Jill Biden: Who is Alba Rueda? Jill Biden award on Women's Day sparks discontent online

Alba Rueda, a transgender activist from Argentina, was given a special courage award by Jill Biden on International Women’s Day, i.e., March 8. However, the news was not received in a positive light by the public as they questioned why an award that was meant for women was given to a transwoman who was biologically born as a male.

According to a press release from the State Department, the annual International Women of Courage Awards ceremony held at the White House has honored 11 extraordinary women from all around the world who work in different fields to build a brighter future for everyone.

Rueda currently works as a Special Envoy for Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity in Argentina, as well as the country’s first transgender politician to achieve a senior governmental rank. She received the award from First Lady Jill Biden and Antony Blinken, Secretary of State, alongside 10 other women.

Alba Rueda has been long advocating for transgender work policies in Argentina

Alba Rueda began working for Argentina’s National Institute Against Discrimination, Xenophobia, and Racism (INADI) in 2006. She worked without pay for two years due to the disparity between her gender identity and her official birth paperwork.

However, she started publicly advocating for the formal recognition of her gender identity on her salary receipt, which was approved in 2008 by Cristina Fernández de Kirchner, the then-President of Argentina. Her national identity document was finally changed in 2019. The Archbishop of Salta was sued by Rueda as he refused to update her baptism certificate with the name she later chose for herself.

Alba Rueda previously served as the Undersecretary of Diversity Policies in the Ministry of Women, Genders, and Diversity in Argentina.

The diplomat has long advocated for transgender work policies in her country, including the Transgender Labor Quota Act, according to which 1% of public sector jobs in Argentina require to be staffed by employees who identify as transgender.

Alba Rueda has campaigned to change the name of Argentina’s National Women’s Conference and replace it with the “Plurinational Conference of Women and Lesbian, Cross-Dresser, Transgender, Bisexual, Intersex, and Non-Binary Persons”.

As stated in the press release by the State Department, Alba Rueda wishes to establish an LGBTQI+ foreign policy agenda and make it mainstream into various negotiations fora, including bilateral relations and multilateral fora as well as representing the Global South.

Netizens express utter discontent over Jill Biden honoring a transwoman with a women's courage award

U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken and First Lady Jill Biden were slammed by netizens on Twitter for presenting a biological male with an award that was meant for women, that too on International Women’s Day.

In Wednesday’s award ceremony, Alba Rueda was introduced as a:

“Transgender woman who was kicked out of classrooms, barred for sitting for exams, refused job opportunities, subjected to violence, and rejected by her family. But in the face of these challenges, she worked to end violence and discrimination against the LGBTQ plus community in Argentina.”

People balked at the fact that a transwoman who was born a male was bestowed with a woman’s award. Many criticized the First Lady and the Biden government for giving Alba Rueda the women's courage award.

Sarah Huckabee Sanders, the Governor of Arkansas, also joined the criticism and mocked the Democrats and wrote that they are incapable of determining if a person is a woman or a man. Dana Loesch, an American radio host, also tweeted that it was nice of Jill Biden to encourage diminishing women’s value on International Women’s Day. The radio host called the removal of women abusive.

Meanwhile, former congressional nominee and news commentator Karoline Leavitt asked why the Democrats were working extra to push the trans agenda. Jennifer Barreto-Leyva, a podcaster and member of the national editorial board at the Republican National Hispanic Assembly, called the awarding of Alba Rueda by Jill Biden unacceptable and disgraceful.

As of this writing, Alba Rueda, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken, and First Lady Jill Biden are yet to respond to the matter.

About the author

Amrita is a trends writer at SK POP. She completed her post-graduation in English Language and Literature and has a rich writing experience in covering diverse topics such as blockchain technology, product reviews, travel guides, subtitles, and pop culture. However, her personal interest has always been in popular culture, which has aided her with injecting fresh insights to her stories.

Amrita emphasizes familiarizing herself with the topic at hand before approaching it solely from a writer’s perspective. She usually takes the longer route in sifting through all available information online, and makes use of primary sources and verified/official social media handles to check for consistency in details.

In case of discrepancies, she delves deeper into the primary and secondary sources for clarification, choosing to let go of a detail in case its accuracy cannot be established. She supports this approach by centering objectivity in her reportage, keeping her tone neutral at all times.

When not obsessing over a particular detail in her report, Amrita can be found reading fiction or exploring new shows or movies.

Know More

Edited by Priya Majumdar