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| legal_status = Legal since 1871
| gender_identity_expression = Transgender persons can change their legal gender and name in Mexico City (since 2008).
| recognition_of_relationships = Same-sex marriage in 119 states (recognized nationwide). See [[Same-sex marriage in Mexico]] for more.
| recognition_of_relationships_restrictions =
| adoption = Joint adoption legal in Mexico City (2010), Chihuahua (2015), Coahuila (2014), Colima (2016), Michoacán (2016), Morelos (2016) and MichoacánVeracruz (2016)
| military =
| discrimination_protections = Sexual- orientation protection nationwide since 2003 ([[#Anti-discrimination laws|see below]])
}}
'''Lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender''' ('''LGBT''') '''rights in Mexico''' have expanded in recent years, in keeping with worldwide legal trends. The intellectual influence of the [[French Revolution]] and the brief [[French occupation of Mexico]] (1862–67) resulted in the adoption of the [[French Penal Code of 1791|Napoleonic Code]], which decriminalized same-sex sexual acts in 1871.<ref name="Dynes, Johansson, p. 806" /> Laws against public immorality or indecency, however, have been used to prosecute persons who engage in them.<ref name="Reding, p. 24">Reding, p. 24.</ref>{{Citation<ref needed|datename=June 2013}}"history"/>
 
Tolerance of sexual diversity in certain indigenous cultures is widespread, especially among [[Zapotec people|Isthmus Zapotecs]]<ref name="Reding, p. 17">Reding, p. 17.</ref> and [[Maya people|Yucatán Mayas]].<ref name="Dynes, Johansson, p. 805" />{{Citation<ref needed|datename=March 2014}}"Amaranta"/>
 
As the influence of foreign and domestic cultures (especially from more cosmopolitan areas like Mexico City) grows throughout Mexico, attitudes are changing.<ref name="opinion">{{Citationcite web|url=http://mexiconewsdaily.com/news/69-approve-epns-gay-marriage-changes/ |title=69% approve EPN’s gay marriage changes |publisher=Mexico News Daily needed|date=June30 May 20132016}}</ref> This is most marked in the [[Metropolitan areas of Mexico|largest metropolitan areas]], such as [[Greater Guadalajara|Guadalajara]], [[Greater Monterrey|Monterrey]], and [[Greater Tijuana|Tijuana]], where education and access to foreigners and foreign news media are greatest. Change is slower in the hinterlands, however, and even in large cities discomfort with change often leads to [[backlash (sociology)|backlash]]es.{{Citation<ref>[https://www.theguardian.com/world/2016/sep/11/mexicans-march-against-presidents-proposal-to-allow-same-sex-marriage needed|date=JuneThousands 2013}}march in Mexico against proposal to allow same-sex marriage] The Guardian</ref>
 
Since the early 1970s, influenced by the [[LGBT rights in the United States|United States gay liberation movement]]{{Citation needed|date=June 2013}} and the [[Tlatelolco massacre|1968 Tlatelolco massacre]],<ref name="history1"/> a substantial number of [[LGBT social movements|LGBT organizations]] has emerged. Visible and well-attended LGBT marches and [[pride parade]]s have occurred in Mexico City since 1979 and in Guadalajara since 1996.
 
On 3 June 2015, the [[Supreme Court of Justice of the Nation]] released a "jurisprudential thesis" in which the legal definition of marriage was changed to encompass same-sex couples. The articles in the constitution restricting marriage to a man and a woman were deemed unconstitutional by the court and thus every justice provider in the nation must validate same-sex unions, thus legalizing gay marriage. However, the process is lengthy as couples must request a jurisdiction from a judge, a process that can take significantly longer than the process for an opposite-sex wedding.
