Buenos Aires, Argentina — Thousands of people over the weekend marched in cities across Argentina to protest President Javier Milei’s recent remarks made at the World Economic Forum in Davos where he linked homosexuality to pedophilia.
The “anti-fascist, anti-racist” demonstrations took place across Argentina, with a large concentration gathering outside government buildings in the capital Buenos Aires. Milei’s supporters responded by questioning the political motives behind the marches and said his words were taken out of context.
On a scorching-hot afternoon in Buenos Aires, as many as 80,000 people — according to estimates from the city government — gathered near Congress and marched toward the Casa Rosada, the official office of the president.
Chants of “We’re never going back in the closet!” could be heard throughout the march, which in addition to Milei’s government, also took aim at racism, fascism, and even Milei’s ties to United States billionaire Elon Musk. Protesters also held signs that read “Nunca Musk,” a play on the protest terms associated with past human rights abuses in Argentina, “Nunca Más” (Never Again).
The protesters organized following a January 23 appearance by Milei at the meeting of business leaders in Davos, Switzerland, where he chided against the LGBT community and falsely linked it to pedophilia.
“From these forums, the LGBT agenda is promoted, trying to impose on us the idea that women are men and men are women just because they perceive themselves as such,” he said in the speech.
“Not long ago, a case made headlines worldwide about two American homosexuals who, under the banner of sexual diversity, were sentenced to 100 years in prison for abusing and filming their adopted children for more than two years. I want to be clear that when I say abuse, it is not a euphemism, because in its most extreme forms, gender ideology is plainly and simply child abuse. They are pedophiles, so I want to know who endorses these behaviors,” he added.
Milei’s defenders argued on social media that his remarks linking homosexuality and gender ideology to pedophilia were taken out of context, but the statement appears verbatim in the official speech transcript from the Casa Rosada.
Protesters in Buenos Aires said they came out to counteract the president’s rhetoric which they say is both dishonest and dangerous.
“The president’s appalling comments must provoke some social reaction. It’s unacceptable for him to attend an international event and claim that homosexuality and child abuse are connected,” Araí Fernández Bucci, one of the marchers, told Argentina Reports at the protest on Saturday. “It’s more than dishonest — it’s monstrous, like everything he does. We can’t go back 50 years. It is immoral that a person in his position can say anything without consequences.”
Fernández Bucci echoed a common sentiment among protesters: that Milei’s government and rhetoric pose a threat to marginalized groups. “Everything has gotten worse over the past year. The president’s speeches are extremely violent, and he always talks about destroying or exterminating those who don’t share his political ideology,” she said, citing recent cases of violence against the lesbian community in the country.
Saturday’s march was organized by LGBTQ+ organizations and supported by human rights groups, including Madres de Plaza de Mayo (Mothers of Plaza de Mayo). Some left-wing political parties called on their supporters to join but were asked to stay behind the main demonstration. Other politicians showed support on social media, including former Buenos Aires Mayor Horacio Rodríguez Larreta and former President Cristina Fernández de Kirchner. Argentine artists Lali Espósito and María Becerra also participated.
“I came because I think it is very important that we march as a society against the rise of the far right, which opposes individual liberties and diversity,” protester Maximiliano Fernández told Argentina Reports. “I am very worried about this situation. Milei is promoting a form of masculinity and relationships that threaten rights and freedoms.”
Cautioned Fernández Bucci, “Our society is full of people who feel validated by the president’s speeches. They see them as encouragement to unleash the violent impulses they have always had. As a society, we must take to the streets to prove them wrong.”
Reactions from Milei’s base
Libertarian supporters of President Milei spent the week leading up to the march arguing his speech had been taken out of context, claiming he actually supports diversity and only rejects “gender ideology.”
Representative Damián Arabia, a self-proclaimed “right-wing gay,” posted a lengthy message on X questioning “political parties using the sexuality of individuals for political gain.” He also referenced cases of gender violence that the opposition had not denounced, including the allegations against former president Alberto Fernández from his former partner, Fabiola Yáñez.
Read more: Argentina’s former President Alberto Fernández accused of domestic violence
Other supporters actually doubled down on Milei’s claims. After calling the connection in Milei’s speech a “coincidence,” libertarian lawmaker Lilia Lemoine posted a meme of a Trojan horse labeled “progressivism” and “gender ideology” on the outside, with “pedophilia” hidden inside.
On Saturday afternoon, Milei’s political party, La Libertad Avanza, held a rally on the opposite end of the city, in the western Buenos Aires neighborhood of Villa Devoto, to recruit new party members. A few hundred people attended.
Asked for a message to the LGBT community, Milei said on X on Sunday, “It saddens me that they have been used by the garbage from the State Party, using an edited video, while the complete version of the message leaves no room for doubt.”
