La Marcha del Orgullo LGBT en Buenos Aires

After our Circus Conventure (get it? convention + adventure...heh) we were exhausted to say the least, but wanted to gear up for pride. We got back to out apartment by noon and took a 2 hour siesta to prepare since people in Argentina party until the sun comes up. We got to the feria in Plaza de Mayo at 5, and it was really crowded. There were so many people- young, old, local, foreign, and from all parts of the sexuality and gender spectrums and their respective niches. It seemed much bigger this year than it was even just two years ago when I was here. There were all sorts of tables and stands where people were giving out information about centers, libraries, clubs as well as selling clothing and paraphernalia. We got ourselves some t-shirts commemorating the march. There was live music and rainbow flags flying high right in front of the Presidential Palace, La Casa Rosada (the pink house).

At every table there were petitions for gay marriage in Argentina, as the issue is currenlty in the supreme court and up for debate in Congress. The passing of law would make Argentina the first country in Latin America to legalize same-sex marriage. In 2002 Argentina became the first Latin American city to legalize civil unions between same sex couples, but we learned from some people we met at the march that these unions are only labels that come without tangible benefits (employee benefits, adoption rights, etc) and that they are only recognized within the city since it is an 'autonomous" city. You can read more about the issue here. It hit pretty close to home with all that's been happening in the states this year with gay marriage, but particularly with this week's prop 8-esque disappointment in Maine and the countdown to see what happens in New York. We'll keep you posted on Argentina...

After the feria the March began, but it felt more like a long rallying parade. There were open floats with as many people as could fit loaded up on them. There was cheering, singing, dancing, and drumming in the streets. We met up with a few people we had emailed with before, mostly Brazilians, some Argentines and one other Estadounidense from Framingham, MA - small world! We marched along with the floats in the parade drinking Quilmes beer and dancing in the street. The march went from the Casa Rosada to the Obelisk and ended at a political rally in front of Congreso (the capitol building of Argentina). We had such a fun time being at the feria and the march, and getting to hang out with our newfound friends. As hard as we tried, however, we just could not make it to the afterparty, as it wasn't even going to get started until 3am. Right around 1:30am, as we were each taking turns nodding off while trying to engage in Spanish and Portuguese (!) conversations at the apartment of one of these friends, we made the executive decision to go home and get some sleep. So, we vowed to go out with our friends another night, when we've had more rest and can actually enjoy the festivities.

Being here at this kind of event with Sara made the real distinction for me from where I was when I was here two years ago and where I am now. It's leading me on a path that's a bit more self actualizing than before, probably because I know more about who I am and what I believe in. I also feel like I have much more control over this experience and much more of an idea of what I want to get out of it. Last time I felt as though I was thrown into a sea of newness while still being very anchored to my life at home and it didn't leave me with as much room to swim around and explore. Now that I'm here, a little bit older and wiser, without the time constraints of a semester and a hyper-structured college life waiting for me back home, I feel so much more free to explore and confident that I can make this experience what I want it to be. It also certainly helps to have Sara here, someone who I love who is just as excited as me to be here and has just as much of an adventurous and curious spirit as I do.