Jill Biden Gives ‘International Women Of Courage Award’ To A Biological Man
By Rhonda Lee
During a ceremony held at the White House on Wednesday to celebrate International Women’s Day, the Biden administration awarded an International Women of Courage award to Alba Rueda, a biological man who identifies as a woman. Rueda is Argentina’s Special Envoy for Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity and the country’s first transgender politician to hold a senior governmental position. The award, which is intended for extraordinary women working to build a better future for all, was given to Rueda alongside ten other women by Secretary of State Antony Blinken and first lady Jill Biden.
As a transgender activist, Rueda has advocated for various woke policies in Argentina, including the Transgender Labor Quota Act, which requires 1% of public sector jobs in the nation to be staffed by people who identify as transgender. Rueda has also founded the group Argentina Trans Women and served as Argentina’s undersecretary for diversity policies in the Ministry of Women, Gender, and Diversity. In addition, the diplomat has campaigned to change the name of the National Women’s Conference to the “Plurinational Conference of Women and Lesbian, Cross-Dresser, Transgender, Bisexual, Intersex and Non-Binary Persons.” Rueda hopes to establish an LGBTQI+ foreign policy agenda and mainstream it into the various negotiation fora, including into multilateral fora and bilateral relations as well as represent the Global South.
Other recipients of the International Women of Courage award included Ethiopian journalist Meaza Mohammed, Jordan-based human rights activist Hadeel Abdel Aziz, and civil society activist Bakhytzhan Toregozhina. The State Department announced that the awardees would participate in an in-person International Visitor Leadership Program exchange to connect with American counterparts in cities across the United States and strengthen their global networks of women leaders.
The award, which was first given in 2007, is part of the White House’s celebration of International Women’s Day, a holiday that originated with socialists in the early 20th century. Communist nations such as the Soviet Union and the People’s Republic of China were among the first countries to recognize the holiday.
In April 2022, the Biden administration released a report highlighting its commitment to “inclusive democracy,” which included efforts to promote transgenderism worldwide. These efforts included hosting events featuring transgender activists from within the countries where Peace Corps operates, focusing on education. For example, for Peace Keepers raising awareness about Menstrual Hygiene Day, language was changed in an informational newsletter to say “women, girls, and others who menstruate.”
