Manifesting Pride in Buenos Aires

After two and a half week of visiting places in the north, I returned just right in time for Buenos Aires' marcha de orgullo (pride). It appealed to be somewhere in between. On the one hand, Argentina is known to offer more freedom to its queer community than many other latin-american countries. For example, Buenos Aires' nightlife clearly can be compared to the big metropolitans in the north. On the other hand, it still is difficult to live openly gay (or trans) in a culture shaped by catholicism and machismo. Not surprinsingly, both sides were visible in the pride. Like all the political manifestations in Argentina, we started saterday afternoon with great weather at the plaza de mayo and the community showed every of its aspects: the old, the young, the drags, the parents, the emos, the leathermen and the cristians, all where gathering with a great and relaxed mood. I met some old friends, like Evita and the sisters of the perpetual indulgencia (group Uruguay) and we started to commfortably celebrate diversity!

So what was different? Less alcohol, less nakedness, less HIV as theme, more political groups from the left and more cristian issues. But most of all: Maybe a dozen of groups where represented in the pride and alltogether we were maybe 20.000 people at the final speeches. A lot, but nothing for a city of 12 million inhabitants. It still means a challenge to visite a queer parade, here, maybe more than in other places. Although nothing of protest or even violence had to be expected, before, a certain hesitation to visit the parade was notifiable with many queer people I know in the city. For me, it was much easier convince my heterosexual friends to join than my homosexuals. Nevertheless, everybody who was there participated in the joy to demonstrate diversity and next year, I am sure, there will be some people more.