By Bob Witeck, with thanks to Rex Wockner. Spanish language reporting here
By good luck and rare timing, I am in Buenos Aires today with thousands of jubilant Argentine citizens and was able to attend and to witness this historic signing of the law introducing gay marriage at the Casa Rosada.
Afterwards, with immense serendipity, I was included with a handful of others led by Pablo DeLuca and Gustavo Noguera, with the Argentine LGBT Chamber, along with Justin Nelson and Chance Mitchell from NGLCC as well as New York based journalists Mike Luongo and Mark Chesnut, to stop by President Cristina’s office after the ceremony for what turned out to be nearly a half-hour personal conversation with her and a few of her staff.
With my near-extinct knowledge of Spanish, I was sadly reduced to witnessing this historic private moment. But like some immesnsely beautiful art films, there are times when words are somewhat powerless because feelings and emotions are so expressive and dominant.
In her office, after her official act was complete, she was captivating, dramatic, ebullient, intense and embracing — still touched by the poignancy of the signing ceremony itself. After she signed the legislation in the public space downstairs, we witnessed hundreds of the attendees inside the room and outside as well, begin to press forward to touch her, hug her, hand her flowers, seek photos with her …
– in a throbbing human crush that probably mirrors the passionate nature of Argentinian public life most of us merely know from history or films. It was a scene of such emotion that as a lifelong resident of Washington DC, I cannot imagine any such event resembling this scene taking place in the White House or in many executive mansions — and simply because of the risk of physical harm alone to the President or others in the pushing, pressing and jubilant crowd on the floor.
To make this evening more unreal as well was to see the painting of Juan Peron on the wall behind her and over her right shoulder, to see Evita’s likeness in oil on the wall to her left, and Che Guevara’s image on the wall to her right.
What little I know of Buenos Aires I have learned here in the first 36 hours, and if nothing else, these are among the most passionate people on earth. And tonight they have every single reason to be.
Bob Witeck
Tags: Argentina, argentina gay marriage, argentina marriage equality, argentina same sex marriage, Bob Witeck, Chrtistina Kirchner Fernandez gay marriage, Rex Wockner
