us marveling at the rainbow community human rights progress in that nation we saw her landslide reelection victory in October as great news. 

The international community was alarmed to hear not long after her inauguration that during a routine checkup just before Christmas a papillary carcinoma was discovered that necessitated the removal of her thyroid gland in a 3.5 hour operation.

"The surgery on President Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner was carried out without any complication," presidential spokesman Alfredo Scoccimarro told reporters, adding that she will remain hospitalized for about 72 hours.

Her doctors stated that she has a better than 90% chance of recovery in this case, which is welcome news to Argentina and the international community concerned about her.

Argentine President Cristina Fernandez Sworn In For Second Term

Political history was made not only in Argentina but in Latin America as well yesterday as Argentine President Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner was sworn in for her second term in a ceremony attended by female Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff; the presidents of Bolivia, Chile, Guatemala, Honduras, Paraguay and Uruguay.

The Unted States was represented by Labor Secretary Hilda Solis, Ambassador to Argentina Vilma S. Martinez and President Barack Obama's senior adviser on Latin America, Daniel Restrepo.
.

She is the first female leader to be reelected in Latin America and blew out her nearest challenger, Hermes Binner by a 37 percentage point margin.   It was the largest margin of victory in an Argentine  presidential election since Juan Peron won with 62% of the vote in 1973.

It wasn't an easy day for her as she remembered her late husband, former Argentine president Nestor Kirchner after accepting the wooden presidential baton decorated with a gold-and-silver version of Argentina's national shield.

Fernandez remarked, "This is not an easy day. ... Despite the joy, there is something and someone missing."

Her second term expires in 2015 and she has pursued economic policies that have largely isolated Argentina from the economic woes other nations are experiencing. 

We've also witnessed social progress in Argentina as evidenced by the Gender Identity Law now winding its way through the Argentine Congress and the resumptions of prosecutions of officials responsible for human rights violations during the Argentine military dictatorship that lasted from 1976-1983.

Here's hoping that she has continued success in leading Argentina and being a role model for future leaders, male and female in her nation and beyond its borders to follow.

Argentine Gender Identity Law Overwhelmingly Approved In Chamber of Deputies

Was perusing XQsi Magazine and was overjoyed to read that our Argentinian trans brothers and sisters are one step closer to having their Gender Identity Law become a reality.

The groundbreaking Gender Identity Law would be the first of its kind in Latin America and the world that doesn't require medical, psychiatric or surgical interventions to simply change your name and gender marker on identity documents.

If passed, the Gender ID Law would simplify the procedures needed for a person to change the name and gender code on all government documentation.   Instead of going through the court system to do so, under the proposed law you would make a request through the National Register of Persons.  For trans youth under age 18 the request would have to be made through their parents or legal guardian. 

The other wonderful feature about the Gender Identity Law is that it would guarantee that Argentinian trans people be granted access to vital and gender-affirming health services, including full or partial surgical interventions and hormone replacement therapies.

It was introduced earlier this year and according to an XQsi Magazine post by Danny Olvera cleared a joint meeting of the General Legislation and Justice Committees in early November.

On the November 30 last day of the session for the Argentinian Camber of Deputies,  the Gender Identity Laws passed on a lopsided 167-17.vote with 7 abstentions.

Needless to say the local rainbow community groups and trans people residing there were ecstatic about the fantastic legislative news.

“We can’t believe that the margin with which [the bill] has been approved had been so broad, and that all political blocs had accompanied the project, ” said Marcela Romero, president of the Argentine Association of Trans* People (ATTTA) and Secretary General of the Argentine Federation of Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Trans people (FALGBT).

The Gender Identity Law now moves on to the Argentine Senate for its approval.  If it passes there it will need Argentine President Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner's signature to become law.. 


H/T  XQsi Magazine