Hey hey hey!! This past weekend I was in Buenos Aires visiting one of the largest cities EVER. I was hosted by an intern of the Argentina Federation of Lesbian, Gay, Bi-sexual, Trans (FALGBT) who is from Boston and has been in Argentina since January. I was in Buenos Aires for a total of 3 days, 2 nights and was without a doubt exposed to a different scene. Though Rosario is the third largest city in Argentina, it does not compare to the size, culture, atmosphere, and reality of Buenos Aires.  The architecture of the buildings is so beautiful in the downtown/center part of Buenos Aires, millions and millions of people live within the Buenos Aires metro/surroundings, you have coffee shops, restaurants, stores, etc. at pretty much every street corner, public transportation such as buses or subways are filled with a wide range of diverse individuals, and the list goes on and on.

I was given a few tips before departing to Buenos Aires: don’t walk alone, be aware of your surroundings, don’t take your iPhone, be careful with the crazy drivers, subways are sketch, and so forth. I wasn’t scared, however was a bit nervous once I arrived. Luckily, Joshua knew his way around the city and I felt a lot safer knowing he had some knowledge and navigation of the city. Though I did go out the last night I was in Buenos Aires alone, I did not experience anything too scary except for a random guy jumping in front of me and saying something that I did not grasp because I quickly, without really thinking, moved aside and began walking at a fast rate.

While in Buenos Aires, I was able to attend a presentation/seminar on homophobia presented by SIGLA, Sociedad de Integración Gay Lésbica Argentina. We watched short video clips regarding gender roles, sexuality in athletics, coming out to your family, and a few others. In between the clips, folks were given the chance to speak on what they felt were the most important points or what touched them the most within the clip. Some of the clips brought back memories that were quite emotional. Seeing community members, teachers, mothers and fathers, activist, etc., attend was truly warming to me. Since being in Argentina, I had not been in a space where these topics were conversed and discussed with a wider range of individuals. I would love to organize some sort of similar activity back in Oregon, especially one that my parents could attend and learn more about the LGBT community.

On another note, I was the typical tourist with the camera out and taking pictures of everything from buildings to birds to people sitting down on the side walk, etc. Below are photos from my weekend in Buenos Aires: