Project Description
Gustavo Michanie of JAG, Buenos Aires, graciously agreed to be interviewed by David Azouley from the World Congress. JAG sent a link to the trailer of the movie “Other among Others,” which might be of interest to our readers around the world.
1- First of all, we would like to learn a little bit more about you. What is your personal and organizational background? What are your motivations for volunteering with JAG (Judios Argentinos Gay -LGBTIQ)?
2- Could you introduce your association to our readers? Its history? Its mission? Its philosophy?
JAG was born in 2004 out of the need of a group of friends, who could not find within the framework of the Jewish Community the recognition of the existence of LGBTIQ people. So they gathered in order to create a place at which their LGBTIQ members could find a safe and friendly spot with Jewish traditions and could grow, develop and restore their lost bonds with the community because of their different sexual orientation.
3- What are the main activities of your organization?
4- The first LGBTIQ Jewish wedding in Latin America has been celebrated last month in Buenos Aires. Could you tell us more about this event?
5- Could you describe to our readers the situation of LGBTIQ Jews in Argentina? What is their degree of inclusion in the mainstream Jewish community?
We have been growing over these 12 years in a way that was hard to imagine when we JAG was founded in 2004.
We have been invited in our early years by the JDC (American Jewish Joint Distribution Committee) to the Meetings of Leaders of institutions and communities in Latin America and the Caribbean, that paced the way for us not only to be known internationally , but we also started to have greater visibility in our country.
In 2007 we joined the Network of Judaica Foundation, being one of its nodes; FJ is a network of institutions working individually and collectively towards the diversity of all kinds.
In 2010 we worked along with the LGBTIQ Federation of Argentina providing our knowledge, helping and opening the debate in the Community, for the enactment of the Same Sex Marriage Act.
At the end of 2014 JAG was recognized, accepted and included by the Delegation of Israelite Associations Argentina D.A.I.A. as an institution working against anti-Semitism and a strong commitment in the struggle against all forms of discrimination.
6- The Argentinean law for transgender has been recognized globally as one of the most advanced in the world. Could you explain to our readers what makes this law so unique and why it happened in your country?
The Law of Gender Identity in Argentina, allows Trans people (transvestites, transsexuals and transgender) to be registered in their ID with the name and sex of their choice, and all medical treatments can be carried out in order to match the gender expression, therefore they are included in the PMO (Compulsory Medical Program), which guarantees practices throughout the health system, both public and private.
This actually happened in a country where there was the political will to grant the same rights to all its citizens, and in this case it is recognized that the sole will or need of the individual is enough without having to resort to medical opinions.
7- Your organization is one of the four candidates that expressed interest in hosting a future board meeting of the World Congress in 2017. Could you tell us briefly how you imagine this event?
We really want to share all the achievements JAG and the LGBTIQ community have had in recent years in Argentina, we as an institution have always cooperated sharing our experience and our knowledge. And now we think it is time that the WC come to our home since we have always traveled and supported the various meetings of the WC. We want to show the WC the way we did things based on respect and inclusion relying on education to change millenary cultural stereotypes.