In progressive Argentina, the LGBTQ+ community says President Milei has turned back the clock

By DÉBORA REY
Associated Press

BUENOS AIRES, Argentina (AP) — A quota law in Argentina that promotes the inclusion of transgender people in the workforce has helped many find jobs, including a former sex worker who was hired in the country’s Foreign Ministry. Those benefits are now in danger after right-wing President Javier Milei began slashing public spending in a bid to solve Argentina’s worst economic crisis in two decades. The former sex worker was abruptly fired in a wave of government layoffs and the fate of the quota law hangs in the balance. Since taking office in December, Milei has shut down the Ministry of Women, Gender and Diversity, banned the government’s use of gender-inclusive language and closed the National Institute against Discrimination, Xenophobia and Racism.