Legalization of Same-Sex Marriage Spotlights Deep Social Divide in Mexico Joseph Winters - Harvard Political Review
go to original October 28, 2016

This September, the streets of Mexico filled with protesters, chanting L.G.B.T.-related slogans. However, contrary to the prevailing global trend, they were not chanting for equality; they were protesting President Enrique Peña Nieto’s recent proposal to legalize same-sex marriage nationwide. On the 24th, as many as 215,000 protesters united in the capital of Mexico City in what was one of the largest demonstrations in recent years. These events, supported by the country’s Catholic institutions and the Pope himself, have come as a hard shock to a city that has long been seen as a safe haven for L.G.B.T.-identifying people.

Despite Latin America’s history of conservative politics and religion, Mexico has emerged as one of the region’s leaders in liberal social policy. It has eased punishment for marijuana possession, and abortion is now legal in the capital. However, its legalization of same-sex marriage has demonstrated the deep social divide that still exists in the country. While the scene is brightening for Mexico’s L.G.B.T. population, the pro-equality policy movement—led by the president—must first reckon with a vocal opposition movement, headed by the Catholic Church.

President Enrique Peña Nieto is the first Mexican president to openly support same-sex marriage, and has been robustly engaged in a fight for L.G.B.T. rights since 2009, when Mexico City became the first Latin American city to legalize same-sex civil unions. In solidarity with Mexico’s L.G.B.T. community since then, Peña Nieto has appeared prominently at commemorations like the International Day Against Homophobia, signed initiatives to constitutionally protect L.G.B.T. rights, promised to work against discrimination and homophobia, and publicly posted pictures of his presidential residence illuminated in rainbow-colored lights. In May, the president even overlaid the rainbow flag onto his Twitter profile picture.

However, Peña Nieto’s support for the L.G.B.T. cause is not universally acclaimed. His party suffered losses this June in midterm governorship elections, some say precisely because of Peña Nieto’s stance on L.G.B.T. rights issues (in addition to a variety of other controversies surrounding his presidency). As Nieto has pushed marriage equality, many members of his largely socially-conservative Institutional Revolutionary Party have abandoned him, effectively putting Nieto’s L.G.B.T. rights agenda on hold.

Exacerbating this is the fact that a substantial part of Mexico’s population is socially conservative, in part due to historical ties to the Catholic Church, which continues to play a prominent role in Mexican culture. While the Catholic Church’s stance on same-sex marriage has somewhat varied from country to country, in Mexico it is one of the most outspoken opponents of the measure.

Read the rest at Harvard Political Review

Related: At LGBT Confex, Mexico City Told That Diversity and Inclusion Makes for ‘Smart Business’ (Gay Star News)

Related: Here’s Exactly Why a Vote for Trump Is a Vote Against LGBTQ Rights (HuffPost)

Photo: Wikipedia/Thelmadatter

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