Alba Rueda

Alba Rueda (born 7 April 1976) is an Argentine politician who became the first openly transgender politician in Argentina to hold a senior governmental position when she served as the Undersecretary of Diversity Policies within the Ministry of Women, Genders and Diversity between January 2020 and May 2022.

Early life Rueda was born in Salta on 7 April 1976 and moved to Buenos Aires with her family in the 1990s, where they experienced poverty. She came out at the age of 16 when she renamed herself Alba. She went on to study philosophy at the University of Buenos Aires, though dropped out shortly before completing her degree, citing transphobia amongst university staff.

Activism In 2003, Rueda began visiting Hotel Gondolín, a centre for transgender people in Buenos Aires that became a hub for the Argentine transgender rights movement. There, she met noted local transgender activists, including Marlene Wayar and Lohana Berkins. Rueda has advocated for the inclusion of trans women in feminist spaces and promoted transfeminist causes. Rueda has campaigned for same-sex marriage in Argentina, which was legalised by the Argentine government in 2010; Rueda had previously criticised the Argentine government for suggesting that heterosexuality was part of "sexual diversity". Rueda became one of only five envoys internationally advocating for LGBTQIA rights on behalf of national governments, alongside Jessica Stern of the United States; Nick Herbert of the United Kingdom; Fabrizio Petri of Italy; and Sven Lehmann of Germany.

Recognition In 2021, Rueda was included as one of the BBC's 100 Women, recognising the most influential women in the world.

In 2023, she was awarded the International Women of Courage Award by the United States Department of State.