Who is the first trans pre-candidate for the Legislature of the City of Buenos Aires?
Paula Arraigada is a parliamentary advisor, trans rights activist and now pre-candidate for the Legislature of the City of Buenos Aires for the Frente de Todos party. She is also an advocate for the National Trans and Travesti People Employment Quota Act.
She was born in Gobernador Echagüe, in the province of Entre Ríos, on August 3rd 1969. She lived there until the age of 11, when she moved to Rosario del Tala to continue her high school education. She has mentioned in different interviews the discrimination she suffered in her youth. Inspired by soap operas and following her dream of being an actress, she moved to Buenos Aires in 1988.
She became involved in politics after the Resolution 125 conflict in 2008, more widely known as "el conflicto del campo" ("the agrarian conflict"). She participated in different fronts fighting against economic and gender inequality. In 2017, she was designated a member of the Women's Parliament of the Legislature of the City of Buenos Aires, making her the first trans woman to achieve a position in said body.
Because of her commitment to social causes, she is considered by many “the Evita of the Travestis.”
Is there equal representation among candidates for the elections this year?
In the case of the province of Buenos Aires, the only female pre-candidates leading their parties' lists are Victoria Tolosa Paz (Frente de Todos), Manuela Castañeira (Nuevo Más), Cynthia Hotton (+ Valores), Cinthia Fernández (Partido Unite), Fabiana Zanutti (Partido Verde) and Ayelén Alancay (Partido Celeste).
In the City of Buenos Aires, we find María Eugenia Vidal, who is running to be the chosen candidate for the Juntos por el Cambio party. We also have Myriam Bregman and Celeste Fierro, running for the Fit – U party, and Silvia Vázquez representing Partido Socialista Autónomo.
As explained by journalist Julieta Iriarte for Escritura Feminista magazine: "It's worth mentioning that some provinces have failed to comply with the national law, such as Corrientes, Tierra del Fuego and Tucumán, which leaves the decision to include women in their candidates lists up to each party's will."
Do you know any trans candidates running for a seat?
The initiative @transenlasbancas is an independently organized campaign to advocate for trans and travesti people to be included in the ballots for the legislative election coming up in 2021.
In their Instagram account, they provide information about the trans candidates who are currently running for a seat with different parties, so that constituents can learn which parties have adopted a transfeminist perspective among its members.
In the province of Buenos Aires, Claudia Vasquez Haro is a pre-candidate for the House of Representatives with the Frente de Todos party (FdT). In the city of Buenos Aires, we have Paula Arraigada (same party). In the province of Córdoba, Thiago Galvan runs for a Senate seat with FdT while, in the province of Mendoza, Julieta Antunes Ríos runs for a House seat. In the province of Neuquén, Alejandra Rodríguez Carrera made history as the first trans activist to run for a city council seat, leading the list of candidates for the party Movimiento por la Igualdad y la Ciudadanía.