Gay marriage, gender identity and the right to abortion in Argentina

Abstract

The pink tide of the Southern Cone in socio-economic terms have had a mix record in advancing legal reforms that promote women’s and LGBT rights. Sexual politics in Argentina (2003-2015) are marked by the tension between the advancement of LGBT rights, with the passing of legislation on gay marriage and gender-identity, and the frustrated efforts of feminism to legalize women’s rights to abortion. This article presents a comparative study of these three attempts to promote legal reforms under kirchnerism. The empirical analysis identifies four main dimensions that, combined, open opportunities or resist legal advances in gender and sexual policies: the links between the Executive branch and the Church, parliamentary party politics in a presidential system, the framing of demands, and the ways of organizing and the strategies put in motion by the organizations that promote the above mentioned legal reforms.