Argentina Passes Gender Identity Law

Argentina Passes Gender Identity Law

by Kate Potenzano

I think my new favorite country has recently become Argentina solely because how strongly they believe in equality in genders and sexes. Argentina recently passed a cutting edge gender identity bill declaring that moving forward from this point in time, people can change their name as well as gender on their official identifications without going through the hassles of psychiatric evaluation or body changes. If anyone wants to claim a different sex or name, they are allowed to without permission from doctors or needing body modifications. Both Argentina’s public and private health systems allow access to hormones and/or surgery to anyone who does want hormones or surgery for free. What stood out to me the most in the bill is that it was passed unanimously.  55 senators agreed on making their citizens happy no matter what sex or gender they identify with, there was no one in the senate that disagreed in taking a person’s preference away from them.

“No other country in the world allows people to change their official identities based merely on how they feel.” Many other places in the world with a government system in place forces people to prove they have a so called “gender identity disorder” by going through different tests and surgeries before they can legally change their sex on official documents. Not only would they have tests done but also go through different therapies that may humiliate or hurt them not only physically but emotionally as well. This is unfair and hurtful, a person should never be embarrassed about who and what they truly identify with. People should be allowed to be comfortable in their skin and able to express themselves.

I, along with the supporters of this bill, agree that a person should be able to live under whatever sex they claim and not have to prove themselves to anyone. Who a person is should solely be decided by the person in charge of their own body. The government can not rightfully tell a person whether their insides are masculine or feminine, only a person knows what's truly in their head and heart. I do not know alot about the Argentine government system but just from learning about the creation of this law it seems like they truly care about the comfort and happiness of their people. It should not be up to the system to take away someone’s happiness if being called a name other than their birth name or claiming a different sex makes them happy, then so be it.

1. Warren, Michael. "Argentina's Gender Identity Law Takes Effect." Huff Post Gay Voices (blog), June 4, 2012. http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/06/05/argentina-gender-identity-law-takes-effect_n_1570830.html (accessed January 30, 2014).