 
Political and legal gains have been made through the left-wing [[Party of the Democratic Revolution]], leftist minor parties such as the [[Labor Party (Mexico)|Labor Party]] and [[Convergence (Mexico)|Convergence]], and the centrist [[Institutional Revolutionary Party]]. They include the 2011 amendment to Article 1 of the [[Constitution of Mexico|Federal Constitution]] to prohibit discrimination based on [[sexual orientation]].<ref name="constitution">[http://www.diputados.gob.mx/LeyesBiblio/ref/dof/CPEUM_ref_194_10jun11.pdf DECRETO por el que se modifica la denominación del Capítulo I del Título Primero y reforma diversos artículos de la Constitución Política de los Estados Unidos Mexicanos]</ref><ref name="constitution1">[http://www.diputados.gob.mx/LeyesBiblio/proceso/lxi/117_DOF_10jun11.pdf DECRETO por el que se modifica la denominación del Capítulo I del Título Primero y reforma diversos artículos de la Constitución Política de los Estados Unidos Mexicanos - Proceso Legislativo]</ref> [[Same-sex marriage]]s are performed in [[Same-sex marriage in Mexico City|Mexico City]], [[Same-sex marriage in Campeche|Campeche]], [[Same-sex marriage in Chihuahua|Chihuahua]], [[Same-sex marriage in Coahuila|Coahuila]], [[Same-sex marriage in Colima|Colima]], [[Same-sex marriage in Guerrero|Guerrero]], [[Same-sex marriage in Jalisco|Jalisco]], [[Same-sex marriage in Michoacán|Michoacán]], [[Same-sex marriage in Morelos|Morelos]], [[Same-sex marriage in Nayarit|Nayarit]], and [[Same-sex marriage in Quintana Roo|Quintana Roo]], as well as in certain municipalities in [[Same-sex marriage in Guerrero|Guerrero]], [[Same-sex marriage in Querétaro|Querétaro]] and Puebla. Additionally, [[Civilcivil union]]s are performed in threeMexico additionalCity states,and whichthe arestates Colimaof Coahuila, Campeche, Jalisco and Michoacán.
 
==Timeline==
[[File:Same-sex marriage in Mexico.svg|thumb|260px360px|right|'''State recognition of same-sex relationships in Mexico''' {{legend|#002255|Same-sex marriage (SSM) legalized at the state level}}
{{legend|#CC9933|Legalization not implemented, though required by 5+ court orders supporting SSM}}
{{legend|#E4D69D|Partial precedent of 1–4 court orders supporting SSM}}]]
{{legend|#0066FF|Other type of partnership, with at least one court order supporting SSM}}
{{legend|#FFAAAA|No state law or court precedent, but recognition of SSM performed in other states under federal law}}
]]
 
* '''1542:''' At the time Hernan Cortés startedstartes his campaign in Cholula (now [[Cholula, Puebla]]), Amerindians homosexuality behavior varied from region to region, because he started in talks to them (''{{lang|es|hacer un parlamento}}'' translated from old Spanish) Cortés on behalf of his majesty the King of Spain ruled against sodomy and punish this act that also included rules against cannibalism, human sacrifice and other Gods idolatry.<ref name="Bernal Díaz, p. 30">Bernal Díaz, p. 30.</ref>
* '''1569:''' An official [[inquisition]] wasis created in Mexico City by [[Philip II of Spain]]. Same-sex sexual acts were a prime concern, and the Inquisition inflicted stiff fines, spiritual penances, public humiliations, and floggings for what it deemed to be sexual sins.<ref name="Dynes, Johansson, p. 805">Dynes, Johansson, p. 805.</ref>{{Citation<ref needed|datename=May"history">[http://gayinsacramento.com/Chron-44-page.wps.htm 2013}}GAY CHRONICLES FROM THE BEGINING OF TIME TO THE END OF WORLD WAR II]</ref>
* '''1821:''' [[Independence of Mexico|Mexican independence from Spain]] brought an end to the Inquisition and colonial homosexual persecution.<ref name="Dynes, Johansson, p. 806">Dynes, Johansson, p. 806.</ref>{{Citation<ref needed|datename=May 2013}}"history"/>
