Argentine President signs orders banning gender-affirming care for under-18 citizens

Argentina's President Javier Milei has signed a decree banning gender-affirming care for people under age 18, a presidential spokesperson said on Wednesday.

The announcement comes days after a massive mobilization of the LGBTQ+ collective in repudiation of President Javier Milei's speech at the World Economic Forum in Davos last week, during which he slammed "wokeism," feminism and referred to homosexuals as "pedophiles."

Presidential spokesperson Manuel Adorni in a statement to the press announced the repeal of a 2012 gender identity law provision allowing such practices with parental or guardian consent, reports The Associated Press.

"Gender ideology taken to the extreme and applied to children by force or psychological coercion simply constitutes child abuse," the government of the far-right president said in a subsequent statement. "Children do not have the cognitive maturity to make decisions about irreversible processes."

Millions of people in Buenos Aires and across Argentina participated in marches against President Javier Milei in response to his controversial comments at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland.

The Buenos Aires march, led by LGBTQ, women's and human rights organizations in Argentina, shaped up to be one of the largest demonstrations against Milei since he became president in December 2023. The mobilization is a direct response to Milei's disparaging comments about feminism, LGBTQ rights, and other progressive movements.

Milei called "wokism" and "gender ideology" harmful during his Jan. 23 speech at the World Economic Forum, even comparing them to pedophilia. These statements sparked outrage across Argentina with protesters demanding the defense of human rights and equality.

María Rachid, president of the Argentine LGBT+ Federation, told the Washington Blade on Sunday "the march was massive, a strong message to President Milei putting a limit to hatred, discrimination and violence."

"Argentine society built the values of respect for diversity, equality, and true freedom and yesterday it came out to defend them with massive demonstrations throughout the country and in many cities around the world," said Rachid. "We are proud of what we were able to build because although they want to destroy it, it is already part of the heart of Argentine society."