Gender Identity Law (Argentina)
{{Short description|2012 transgender-related law in Argentina}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=July 2019}}
{{Infobox legislation
| short_title = Gender Identity Law
| legislature = National Congress of Argentina
| citation = [https://www.boletinoficial.gob.ar/detalleAviso/primera/70106/20120524 Law 26,743]
| territorial_extent = Argentina
| enacted_by = Chamber of Deputies
| date_passed = 1 December 2011
| enacted_by2 = Senate
| date_passed2 = 9 May 2012
{{Infobox|child=yes
| label1 = Enacted
| data1 = 24 May 2012
}}
| date_effective = 1 June 2012{{efn|In Argentina, unless otherwise stated, laws come into effect eight days after their publication in the government gazette.{{Cite web |url=https://servicios.infoleg.gob.ar/infolegInternet/anexos/105000-109999/109481/texactley340_preliminar_tituloI.htm |title=Código Civil de la Nación |website=InfoLeg |access-date=14 January 2024}}}}
| bill_date = 8 November 2011
| introduced_by = {{Plainlist|
- Diana Conti
- Juliana Di Tullio
- {{ill|Silvana Myriam Giudici|es|lt=Silvana Giudici}}
}}
| summary = Recognition of self-perceived gender identity in government documents and healthcare
| keywords = {{hlist|Gender identity|identity document|universal health care}}
| status = In force
}}
The Gender Identity Law ({{langx|es|Ley de identidad de género|links=no}}), Argentina's law number 26,743, allows transgender people to be treated according to their gender identity and have their personal documents registered with the corresponding name and gender. In addition, it orders that all medical treatments for transitioning be included in the Compulsory Medical Program, which guarantees coverage by practices throughout the health system, both public and private. Approved by the Senate on 9 May 2012 and promulgated on 24 May, it has been lauded by the United Nations as a pioneering step for transgender rights in the region.
History
=Background=
The most remote antecedent regarding the question of gender identity in Argentina dates back to 1966, in which a doctor performed a sex reassignment operation on a trans woman patient. He received a suspended sentence of three years for the crime of very serious injuries under Article 91 of the country's Penal Code.
In 1989, Judge Mario Calatayud of Room F of the National Chamber of Civil Appeals of Buenos Aires, in dissent with the presiding majority, granted the first recognition of the gender identity of a trans woman who had requested a change to her registered name and sex. In 1997, a case emerged that captivated the mass media. It was that of a trans woman, Mariela Muñoz, who had raised a large number of children as her own,{{Cite news |url=https://www.pagina12.com.ar/diario/sociedad/subnotas/148508-47700-2010-06-29.html |title=Mariela Muñoz |work=Página/12 |language=Spanish |date=2010-06-29 |access-date=2019-07-01}} and had been denounced by one of the mothers for the appropriation of her minor children.{{Cite news |url=https://www.lanacion.com.ar/sociedad/mariela-munoz-la-transexual-que-instalo-el-tema-en-los-90-nid1241676 |title=Mariela Muñoz, la transexual que instaló el tema en los 90 |trans-title=Mariela Muñoz, the Transsexual Who Set the Theme in the 90s |work=La Nación |language=Spanish |date=2010-03-10 |access-date=2019-07-01}}
Beginning in 2007, a number of legislative proposals were promoted to guarantee travestis, transsexual, and transgender people rights to identity and comprehensive health care.{{Cite web |url=https://www.hcdn.gob.ar/proyectos/textoCompleto.jsp?exp=1736-D-2009&tipo=LEY |title=Proyecto 1736-D-2009 |publisher=Argentine Chamber of Deputies |language=Spanish |access-date=2019-07-01}}{{Cite web |url=https://www.hcdn.gob.ar/proyectos/textoCompleto.jsp?exp=7643-D-2010&tipo=LEY |title=Proyecto 7643-D-2010 |publisher=Argentine Chamber of Deputies |language=Spanish |access-date=2019-07-01}}{{Cite web |url=https://www.hcdn.gob.ar/proyectos/textoCompleto.jsp?exp=7644-D-2010&tipo=LEY |title=Proyecto 7644-D-2010 |publisher=Argentine Chamber of Deputies |language=Spanish |access-date=2019-07-01}} Using a strategy almost identical to that with which approval of the same-sex marriage law was achieved, several amparo cases were brought before the Tribunals in Contentious Administrative and Tax Matters of the City of Buenos Aires with the purpose of ordering modifications to the registered name and sex of trans individuals.{{Cite news |url=https://www.pagina12.com.ar/diario/sociedad/3-156313-2010-11-05.html |title=Amparos por la identidad de género |first=Soledad |last=Vallejos |work=Página/12 |language=Spanish |date=2010-11-05 |access-date=2019-07-01}} The first of these rulings pertained to the trans actress and vedette Florencia De La V, who received her reissued National Identity Document (DNI) from the hands of the Chief of the Cabinet of Ministers Aníbal Fernández and Interior Minister Florencio Randazzo in the House of Government.{{Cite news |url=https://www.pagina12.com.ar/diario/sociedad/3-158621-2010-12-14.html |title=Un documento con su identidad |trans-title=A Document With Her Identity |work=Página/12 |language=Spanish |date=2010-12-14 |access-date=2019-07-01}}
