Yesterday Emily and I went to the gay pride march which began in the Plaza de Mayo. La Plaza de Mayo is right in front of the Casa Rosada or "Pink House" and historically has been a site for people to gather from the supporters of Juan and Eva Perón to the Mothers of the disappeared to angry Argentines who were frustrated by the 2001 economic crisis. In that way it was very exciting to be in such historically political space in such an important moment for the Gay community in Buenos Aires, and around the world really.
An estimated 50.000 people attended the march although it didn't feel as big as a parade as I had seen in Seattle with Emily or has she as seen in New York. They started with a fair with information booths and people selling handmade items and t-shirts. It was a really safe space, surrounded by a 10 foot high fence and police. In Buenos Aires in particular, the gay community has been abused by police in raids of gay bars and clubs. So it was a complicated image, because as soon as I left the space surrounded the fence, I did not feel safe anymore. To be fair, I never feel safe around police here. At least in the states, I generally feel like police are there to help, but here I never feel that way- and most Argentines would agree with me.
For my final project in SIT program I will be studying the Gay Rights movement in Buenos Aires, more specifically focusing on Gay Marriage rights. As of recently, organizations have been pushing for gay marriage beyond the civil union rights they already have. It is a very pertinent issue, and is a movement happening right now- needless to say it's a perfect time for me to be in Buenos Aires. Hopefully I will be going to Congress on Tuesday, it's open to the public, to listen to the debate about gay marriage.
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