* '''1871:''' The intellectual influence of the [[French Revolution]] and the brief [[French occupation of Mexico]] (1862–67) resultedresults in the adoption of the [[French Penal Code of 1791|Napoleonic Code]]. This meant that [[Human sexual behavior|sexual conduct]] in private between adults (regardless of gender) ceased to be a criminal matter.<ref name="Dynes, Johansson, p. 806" />{{Citation<ref needed|datename=May 2013}}"history"/>
* '''1901:''' On November 20, Mexico City police raidedraids an affluent drag ball, arresting 42 men (19 of which were [[cross-dressing]]). One was released, allegedly a close relative of [[President of Mexico|President]] [[Porfirio Díaz]]. The resulting scandal, known as the "[[Dance of the Forty-One|Dance of the 41 Maricones]]", received widespread press coverage.<ref name="Dynes, Johansson, p. 806" />{{Citation<ref needed|datename=May 2013}}"history"/>
* '''1959:''' [[Head of Government of the Federal District|Mayor]] Ernesto Uruchurtu closed all [[gay bar]]s in Mexico City under the guise of "cleaning up vice" (or reducing its visibility).<ref name="Dynes, Johansson p. 807" />{{Citation<ref needed|datename=May"history1">[http://www.glbtqarchive.com/ssh/mexico_S.pdf 2013}}LGBTQ Histroy: Mexico]</ref>
* '''1971:''' The Homosexual Liberation Front (''Frente de Liberación Homosexual''), one of the first LGBT groups in Latin America, was organized in response to the firing of a [[Sears]] employee because of his (allegedly) homosexual behavior.<ref name="Dynes, Johansson p. 807" />{{Citation<ref needed|datename=May 2013}}"history1"/>
* '''1979:''' The country's first LGBT pride parade wasis held in Mexico City.<ref>[http://www.gaypedia.com/en/events/show/1205/Mexico-City-Gay-Pride-Orgullo-LGBT-Mexico-City "Mexico City Gay Pride/Orgullo LGBT Mexico City", ''Gaypedia'']</ref>
* '''1982:''' Max Mejía, Pedro Preciado, and Claudia Hinojosa becamebecome the first openly gay politicians to run for seats in the [[Congress of Mexico]].{{Citation<ref needed|datename=May"history2">[http://www.newschool.edu/wpi/globalrights/sexorient/1997-Mexico-gayrights.html 2013}}Mexico: Treatment of Homosexuals]</ref>
* '''1991:''' Mexico hostedhosts a meeting of the [[International Gay and Lesbian Association]], the first meeting of the association outside Europe.{{Citation<ref needed|datename=May 2013}}"history2"/>
* '''1997:''' [[Patria Jiménez]], a [[lesbian]] activist,{{Citation needed|date=May 2013}} wasis selected for [[proportional representation]] in the [[Chamber of Deputies of Mexico]], representing the left-wing [[Party of the Democratic Revolution]].<ref>[http://www.cnn.com/WORLD/9707/27/mexico.gays/ Mexican gays poised to make demands for change]</ref>
* '''1999''' (August): The first meeting of lesbians and lesbian feminists wasis held in Mexico City. From this meeting evolved an organized effort for expanded LGBT rights in the nation’s capital.{{Citation<ref needed|datename=May 2013}}"history2"/>
:(2 September): Mexico City passedpasses an ordinance banning discrimination based on sexual orientation, the first of its kind in the country.{{Citation<ref>[https://www.outrightinternational.org/content/mexico-city-protest-arbitrary-arrests-young-gay-men-zona-rosa-cuauhtemoc-district MEXICO CITY: PROTEST ARBITRARY ARRESTS OF YOUNG GAY MEN IN ZONA ROSA, needed|date=MayCUAUHTEMOC 2013}}DISTRICT]</ref>
* '''2000:''' Enoé Uranga, an openly lesbian politician, proposedproposes a bill that would have legalized [[same-sex union|same-sex civil unions]] in Mexico City. The local legislature, however, decideddecides not to enact the bill after widespread opposition from right-wing groups.{{Citation needed|date<ref>[http://www.laht.com/article.asp?ArticleId=May329653&CategoryId=14091 2013}}First Openly Gay Mayoral Candidate Runs in Mexico]</ref>
* '''2001:''' Article 1 of the [[Constitution of Mexico]] wasis amended to prohibit discrimination based on, among other factors, sexual orientation.
