Carlos Jáuregui, a man wearing thick rimmed glasses in front of a wall covered in newspapers
“I now think of the figure of the martyr, the surrender of one's own body that is fulfilled by death. He always said he was going to die before he was fifty. And he died before he was forty."
-César Cigliutti
Carlos Jáuregui was an Argentinian man who, while ambitious and accomplished, did not get the time to build the life he deserved and left a legacy that has spanned out farther than he could have imagined. Carlos Jáuregui died at age thirty-eight due to complications from AIDS, the same thing that killed his partner Pablo Azcona and brother Roberto Jáuregui years earlier. His death did not come as a surprise. When discussing Carlos’s death, César Cigliutti said,
“I now think of the figure of the martyr, the surrender of one's own body that is fulfilled by death. He always said he was going to die before he was fifty. And he died before he was forty."
But expected or not, Carlos’s death was a massive loss. He was a man who led the first Pride Parade in Buenos Aires in 1992 and helped move Argentina to the point it is today, as one of the world leaders in queer rights.
He was the first president of the Homosexual Community of Argentina (CHA) and was recognized throughout the country for his activism for queer rights. When discussing Carlos Jauregui, it's important to acknowledge how he is remembered. That was a very intentional, very political move on his part.
He believed that the most effective way to educate was to change the public image of queer people. Instead of living in secret and keeping his queerness out of the spotlight, he took control of the narrative, going on every magazine cover he could, giving a face to a movement that had long stood in the shadows.
His CHA presidency was due in part to this political openness, as he was one of the only people willing and able to be as open about their sexuality as the position demanded. This made complete sense with the attitudes towards queer people in Argentina at the time. Not only were there laws to discriminate against queer people in all their forms, but religious leaders went out of their way to do so as well. At one point, Carlos attempted to sue an Argentinian Archbishop for discrimination. Unfortunately, the lawsuit failed because queer people were not protected under discrimination laws at the time. While the hiding was completely understandable, it makes standing out in the open an even more incredible act and makes Carlos an even more memorable figure from history. It is partly the reason why his legacy remains even today.
One of the most concrete examples of his legacy is the anti-discrimination clause prohibiting discrimination on grounds of sexual orientation in the new Constitution of the City of Buenos Aires, something he strongly supported before his death. A week after he died, queer activists came to the Statute Convention holding photos of Carlos and pushing for the clause to be added to the Constitution. It was approved unanimously only days later.
Buenos Aires became the first Latin American City to prohibit discrimination on grounds of sexual orientation. The day of his death, August 20, was later honoured as a National Day of Activism and Sexual Diversity. Among the most recent additions to his legacy is a subway station in Buenos Aires named after him. It contains a mural with his portrait and other queer images and is the first-ever underground station named after a queer activist.
For a man who lived a short life, so much of his legacy is still left today. His memory can continue to be an inspiration to current queer activists, as they find themselves again in the struggle to maintain queer people's basic human rights. The words of Carlos that accompany his mural seem to ring true:
“In a society that teaches us to shame, pride is a political response.”
[Disclaimer: Some of the sources may contain triggering material.]
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Human Rights Awards. OutRight International Action, 11 Apr. 2016, www.outrightinternational.org/events/awards-2016.
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McNamara, Jayson. 'Carlos Jáuregui Put His Face on Our Struggle'. BuenosAiresHerald.com, 17 Sept. 2014, www.buenosairesherald.com/article/169964/%C2%91carlos-j%C3%A1uregui-put-his-face-on-our-st.
Nanu, Maighna. “Buenos Aires Opens Renamed Subway Station Honoring LGBT Activist Carlos Jáuregui.” The Bubble, The Bubble, Inc., 20 Mar. 2017, www.thebubble.com/buenos-aires-opens-renamed-subway-station-honoring-lgbt-activist-carlos-jauregui/.