Thousands of people joined Argentina's 34th annual LGBTQ Pride march on Saturday, taking to the streets of Buenos Aires in a show of solidarity and protest against right-wing President Javier Milei.
Under the slogan "Against hate and violence: more pride and unity," the parade marched from the Plaza de Mayo, the city's main square, to the National Congress building. There, speeches and performances took place.
"These days, with the current government, there is a lot of hate. You can see it in the streets and on social media," said Nahuel Vassallo, a 22-year-old university student. "That's why standing here to defend our rights and who we are is so key."
Dozens of floats peppered the march alongside participants ranging from families and activists to students and tourists.
One stage of the march played a video from British singer Dua Lipa, who is performing in Buenos Aires next week, and sent her well-wishes and support.
Since taking office in December 2023, Milei has taken steps to roll back protections for LGBTQ people in Argentina, such as eliminating a ministry overseeing gender issues, a host of policies and programmes and dissolving the INADI national anti-discrimination body.
"This dismantling is happening in the context of a rise in hateful and violent rhetoric, including from the highest authorities in the country," said María Paula García, coordinator of Equality and Diversity at Amnesty International Argentina.
In January, during a speech at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Milei alleged that "radical feminism" seeks "privileges" and criticised the concept of "femicide." He slammed "gender ideology," claiming its "most extreme versions" constitute "child abuse."
Viviana Cardano, from the ATE state-workers union, said the LGBT+ community had suffered since those remarks: "Today we are all here to reject the policies of this new government and the persecution that the LGBTQ+ community has been suffering since Milei's statements in Davos."
Among the hundreds of signs on Saturday afternoon, one read: "There is no pride without justice."
Hate crimes against LGBTQ individuals increased by 70 percent in Argentina during the first half of 2025 compared to the same period last year, according to the National Observatory of LGBT+ Hate Crimes.
In May 2024, in an attack targeting lesbians, a man in Buenos Aires killed three women with an improvised explosive device.
"I feel like it's more dangerous for us now," said 22-year-old Karina Fernández, one of the participants in Saturday's march. "The climate is more tense."
– TIMES/AFP/PERFIL/NA
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