Buenos Aires Herald 
Foreign Ministry advisor and long-time trans activist Alba Rueda was given an award on Wednesday by the United States Department of State for her leadership in the defense of human rights and her fight for gender equality.
The first openly transgender lawmaker in Argentina to hold a senior political position in the country, Rueda received the Women of Courage Award, which the organization gives to those who have dedicated their lives to the protection and promotion of human rights.
Rueda, who works as the special representative on Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, received the distinction alongside 10 other recipients from all over the world The ceremony was led by US Secretary of State Antony Blinken and First Lady Jill Biden at the White House, in Washington D.C,
“On International Women’s Day, we celebrate a group of incredible, courageous women and their extraordinary work pursuing justice, freedom, and peace around the world,” the First Lady tweeted.
The trans activist was recently the first undersecretary of Diversity Policies of the Ministry of Women, Gender and Diversity of the Argentine Republic, and she worked for 12 years in the Ministry of Justice and Human Rights.
“Ms. Rueda was the driving force behind Argentina’s executive order on the transgender labor quota in the public sector which was converted into the Transgender Job Quota Law ,” said a State Department release. The 2021 law mandates that at least one per cent of public sector jobs should be held by trans people.
Rueda became the second Argentine to obtain this award after Susana Trimarco, the mother of María de los Ángeles “Marita” Verón, who was honored in 2007 for her fight against the trafficking of women and girls for prostitution.
This is the 17th edition of the award, which has already been awarded to 180 women from more than 80 countries around the world.
“The struggle of Argentine women, recognized in the world. The activist and trans militant Alba Rueda, special representative on Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity of the Foreign Ministry, was distinguished with the Award for Women of Courage from the Department of State. # 8M”, said Foreign Minister Santiago Cafiero on his personal Twitter account.
Source: Telam/Herald