* '''2003''' (29 April): A federal anti-discrimination law wasis passed and a national council immediately created to enforce it.{{Citation<ref>[https://www.outrightinternational.org/content/mexico-shadow-report-violations-rights-lesbian-gay-bisexual-and-transgender-persons VIOLATIONS OF THE RIGHTS OF LESBIAN, GAY, BISEXUAL AND needed|date=MayTRANSGENDER 2013}}PERSONS]</ref>
:(July): Amaranta Gómez became the first transgender woman to run for a seat in the Congress of Mexico.{{Citation<ref needed|datename=May"Amaranta">[http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/940922/posts 2013}}Congress beckons as transvestite taps support for gay rights (Mexico)]</ref>
* '''2004''' (13 March): A change to the Mexico City Civil Code tooktakes effect that allows [[transgender|transgender people]] to change the gender and name on their birth certificates.<ref>[http://www.iglhrc.org/content/mexico-mexico-city-amends-civil-code-include-transgender-rights "Mexico: Mexico City Amends Civil Code to Include Transgender Rights", International Gay & Lesbian Human Rights Commission, 15 June 2004]</ref><ref>[http://www.globalrights.org/site/DocServer/LGBT_ICCPR_Shadow_Report_Mexico.pdf "The Violations of the Rights of Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Persons in Mexico: A Shadow Report", submitted to the United Nations Human Rights Committee by The International Human Rights Clinic, Human Rights Program of Harvard Law School; Global Rights; and the International Gay and Lesbian Human Rights Commission, March 2010, footnote 77, page 13]</ref>
* '''2006''' (9 November): Mexico City legalizedlegalizes [[Recognition of same-sex unions in Mexico|same-sex civil unions]].{{Citation<ref needed|datename=May"CDMX">[http://english.ohmynews.com/articleview/article_view.asp?menu=c10400&no=329768&rel_no=1 2013}}Mexico City Approves Same Sex Unions]</ref>
* '''2007''' (11 January): The northern state of [[Coahuila]] legalizedlegalizes same-sex civil unions.<ref>[http://www.towleroad.com/2007/01/mexican_state_o.html "Mexican State of Coahuila Legalizes Same-Sex Unions", ''Towleroad'', 12 January 2007]</ref>
:(31 January): The nation's first same-sex civil union ceremony wasis performed in [[Saltillo, Coahuila]].<ref name="Saltillo>[http://www.advocate.com/news/2007/02/02/lesbian-couple-registers-mexicos-first-same-sex-civil-union "Lesbian couple registers as Mexico's first same-sex civil union", ''The Advocate'', 2 February 2007]</ref>
 
[[File:EagleFloat2009MarchaDF.JPG|thumb|300px|[[Float (parade)|Float]] with [[Eagle warrior|Aztec Eagle Warrior]] theme at 2009 [[Pride Parade|LGBT Pride Parade]] in Mexico City.|alt=Gay-rights parade float with Aztec eagle-warrior theme]]
* '''2009''' (March) Miguel Galán, from the defunct [[Social Democratic Party (Mexico)|Social Democratic Party]], became the first openly gay politician to run for mayor in the country.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.jornada.unam.mx/2009/03/23/estados/031n3est|title=Miguel Galán: la preferencia sexual como bandera política|language=Spanish|date=23 March 2009|first=Juan Carlos|last=G. Partida|work=[[La Jornada]]|publisher=Desarrollo de Medios, S.A. de C.V}}</ref>
*:(21 December): Mexico City's [[Legislative Assembly of the Federal District|Legislative Assembly]] passed a bill legalizing [[Same-sex marriage in Mexico City|same-sex marriage]], [[LGBT adoption|adoption by same-sex couples]], loan applications by same-sex couples, inheritance from a same-sex partner, and the sharing of insurance policies by same-sex couples.<ref>[http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2009/dec/22/mexico-city-legalises-samesex-marriage name="We do: Mexico City blazes trail with legalisation of same-sex marriageBBC", ''The Guardian'', reported by Rory Carroll, 22 December 2009]</ref> Eight days later, [[Head of Government of the Federal District|Mayor]] [[Marcelo Ebrard]] signed the bill into law.<ref name="MexicoCity">{{Citationcite web| author=Mark Stevenson (Associated Press) |publisher=MSNBC |title=Mexico City enacts region's 1st gay marriage law needed|date=May29 2013December 2009 |url=http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/34514521/ns/world_news/ |accessdate=30 December 2009 |archivedate=2010-01-02 |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20100102102038/http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/34514521/ns/world_news}}</ref>
