October 14, 2011
Instituto Universitario ISEDET
Camacuá 282, Ciudad Autónoma de Buenos Aires, Argentina

In July 2010, Argentina modified its civil code to grant same-sex couples the right to marriage and full adoption rights. Under the slogan “The Same Rights, With the Same Names,” a broad coalition of advocacy groups, political parties, religious institutions and other social actors mounted a successful nationwide campaign that generated broad public debate across Argentine society, challenging the exclusions of existing marriage laws and calling for full legal equality. In this context, “Religiones, Matrimonio Igualitario y Aborto: Alianzas con y entre Actores Religiosos por los Derechos Sexuales y Reproductivos en Argentina” (Religions, Marriage Equality and Abortion: Alliances With and Between Religious Actors for Sexual and Reproductive Rights in Argentina), brought together political and religious actors, advocacy groups, elected officials and journalists to discuss the central contributions of religious leaders to the Marriage Equality campaign and to examine the role they might play in the debate surrounding the legalization of abortion. The one-day symposium was co-sponsored by the Hemispheric Institute, the Sexualities Studies Group of the University of Buenos Aires, and Catholics for the Right to Decide-Argentina.

SCHEDULE

Welcome
Marcial Godoy Anativia (NYU), Daniel Jones (Gino Germani, Universidad de Buenos Aires), María Teresa Bosio (Católicas por el Derecho a Decidir, Argentina)

Panel: Marriage Equality
Nicolás Alessio (Catholic Bishop, Córdoba), Alan Eldrid (President of the United Evangelical Lutheran Church), Damián Setton (Researcher, Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas), María Rachid (Former President, Argentine LGBT Federation), Roberto González (Secretary of Religious Diversity, Argentine LGBT Federation).

Moderator: Hugo Rabbia (Researcher, CONICET)

Panel: Legalization of Abortion
Maria Teresa Bosio (Católicas por el Derecho a Decidir, Argentina), Frank de Nully Brown (Bishop, Evangelical Methodist Church of Argentina), Luciana Peker (Journalist, Página/12), Cecilia Merchán (Congresswoman, Province of Córdoba)

Moderators: Angélica Peñas Defago (Católicas por el Derecho a Decidir, Argentina), Diana Maffia (Legislator, Civic Coalition of Buenos Aires)

Panel: New Perspectives on Religion and Politics
Percepciones e iniciativas de sectores evangélicos en relación a las demandas de grupos de la diversidad sexual
Maria das Dores Campos Machado (Universidad Federal de Río de Janeiro)

Libertad religiosa versus libertad sexual?
Ann Pellegrini (NYU)

Rearticulaciones y estrategias: la identidad católica como posibilidad para los derechos sexuales
Juan Marco Vaggione (Universidad Nacional de Córdoba)

Moderators: Daniel Jones (Gino Germani, Universidad de Buenos Aires), Marcial Godoy Anativia (NYU)