Under the rainbow : the Civil Union Law and sexual minority activism in Buenos Aires, Argentina

Abstract

The subject of this thesis is the implementation of the Civil Union Law in Buenos Aires, Argentina. The law was the first one in Latin America to recognize same-sex couples. The law is a result of changing conceptions of homosexuality in Argentina during the last few decades. In this time period Argentina has made the transition from an oppressive dictatorship to democracy. Argentina’s recent history has brought about a public awareness about human rights and the AIDS epidemic generated a public discourse on sexuality and the social conditions of gays and lesbians. The law’s main opponent was the Catholic Church but the institution’s authority has suffered from its complicity in the military regime. Despite the limited scope of the Civil Union Law many gays and lesbians consider it to be an important achievement. The transgendered travestis are a sexual minority which has not benefited from the law to the same extent as gays and lesbians.