=Processing of the law=
On 8 November 2011, the author and the General Legislation and Justice Commissions of the National Congress discussed the bill presented by deputies Diana Conti, Juliana Di Tullio, and {{ill|Silvana Myriam Giudici|es|lt=Silvana Giudici}},{{Cite news |url=https://www.lanacion.com.ar/sociedad/media-sancion-al-proyecto-de-identidad-de-genero-nid1429023 |title=Media sanción al proyecto de identidad de género |trans-title=Halfway to Sanction of the Gender Identity Project |work=La Nación |language=Spanish |date=2011-11-30 |access-date=2019-07-01}} and approved its dispatch for further processing.{{Cite news |url=http://tiempo.elargentino.com/notas/despacho-favorable-para-ley-de-identidad-de-genero |title=Despacho favorable para la ley de identidad de género |trans-title=Favorable Dispatch for the Gender Identity Law |first=Lucia |last=Alvarez |work=Tiempo Argentino |language=Spanish |date=2011-11-09 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111112082512/http://tiempo.elargentino.com/notas/despacho-favorable-para-ley-de-identidad-de-genero |archive-date=2011-11-12 |url-status=dead |access-date=2019-07-01}}
On 1 December 2011 the Chamber of Deputies approved the draft law by 167 votes in favor, 17 against, and 7 abstentions. The Gender Identity Law was approved by the Senate on 9 May 2012, by 55 votes in favor and one abstention.{{Cite news |url=https://www.lavoz.com.ar/noticias/politica/aprueban-ley-identidad-genero |title=Aprueban la Ley de Identidad de Género |trans-title=The Gender Identity Law Approved |work=La Voz del Interior |agency=Dyn, Télam |language=Spanish |date=2012-05-09 |access-date=2019-07-01}} It was promulgated by Decree No. 773/2012 of the National Executive Power on 24 May 2012{{Cite news |url=https://www.pagina12.com.ar/diario/sociedad/3-194931-2012-05-26.html |title=Elogio a la ley de identidad de género |trans-title=In Praise of the Gender Identity Law |work=Página/12 |language=Spanish |date=2012-05-26 |access-date=2019-07-01}} and carries number 26.743.{{Cite web |url=http://servicios.infoleg.gob.ar/infolegInternet/anexos/195000-199999/197860/norma.htm |title=Identidad de Genero |trans-title=Gender Identity |publisher=InfoLeg |language=Spanish |access-date=2019-07-01}} The law was regulated by Decree 1007/2012. The {{ill|National Registry of Persons (Argentina)|es|Registro Nacional de las Personas (Argentina)|lt=National Registry of Persons}} became the specialized unit for advice and assistance on matters within the scope of the law.
On 26 May, the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights issued a statement of congratulation for the law, saying "Argentina has taken an important step to guarantee equality, respect, and dignity for trans people."
Rights recognized
The Gender Identity Law allows a person to modify their personal data in the National Registry and to change their registered name, image, and sex by submitting a letter. The DNI number is not modified. This process is free and does not require a lawyer.{{Cite web |url=http://www.derechofacil.gob.ar/leysimple/identidad-de-genero/ |title=Identidad de género |date=8 March 2019 |trans-title=Gender identity |publisher=Ministry of Justice and Human Rights |language=Spanish |access-date=2019-07-01}}
The law also grants access to hormonal treatments and total or partial surgical interventions for the purpose of transitioning, without the need of a previous gender dysphoria diagnosis or a referral letter from mental health professionals. Hospitals must cover these as part of the Compulsory Medical Plan.{{Cite web |url=https://tn.com.ar/salud/incorporaron-al-plan-medico-obligatorio-las-cirugias-de-cambio-de-genero_593543 |title=Incorporaron al Plan Médico Obligatorio las cirugías de cambio de género |trans-title=Gender-Change Surgeries Added to the Compulsory Medical Plan |publisher=TN |language=Spanish |date=2015-05-29 |access-date=2019-07-01}}
See also
Notes
{{Notelist}}
References
{{Reflist}}
External links
- {{Cite web |url=https://www.boletinoficial.gob.ar/detalleAviso/primera/70106/20120524 |title=Law 26,743 |website=Boletín Oficial de la República Argentina |access-date=14 January 2024}}