The 1887 Argentine Penal Code criminalised sodomy as an outrage against good morals.

Before the legalisation of same-sex marriage in Argentina, several regions enacted civil unions starting with Buenos Aires City in 2002.

In 2008, Argentina would provide federal recognition to same-sex couples as unregistered cohabitations for pensions from their partners.

The Civil Code of Argentina in 1987 defined a marriage as being between a man and a woman under Law 23515, effectively banning same-sex marriage in Argentina until 2010.

The original Civil Code of Argentina did not explicitly define a marriage as being between a man and a woman until 1987. However, there was also no legal recognition provided to same-sex couples.

Since the end of the military dictatorship in 1983, there are no laws restricting the discussion or promotion of LGBTQ+ topics in Argentina on the federal level.

Province laws that punished public displays of homosexuality and crossdressing were repealed since the 1990s with the last one being repealed in Formosa in 2012.

However, there are still cases of trans people being arbitrarily arrested under laws in some provinces for "passing off as a member of the opposite sex" despite the laws being repealed and a ban on gender-neutral language in schools was passed in Buenos Aires City in 2022.

Since 1953, various provinces have passed discriminatory laws targeting LGBTIQ+ people and their expressions, starting with Catamarca. Laws would begin to be repealed in the 1990s and continued into the 21st century with Formosa being the last province to repeal such laws in 2012.

During the military dictatorship from 1976 to 1983, LGBTIQ+ people faced extreme persecution with the junta harassing people for their sexual orientation or gender identity.

Since 1932, persecution of LGBTIQ+ people started to become state policy as police edicts were issued that imprisoned homosexuals if they were travelling with a minor. This was often justified not as a persecution of homosexuality but as "protecting" minors across the country. This would further strengthen in the 1940s under Juan Peron into even more widespread discrimination by the government.

Since 1953, differing province laws on criminalising expression of homosexual and transgender people would come into effect.

Until 1932, there was no known attempt at censoring or restricting LGBTIQ+ topics or expression in Argentina.

Before 2012, trans people were required to undergo surgery to achieve legal gender recognition in Argentina. However, it wasn't until 1997 when the federal government provided legal recognition to a trans woman after previous requests for recognition were rejected by courts.

Until 1997, there was no legal gender recognition provided in Argentina with requests for gender marker changes refused and trans people criminalised.

Decree 62/2025 signed by President Javier Milei, in force since February 7, 2025, replaced article 11 of Law No. 26,743 on Gender Identity, with the following:

ARTICLE 11.- Right to free personal development. All persons over EIGHTEEN (18) years of age may, in accordance with article 1 of this law and in order to guarantee the enjoyment of their comprehensive health, access total and partial surgical interventions and/or comprehensive hormonal treatments to adapt their body, including their genitalia, to their self-perceived gender identity, without the need to request judicial or administrative authorization.

To access comprehensive hormonal treatments, it will not be necessary to prove the will in the surgical intervention of total or partial genital reassignment. In both cases, only the informed consent of the person will be required.

The public health system's effectors, whether state, private or part of the social security subsystem, must permanently guarantee the rights recognized by this law.

All health benefits contemplated in this article are included in the Mandatory Medical Plan, or the one that replaces it, as regulated by the implementing authority.

Persons under EIGHTEEN (18) years of age will not be able to access the interventions and treatments referred to in this article.

With the gender identity law passed in 2012, Argentina established access to gender affirming care as a right of transgender people.

In 2007 a judge ruled that minors could consent to GAC but the scope and availability of the process was unclear.

Medical transition is not possible as sterilisation was banned until 2006 under Article 19 of Law No. 17,132 in 1967 which explicitly prohibits medical professionals to not carry out surgical interventions that modify the sex of the patient.

Until 1967, there were no known bans on gender-affirming care in Argentina but a doctor was arrested for performing such in 1966.

In 2018, Mendoza became the first province in Argentina to provide legal recognition to nonbinary and intersex people. Argentina would provide federal recognition in 2021.

Until 2018, there was no legal recognition provided for nonbinary or intersex people anywhere in Argentina.

Argentina recognizes international convention on human rights. LGBT individuals are explicitly protected in the military code in 2009 but are not explicitly included in the general discrimination protection code except for sexual orientation in healthcare. Since 2015, some regions like Buenos Aires City have provided complete protections from discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation and gender identity.

In 1998, Buenos Aires City became the first region of Argentina to provide protections from discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation. Other provinces would provide the same but it wasn’t until 2009, that federal protections were enacted.

Until 1998, there were no protections from discrimination provided to LGBTIQ+ people anywhere in Argentina.

Until 1998, there were no protections from discrimination in employment provided to LGBTIQ+ people in any part of Argentina.

Until 1998, there were no protections from discrimination in housing provided to LGBTIQ+ people anywhere in Argentina.

Until 2010, there was no ability for same-sex couples to adopt in Argentina. However, LGBTIQ+ singles could adopt.

Following a military reform law by the Argentine parliament, LGBTIQ+ people can serve in the military since 2009.

The 1951 Argentine Military Justice Code did not explicitly ban LGBTIQ+ people from serving in the military but homosexual acts in the military were penalised until 2009.

In 2013, Buenos Aires City lifted the ban on blood donations from men who have sex with men. The rest of the nation would follow suit in 2015.

Federal regulations ban MSMs from donating blood, but it has been legal in the Autonomous City of Buenos Aires since July 2013.
A bill that would strike down the federal ban in other regions was passed by the lower house of Congress, but it was never considered by the Senate.

Until 2005, there were no known laws restricting or banning blood donations from men who have sex with men in Argentina.

Until 2010, conversion therapy was legal in Argentina.