Are Gays Safe in Argentina?

There isn’t a single place on Earth that’s a hundred percent free of homophobia. If there is, please tell us so we can move there. Joking aside, for the most part, Argentina is a relatively safe haven for gay, lesbian, and transgender people. As of this post, neither my spouse nor I have encountered any type of homophobic discrimination. 

Cultural Perspective 

Physical appearance (style of clothing, hairstyle), financial, and social standing are what defines most people in the United States. Argentine society isn’t guided by any of these categories. People here tend to respect your differences and leave you alone even if you're holding hands with someone of the same sex or you're wearing a rainbow bracelet. There might be a couple of glances or a cackling here and there, but nothing too alarming. 

How Businesses Treat Gays 

Unfortunately, you won't find stores with the rainbow flag on the doors or windows, which is a sign that the store is gay owned or gay friendly, like in the States. But it doesn't mean that you'll find yourself being mistreated either. My spouse and I have not encountered a lot of homophobia while visiting shopping centers, supermarkets, video stores, or government establishments. They acknowledged our homosexuality and remained quite friendly for the most part.  

Immigration 

My spouse and I have had to visit the immigration building in Cordoba City a few times in order to get his residency paperwork going. Never once did we hesitate to point out that we had gotten married back in New York, and we never got any indication that the immigration staff was condescending. 

Misunderstanding 

If you run across a nasty store owner or supermarket attendee, it’s most likely the result of them being rude or disgruntled and not necessarily because you’re gay. It may also be the result of a misunderstanding or language barrier. Argentines are quite bipolar in their behavior. One minute they're friendly and the next they're turning on you.

Gay Rights in Argentina 

President Kirchner legalized gay marriages, and passed a handful of laws that protect gay, lesbian and transgender people from violence and discrimination in Argentina. 

Conservative Views 

You’re bound to run into people who are homophobic. Older Argentinians (those born in the 1940s) tend to cling to their old ways. The same goes with overly religious fanatics. Unfortunately, these types of people are everywhere in the world.

Gay Bars

There are gay bars in Cordoba City. I haven't gone to one as of this post mainly because I never really liked the scene. However, a Google search told me that they have a few and even more in the capital of Buenos Aires (La CABA). On the other hand, gays and lesbians congregate openly and I have not seen anyone take issue with this whether they are at a plaza, a restaurant or a shopping center.

Conclusion 

For the most part, we've found that Argentinians are quite accepting. So I encourage anyone, gay or straight, to move down here to live a less stressful life, mostly free of judgment. You won’t regret it especially if you live in a country where being gay is a death sentence.

(UPDATE: 08-27-2020: In light of a hate crime in 2020, I interviewed a local member of the LGBT community named Maxi Tassi so he could give us his perspective of what gay people face in Argentina. Click here to read it.)

(Update 2017: There are some people who will make whistling noises that are similar to bird calls. My spouse and I have had employees at certain privately owned supermarkets, and owners of newspaper kiosks on the streets, whistle in this manner. We're told that this is the way some homophobes react when someone that's gay approaches them.)   

Job Hunting in Argentina When You’re an Expat

It's been a month and a half since we moved to Cordoba, Argentina, and we assumed finding a job would be a breeze. But blame me. Back when I was still in New York, I e-mailed my mom and asked her if finding work in Argentina would be easy. She said "yes, absolutely," and I believed her. I'm sure she didn't mean any harm but the damage was done. I was here, and finding work was going to be a bigger challenge than I had imagined. 

So here are a few things I learned about looking for work in Argentina that you should know before moving down here. 

Age Requirement  Age is a major factor here. If you're 30 or older, you may encounter some problems landing a job. Most job posts I've seen won't hire anyone over 26.   

Gender   Argentine businesses reserve the right to discriminate job candidates based on gender. I was shocked to learn this. In the States, I would have sued the sh*t out of a company for placing an ad that said looking for female applicants only.  

It´s Not Who You Are. It's Who You Know  It's not always about your work experience or degree. It's about your connections. If you have friends or family in Argentina who are well placed in stable businesses, your chances of getting your foot in the door increases exponentially.

Jobs To Look For 

The most secure jobs in Argentina are in the financial industry. Citibank and HSBC Bank are some of the best options. Unfortunately, they are not currently hiring as of this post.   

Computer programmers (frontend and backend developers) or computer repair technicians are also great career options.

Teaching English In Argentina 

Locals tend to hog all the English teaching jobs at the public university and private language institutes, at least in Cordoba they do, but according to some of the people I spoke with, they're not very good at their jobs. Your best bet is to offer private classes.

Familiarize Yourself With Argentine Castilian:  I highly recommend that you get a good working knowledge of Argentine Castilian. Don't assume that your basic knowledge of Spanish learned from the States will help you. Okay, so you might get by with it, but there are some differences that you need to be aware of. For example, in the States, Latinos used the word coge or coger, which means to grab, but in Argentina, it's a profane way of saying to fornicate. So, you need to be aware of these differences that might not seem significant, but can cause a huge misunderstanding.

Keep in mind that all computer programs, like Excel and Word, are in Spanish. The command functions for spreadsheet formulas are in Spanish as well, so you should familiarize yourself with this ahead of time or you might run into some trouble if you're working in the clerical field.

Apostilles  Make sure your high school diploma, college diplomas and transcripts have apostilles and are translated and notarized. Some jobs may require that you present these things.

Job Outlook  The Argentines I've spoken to so far have a very grim view of the job outlook. So, I strongly urge you to save some money before coming here. You will need it to stay afloat until you land a job. You can also use your financial nest egg to book a ticket back home, which is something I wish I'd considered before blowing all my money on stuff for my home. My advice would be to secure a job before arriving in Argentina. I've heard of an expat from Italy who came here, but couldn’t find a job. Eventually he ran out of money and now, he can’t afford to return home. Don’t let that happen to you. It’s a nightmare. I just hope that the job outlook improves soon.