MOUNT HOLYOKE COLLEGE Sí, quiero: The Legalization of Same-Sex Marriage in Argentina M. Linley B. Beckner Senior Thesis in International Relations May 6, 2011 PROJECT ADVISORS: Professor Jon Western, Five College Associate Professor of International Relations Professor Christian Gundermann, Associate Professor of Spanish and Gender Studies Beckner 2 Table of Contents Abstract ......................................................................................................................................5 Project Advisors ..........................................................................................................................7 Acknowledgements .....................................................................................................................8 Dedication ...................................................................................................................................9 Chapter I: Introduction .......................................................................................................... 10 The International Human Rights Movement and the Exclusion of Sexual Minorities ........... 12 Section 1: National Nondiscrimination of Sexual Minorities: The Legalization of Same-Sex Marriage in Argentina ........................................................................................... 16 Section 2: Question: What made the legalization of same-sex marriage possible in Argentina? ............................................................................................................................. 19 Section 3: Methodology and Frameworks: An Interdisciplinary Approach to the Human Rights of Sexual Minorities ....................................................................................... 22 Research and Interdisciplinary Approach .......................................................................... 23 The Term “Sexual Minorities” ........................................................................................... 24 Universalizing v. Minoritizing Views .................................................................................. 26 Human Rights of Sexual Minorities .................................................................................... 29 Section 4: The Local Efforts of Sexual Minorities as a Social Movement............................... 31 Defining Social Movements ................................................................................................ 32 Placing Argentine Sexual Minorities Under Existing Definitions ........................................ 32 The Uniqueness of Sexual Minorities‟ Social Movements ................................................... 33 Section 5: A Forward Glance ................................................................................................. 34 Chapter II: Products of Our Past, Formation of Current Context ....................................... 37 Section 1: 1853 Constitution: ―The private actions of men‖ ................................................... 39 Section 2: ―Out of the Closet and into the Street‖: The Gay Rights Movement Arrives in Argentina .............................................................................................................. 40 Section 3: Nunca Más: Military Dictatorship and Los Desaparecidos, 1976-1983 .................. 42 Section 4: Nationalizing Human Rights ................................................................................. 49 Beckner 3 Section 5: The Kirchners ....................................................................................................... 52 Section 6: Conclusion ............................................................................................................ 57 Chapter III: “It Takes One Man and One Woman to Tango,” Gender and Sexuality in Argentine Culture and Society ........................................................................... 60 Section 1: Gender and Sexuality ............................................................................................ 61 Section 2: Identity: Our Gender, Our Sexuality, Our Selves ................................................... 66 Multiple Identities .............................................................................................................. 69 Section 3: Machismo ............................................................................................................. 71 Machismo and its Effects as a Hegemonic Masculinity ....................................................... 72 Chauvinism or Chivalry? ................................................................................................... 73 Changing Machismo: Liberating Men and Women............................................................. 76 Section 4: Out of the House and into the Street: Redefining the Public and Private Spheres and the Divide Between Them ...................................................................... 77 Section 5: The Church and How Argentina Overcame Religious Opposition to Same-Sex Marriage ............................................................................................................... 81 Empowering Opposition ..................................................................................................... 85 Section 6: Conclusion ............................................................................................................ 88 Chapter IV: From Oculto to Orgulloso, The Movement ....................................................... 90 Section 1: Out of the Closet and into the Street: The Birth of a Movement ............................. 90 Section 2: Argentine Sexual Minorities Efforts as a Social Movement ................................... 93 Section 3: Local Actors........................................................................................................ 100 Section 4: The Journey of A Thousand Miles: How Change Happens .................................. 105 Section 5: International Networks and Their Role in Local Movements ............................... 109 The Particular Role of Gay Networks ............................................................................... 115 Section 6: Conclusion .......................................................................................................... 116 Chapter V: Todos para todxs, All or Nothing: Utilizing Human Rights to Include the Excluded ............................................................................................................. 118 Section 1: Nondiscrimination and Equality .......................................................................... 120 Beckner 4 Achieving Nondiscrimination of Sexual Minorities ........................................................... 121 Excluded from the Benefits of the Same-Sex Marriage Law? ............................................ 123 Overcoming Obstacles that Hinder the Inclusion of Sexual Minorities ............................. 124 Section 2: All Rights for All, A Framework Built and Strengthened .................................... 126 Section 3: Laying Down the Law, The Necessary Role of Legislation ................................. 127 Section 4: Conclusion .......................................................................................................... 130 Chapter VI: The Courage to Change the Things We Can: Conclusions and Recommendations ................................................................................................................. 131 Section 1: Is Marriage Really the Answer? .......................................................................... 135 The Same Rights with the Same Names............................................................................. 136 “Equal” Rights = “Equality”? ........................................................................................ 137 Section 2: Why Same-Sex Marriage Matters in Argentina and Beyond ................................ 139 Beyond Argentina............................................................................................................. 140 Section 3: Argentina‘s Toolbox: What We Can Take Away from the Argentine Example .............................................................................................................................. 141 Bibliography ........................................................................................................................... 145 Appendix ................................................................................................................................ 150 Beckner 5 Abstract On July 15, 2010, Argentina became the first Latin American country and only the tenth nation worldwide to legalize same-sex marriage at the national level. Situated in a region known for the influence of Catholicism, the macho man‘s domination of gender and sexuality norms, and massive human rights violations, Argentina seems an unlikely candidate after States like Canada and Norway. Therefore, what made Argentina‘s legalization of same-sex marriage possible? This project breaks down the analysis of this question into four parts: first, the historical events that opened pathways through which sexual minorities could and can attain change; second, the Argentine cultural and social contexts and the opportunities and challenges they presented and present to sexual minorities; third, the creation and development of a social movement by sexual minorities; and fourth, how the excluded