LGBT Rights in Mexico - Discrimination and Pride

Discrimination and Pride

According to the first National Poll on Discrimination (2005) in Mexico (conducted by the CONAPRED), 48 percent of the Mexican people interviewed indicated that they would not permit a homosexual to live in their house. 95 percent of homosexuals interviewed indicated that in Mexico there was discrimination against them; four out of ten declared they were a victim of exclusionary acts; more than half said they felt rejected, and six out of ten felt their worst enemy was society.

LGBT social life thrives in the country's largest cities and resorts. The center of the Mexico City LGBT community is the Zona Rosa, where over 50 gay bars and dance clubs exist. Surrounding the nation's capital, there is a substantial LGBT culture in the State of Mexico (although some observers claim that gay life is more developed in Mexico's second largest city, Guadalajara). Other centers include border city Tijuana, northern city Monterrey, central cities Puebla and León, and major port city Veracruz. The popularity of gay tourism (especially in Puerto Vallarta, Cancún and elsewhere) has also drawn national attention to the presence of homosexuality in Mexico. Among young, urban heterosexuals, it has become popular to attend gay dance clubs and to have openly-gay friends.

In 1979, the country's first LGBT Pride Parade (also known as the LGBT Pride March) was held in Mexico City; it was attended by over 1,000 people . Ever since, it has been held each June with differents themes; it aims to bring visibility to sexual minorities, raise consciousness about AIDS and HIV, denounce homophobia and demand the creation of public policies such as the recognition of same-sex civil unions, same-sex marriages and the legalization of LGBT adoption. According to organizers, the XXXI LGBT Pride Parade was attended by over 350,000 people (100,000 more than its predecessor). In 2003, the first Lesbian Pride March was held in the nation's capital. In Guadalajara, well-attended LGBT Pride Parades have also been held each June since 1996. Consecutive LGBT Pride Parades have been held in Monterrey, Tijuana, Puebla, Veracruz, Xalapa, Cuernavaca, Tuxtla Gutiérrez, Acapulco, Chilpancingo and Mérida.