* '''2010''' (4 March): The same-sex marriage law tooktakes effect in Mexico City.<ref name="effect">[http://www.cnn.com/2010/WORLD/americas/03/04/mexico.argentina.gay.marriage/index.html "Mexico City law allowing same-sex unions takes effect", ''CNN World'', 4 March 2010]</ref>
:(5 August): The [[Supreme Court of Justice of the Nation]], the highest [[Federal government of Mexico#Judicial branch|federal court]] in the country, votedvotes 9–2 to uphold the constitutionality of Mexico City's same-sex marriage reform.{{Citation needed|date=May 2013}} Four days later, it upheldupholds the city's adoption law.{{Citation<ref>[http://dailycaller.com/2010/08/05/mexican-court-upholds-capitals-gay-marriage-law/ needed|date=MayMexican 2013}}court upholds capital’s gay marriage law]</ref>
* '''2011''' (24 November): The Coahuila [[State supreme court|supremeSupreme courtCourt]] struckstrikes down the state's law barring same-sex couples from adopting, urging the state's legislatureLegislature to amend the adoption law as soon as possible.{{Citation<ref needed|datename=May"Coahuila 2013Court> {{es icon}} [http://ajuaa.com/?p=54387 Adopción gay será posible en Coahuila]</ref>
:(28 November): Two same-sex couples wereare [[Same-sex marriage in Quintana Roo|married]] in Kantunilkin, [[Quintana Roo]], after discovering that Quintana Roo's Civil Code does not specify gender requirements for marriage.<ref name="QR marriages legal">{{cite web | author=[[EFE]] | publisher=Fox News Latino | title=Cancun Plans to Pass Gay Marriage Bill to Attract Tourists | date=29 December 2011 | url=http://latino.foxnews.com/latino/lifestyle/2011/12/29/cancun-plans-to-pass-gay-marriage-bill-to-attract-tourists/ | accessdate=2 January 2012}}</ref>
* '''2012''' (January): Same-sex marriages wereare suspended in Quintana Roo pending legal review by Luis González Flores, the Secretary of State of Quintana Roo.<ref name="QR marriages annulled">{{cite web | url=http://www.proceso.com.mx/?p=304595 | work=[[Proceso (magazine)|Proceso]] | publisher=Comunicación e Información, S.A. de C.V | title=Anula gobernador de Quintana Roo dos bodas gay; lo acusan de homofóbico | language=Spanish|date=17 April 2012 | accessdate=18 April 2012 | first=Rosa |last=Santana}}</ref> the secretary of state of Quintana Roo.<ref name="QR marriages suspended">{{cite news | title=Gay Marriage In Cancun, Mexico Suspended | url=http://www.ontopmag.com/article.aspx?id=10623&MediaType=1&Category=24 | publisher=On Top Magazine | date=12 January 2012 | accessdate=14 January 2012}}</ref>
:(April): [[Roberto Borge Angulo]], the [[governorGovernor of Quintana Roo]], annulled the two same-sex marriages performed in Kantunilkin.<ref name="QR marriages annulled"/>
:(3 May): Luis González Flores reversedreverses Borge Angulo's annulments in a decision allowing for future [[Same-sex marriage in Quintana Roo|same-sex marriages to be performed in Quintana Roo]].<ref name="QR marriages reinstated">{{cite web | title=Matrimonio gay celebra su unión en QRoo | language=Spanish|work=[[El Universal (Mexico City)|El Universal]] | publisher=El Universal Compañia Periodística Nacional S.A. de C.V. | date=5 June 2012 | first=Adriana | last=Varillas | accessdate=11 June 2012 | url=http://www.eluniversal.com.mx/notas/851544.html}}</ref>
* '''2012''' :(December): The Supreme Court in Mexico City struckstrikes down a Oaxaca state law that had limited marriage to one man and one woman for purposes of procreation.<ref>[http://www.proceso.com.mx/?p=327044 "Corte abre puerta para matrimonios gay en el país", ''Proceso'', 5 December 2012]</ref>
* '''2013''' (27 February): The first same-sex marriage licenses wereare issued in the state of [[Colima]], after officials cited the state constitution, which prohibits discrimination due to sexual preference, and the Supreme Court ruling that struck down Oaxaca state's gay marriage ban. Although same-sex marriage is not officially law in Colima state, a same-sex couple can apply for and receive a marriage license.<ref name="First Colima">[http://purpleunions.com/blog/2013/03/mexico-first-gay-wedding-held-in-colima.html "Mexico: First Gay Wedding Held in Colima", ''Gay Marriage Watch'', 23 March 2013]</ref><ref>[http://justiceinmexico.org/2013/05/08/first-gay-marriage-celebrated-in-oaxaca-following-supreme-courts-december-ruling "First gay marriage celebrated in Oaxaca following Supreme Court's December ruling", Justice in Mexico Project, 8 May 2013]</ref>
