BUENOS AIRES, Argentina (AP) — Angeles Rojas strides down the hall of the Argentine state bank, passed portraits on the walls of past bank presidents who may have been shocked to see a young transgender person on its workforce.
The 23-year-old joined the human resources department of Banco Nación, Argentina's leading state bank, this year. In September, President Alberto Fernández signed a decree establishing a 1% employment quota for transgender people in the public sector.
Only neighboring Uruguay has a comparable quota law promoting the labor inclusion of transgender people, who face discrimination in the region. According to Argentina's LGBT community, 95% of transgender people do not have formal employment, with many forced to work in the sex industry where they face violence.