The Buenos Aires City government blocked access to a public sex education archive used by teachers of all education levels. The decision was made on the grounds that they will be carrying out an “exhaustive” and “neutral” content revision during the summer recess.

When trying to access educational materials labeled under “Integral Sex Education” (ESI, by its Spanish initials) on the city’s Education Ministry site, teachers found a paragraph explaining that the contents are being revised and will remain unavailable during the recess.

“All documents, images, videos, courses, activities and bibliography on this matter will be subject to a neutral study,” the short text added.

The message does not offer any details on how or why the contents are being revised. A Buenos Aires government spokesperson told the Herald that the information on the site is the only explanation they are offering at the moment.

Teacher and former BA City lawmaker Laura González Velasco, who is a member of the Federal Movement for More ESI, called the decision “extremely concerning.” 

“It is a censorship situation that goes against the law,” she told the Herald.

According to Velasco, the contents had already been partially unavailable “for months,” given the page showed broken links and errors.

A 2006 national law regulated the mandatory implementation of sex-ed in Argentina in all educational levels except for universities. The law created a program determining   age-appropriate content regarding sexuality and gender, describing integral sexual education as one that includes “biological, psychological, social, affective, and ethical aspects.” The BA City approved a similar guideline of its own that same year. The materials blocked from the website were created throughout the 18 years since that law has been in place.

Velasco, who currently works in the city’s Ombudsman Office, questioned the fact that the government claims to be carrying out a “neutral” revision.

“These are scientific materials, created plurally with people from academic, religious, social, and political sectors who are experts in the subject,” she said. “By saying it is a ‘neutral’ revision, they are indirectly accusing these materials of having an ideological bias.”

There is evidence that ESI classes have contributed to improving communication around these issues. According to an analysis conducted by the BA judiciary over the course of four months in 2019, 80% of children between 12 and 14 who decided to report that they were suffering abuse did so after a sex ed class.

For Velasco, the decision is related to the 2025 elections. “Buenos Aires City will have local elections, and the mayor [Jorge Macri] is trying to dispute the libertarian vote.” 

Macri belongs to right-wing party PRO, which has been in power in the city since 2007. And while PRO has been President Javier Milei’s main ally since he took office a year ago, his party La Libertad Avanza will likely compete against PRO in the city.

“This is a move to try and imitate some of the libertarians’ most reactionary positions,” Velasco said. “A state policy should not be undermined for electoral motives.”

Milei and his government have made direct attacks against ESI and other gender-related policies, saying it is a form of indoctrination. “If I was president, I would eliminate ESI, because it’s a tool that deforms people’s minds,” Milei said in an interview during his presidential campaign.

In November, Vice President Victoria Villarruel, who is also head of the Senate, attended a talk in the Upper House about “child sexualization,” which was focused on questioning the ESI law. Recently, Villarruel also accused Buenos Aires province Governor Axel Kicillof of subjecting children to “degradation and immorality” because of a literature program that includes books with sex scenes.

Since he became president, Milei eliminated the Women, Gender and Diversity Ministry and the INADI institute against discrimination, banned the use of gender-neutral language in official documents, and eliminated a program named ENIA that functioned alongside the ESI in helping prevent unwanted teen pregnancies.