:(March 22 March): First [[Same-sex marriage in Oaxaca|same-sex marriage occurredoccurs in Oaxaca]].<ref>[http://noticias.terra.com.mx/mexico/estados/oaxaca-celebra-su-primera-boda-gay-tras-fallo-de-scjn,cf5e81d1513bd310VgnVCM20000099cceb0aRCRD.html "Oaxaca celebra su primera boda gay tras fallo de SCJN", ''Terra'', 28 March 2013]</ref>
:(June 14 June): The Second Federal District Court of the State of Colima ruledrules that the State Civil Code is unconstitutional in limiting marriage to opposite-sex couples.<ref>[http://www.diarioavanzadaproceso.com.mx/inicio/index.php?optionp=com_content&view=article&id=19966:inconstitucional-prohibicion-de-matrimonios-345289 Abogado oaxaqueño logra que se consume matrimonio gay- en-colima-juzgado-federal&catid=75:localcl&Itemid=139 Colima]{{dead link|date=April 2014}}</ref>
:(July 1 July): The Third District Court of the State of Yucatán ruledrules that two petitioners were able to marry. Martha Góngora, director of the civil registry of the state, said the decision would be reviewed and might be returned to the court. Jorge Fernández Mendiburu, defense counsel in the case, indicated that if the registrar refused to complete the marriage, the case would be brought before the Supreme Court of Justice with a request for the state law limiting marriage to one man and one woman to be declared unconstitutional.<ref>[http://www.vanguardia.com.mx/avanzamatrimonioigualitarioenyucatan-1776147.html "Avanza matrimonio igualitario en Yucatán", ''Vanguardia'', 3 Julio 2013]</ref><ref>[http://www.diariolaverdad.com.mx/pareja-gay-le-gana-a-las-leyes-en-yucatan-y-se-podra-casar/252773 "Pareja gay le gana a las leyes en Yucatán y se podrá casar", ''La Verdad'', 3 Julio 2013]</ref>
:(4 July): The state of Colima amends its Constitution to allow for same-sex civil unions.<ref>[http://mexico.cnn.com/nacional/2013/07/04/congreso-de-colima-aprueba-uniones-civiles-entre-personas-del-mismo-sexo Congreso de Colima aprueba uniones civiles entre personas del mismo sexo]</ref>
:(August 8): Two men become the first same-sex couple to legally marry in the state of [[Yucatán (state)|Yucatán]].<ref>http://www.buzzfeed.com/lesterfeder/first-same-sex-couple-to-marry-in-mexicos-yucatan-state</ref>
:(8 August): Two men become the first same-sex couple to legally marry in the state of [[Yucatán (state)|Yucatán]].<ref>[http://www.buzzfeed.com/lesterfeder/first-same-sex-couple-to-marry-in-mexicos-yucatan-state First Same-Sex Couple To Marry In Mexico’s Yucatan State]</ref>
:(December 23): Campeche legalized the civil union called 'Sociedades de Convivencia' <ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.sdpnoticias.com/gay/2013/12/23/legalizan-bodas-gays-en-campeche |title=Legalizan bodas gays en Campeche |publisher=SDP Noticias |date=2013-12-23 |accessdate=2014-04-05}}</ref>
:(23 December): Campeche legalizes same-sex and opposite-sex civil unions.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.sdpnoticias.com/gay/2013/12/23/legalizan-bodas-gays-en-campeche |title=Legalizan bodas gays en Campeche |publisher=SDP Noticias |date=2013-12-23 |accessdate=2014-04-05}}</ref>
*'''2014''' (February 11) Coahuila Congress approved adoption by same-sex couples, by repealing Article 385-7 of the Civil Code.<ref>http://www.milenio.com/region/Congreso_de_Coahuila-adopcion_gay-PAN_contra_adopcion_gay_0_243576136.html</ref>
*'''2014''' (1 January): A law allowing for same-sex civil unions in Jalisco takes effect.<ref>[http://www.mexicogulfreporter.com/2013/10/same-sex-civil-unions-approved-in.html Same sex civil unions now approved in Jalisco - but they won't be called marriage]</ref>
:(March 21): [[Mexico]] declared, by Presidential Decree, May 17 as the National Day Against Homophobia.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.presidencia.gob.mx/decreto-por-el-que-se-declara-17-de-mayo-dia-nacional-de-la-lucha-contra-la-homofobia/|publisher=Presidencia de México|accessdate=14 May 2014}}</ref> See [[International Day Against Homophobia, Biphobia and Transphobia]].
