Carlos Jáuregui

Carlos Jáuregui (22 September 195720 August 1996) was an Argentine LGBT rights activist. He founded (CHA, or the Argentine Homosexual Community) in 1984. In the early 1990s, he set up (Gays DC, or Gays for Civil Rights) and organised the first Pride march in Buenos Aires. He died from an HIV-AIDS-related illness at the age of 38. In memorial, a national day of activism for sexual diversity was established. He was posthumously given the Felipa de Souza Award, and, in 2017, a station was renamed after him on the Buenos Aires Underground.

Early life Carlos Jáuregui was born in La Plata on 22 September 1957. After attending university, he studied as a postgraduate in Paris and then lived in New York City. When he returned to Argentina in 1982, he was not yet an activist.

Career CHA became an important group campaigning for gay rights in Argentina and is internationally recognised as a force in creating the strong LGBT rights in Argentina. Jáuregui published (Homosexuality and Argentina) in 1987. It recounted his experiences as an activist in Argentina and the foundation of CHA. Jáuregui then set up (Gays DC, or Gays for Civil Rights) in 1991, which later became Gays and Lesbians for Civil Rights. Its most active years were 1993 until 1996, with the group focusing upon supporting victims of discrimination based on sexuality and sufferers of AIDS. Jáuregui became a media figure, performing stunts such as suing Antonio Quarracino (the Archbishop of Buenos Aires) for discrimination. In 1992, Jáuregui organised the , the first LGBT Pride march in Buenos Aires.

Death and legacy Carlos Jáuregui died at the age of 38 as a result of an HIV-AIDS-related illness on 20 August 1996. His partner Pablo Azcona and his brother Roberto Jáuregui had each previously died from AIDS related illnesses, in 1988 and 1994 respectively. Soon after his death, the Buenos Aires City Legislature voted to add a clause that punishes acts of sexual discrimination to the city's constitution. In 1998, he was posthumously given the Felipa de Souza Award. A Buenos Aires Underground station was named after him in 2017; Santa Fe – Carlos Jáuregui station was opened by Horacio Rodríguez Larreta, chief of local government, and featured rainbow-coloured steps and a large mural. A film about Jáuregui's life was made in 2016, titled Carlos Jáuregui: The Unforgettable Fag.