March of Pride (Buenos Aires)

On June 28, 1969, a gay bar in Greenwich Village, New York called the Stonewall Inn was raided by the police. Officers made 13 arrests before being confronted by bystanders and community members; this confrontation led to the Stonewall riots.[2]

On June 28, 1970 (exactly one year later), approximately five thousand people gathered on Christopher Street outside the Stonewall Inn in commemoration of the riots and marched up Sixth Avenue to Central Park.[3] This event is widely considered the first Pride March in history.[4]

The first March of Pride in Buenos Aires occurred on June 28, 1992. Participants gathered in front of the Buenos Aires Metropolitan Cathedral and marched to the National Congress of Argentina. The march was made up of about 250 people, many of whom wore masks to avoid being recognized.[5] The group of marchers included members of the Radical Civic Union and the Mothers of the Plaza de Mayo.[6]

Participants in the March of Pride.

• In 2004, more than 7,000 people participated in the March of Pride. For the first time, a "Pride Fair" was held in the Plaza de Mayo during the event.[7]
• In 2007, approximately 25,000 people marched from the Plaza de Mayo to the National Congress. The closing ceremony was conducted by Argentine radio host and writer Daisy May Queen.[8]
• In 2008, approximately 50,000 people participated in the march. The theme was Voten nuestras leyes ("Vote for our laws"), in reference to the proposed legislation to protect same-sex marriage and gender identity which had become stagnant in the National Congress, as well as the prospect of overturning the laws which criminalized homosexuality in 10 provinces of Argentina.[9] Toward the end of the event, members of the crowd were heard booing the Vatican (which had recently spoken out against sexual diversity) and Mauricio Macri (the President of Argentina at the time).[10]
• On November 6, 2010, the March of Pride celebrated the legalization of same-sex marriage in Argentina. An estimated 100,000 people participated. Marchers and organizers also advocated for the passage of the Gender Identity Law.
• On November 5, 2011, the March of Pride once again advocated for the passage of the Gender Identity Law. The theme of the march was Ley de Identidad de Género ya ("Gender Identity Law Now"). Approximately 250,000 people participated.[11]
• On November 10, 2012, the theme of the March of Pride was Educación en la Diversidad para crecer en Igualdad ("Education in Diversity to grow in Equality").[11]
• On November 9, 2013, the theme of the March of Pride was Educación sexual, igualitaria, libre y laica ("Equal, free and secular sexual education").[12]
• On November 15, 2014, the theme of the March of Pride was Por mas igualdad real: ley anti discriminatoria y estado laico ("For more real equality: Anti-Discrimination Law and the Secular State").[13]
• On November 7, 2015, the theme of the March of Pride was Ley anti discriminatoria ya ("Anti-discrimination law now").[14]
• On November 26, 2016, organizers repeated the theme from the previous year: Ley anti discriminatoria ya ("Anti-discrimination law now").[14][15]
• On November 18, 2017, the theme of the March of Pride was Basta de femicidios a travestis, transexuales y transgeneros. Basta de violencia institucional. Orgullo para defender los derechos conquistados. ("Enough of the femicide of transvestites, transsexuals and transgenders. Enough of the institutional violence. Pride for defending our conquered rights.")[16]
• On November 17, 2018, the theme of the March of Pride was Basta de genocidio trans/travesti. No al ajuste, la violencia y la discriminación. Macri y la Iglesia son anti-derechos. ("Enough of trans/transvestite genocide. No to assimilation, violence and discrimination. Macri and the Church are anti-rights.")[17]
• On November 2, 2019, the theme of the March of Pride was Por un país sin violencia institucional ni religiosa. Basta de crímenes de odio. ("For a country without institutional or religious violence. Enough of the hate crimes.")[18]
• In 2020, in-person events for the March of Pride were canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.[19] Alternate events were hosted online.[20]