:(September11 1February): CoahuilaThe Congress approvedof sameCoahuila approves adoption by same-sex marriagecouples, by changingrepealing theArticle civil code385-7 of the stateCivil Code.<ref name="Coahuila1">[http://www.excelsiormilenio.com.mx/nacionalregion/2014/09/01/979406Congreso_de_Coahuila-adopcion_gay-PAN_contra_adopcion_gay_0_243576136.html Aprueban adopciόn gay en Coahuila]</ref>
:(21 March): [[Mexico]] declares, by presidential decree, May 17 as the National Day Against Homophobia.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.presidencia.gob.mx/decreto-por-el-que-se-declara-17-de-mayo-dia-nacional-de-la-lucha-contra-la-homofobia/ |title=Decreto por el que se declara 17 de Mayo dia nacional de la lucha contra la homofobia|publisher=Presidencia de México|accessdate=14 May 2014}}</ref> See [[International Day Against Homophobia, Biphobia and Transphobia]].
*'''2015''' (February 26), the Constitutional Court of the State of Yucatán announced that it will decide on 2 March whether state prohibitions against same sex marriage are in violation of the federal constitution and international agreements.
:(September 1): The Congress of Coahuila legalizes same sex marriage, by changing the Civil Code of the state.<ref name="Coahuila"/>
:(March 2): the constitutional court of Yucatán dismissed the appeal for constitutional action to change the Civil Code. Supporters of amending the code have promised to appeal the decision.
*'''2015''' (26 February): the Constitutional Court of the State of Yucatán announces that it will decide on 2 March whether state prohibitions against same sex marriage are in violation of the federal constitution and international agreements.
:(June 3): The Supreme Court of Justice of the nation releases a "jurisprudential thesis" expanding the definition of marriage to encompass same-sex couples as state laws restricting it were deemed unconstitutional and discriminatory.<ref name="Independent">[http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/mexico-legalises-samesex-marriage-10319898.html "Mexico effectively legalizes same-sex marriage", ''The Independent'', 15 June 2015]</ref>
:(2 March): The Constitutional Court of Yucatán dismisses the appeal for constitutional action to change the Civil Code. Supporters of amending the code have promised to appeal the decision.
:(June 12): The state of Chihuahua became the third state to legalize same-sex marriage after the governor announced that his administration would no longer oppose same-sex marriages within the state. The order was effective immediately.<ref>{{citation|title=Mexico state of Chihuahua officially approves same-sex marriage|date=2015-06-12|url=http://www.gaystarnews.com/article/mexico-state-chihuahua-officially-approves-same-sex-marriage120615}}</ref><ref>{{citation|title=Mexican state to allow same-sex marriage|
:(3 June): The Supreme Court of Justice of the nation releases a "jurisprudential thesis" expanding the definition of marriage to encompass same-sex couples as state laws restricting it were deemed unconstitutional and discriminatory.<ref name="Independent">[http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/mexico-legalises-samesex-marriage-10319898.html "Mexico effectively legalizes same-sex marriage", ''The Independent'', 15 June 2015]</ref>
date=2015-06-12|url=http://www.washingtonblade.com/2015/06/12/mexican-state-to-allow-same-sex-marriage/}}</ref>
:(12 June): The state of Chihuahua legalizes same-sex marriage and adoption after the Governor announced that his administration would no longer oppose same-sex marriages within the state. The order was effective immediately.<ref name="Chihuahua">{{cite web|title=Mexico state of Chihuahua officially approves same-sex marriage|date=2015-06-12|url=http://www.gaystarnews.com/article/mexico-state-chihuahua-officially-approves-same-sex-marriage120615}}</ref>
:(July 10): The state of Guerrero became the fourth state to legalize same-sex marriage after the governor instructed civil agencies to approve same-sex marriage licenses.<ref name=hello>{{cite web|url=http://www.rawstory.com/2015/07/acapulco-holds-mass-gay-wedding-on-beach/|title=Acapulco holds mass gay wedding on beach|publisher=Raw Story|date=10 July 2015|work=Agence France-Presse|author=Allan Garcia}}</ref> Later that day, 20 same-sex couples were married by the Governor Rogelio Ortega in Acapulco.<ref name="marriages accompished!">{{cite news|title=Se casan 20 parejas en boda colectiva de personas del mismo sexo en Guerrero|url=http://suracapulco.mx/archivos/289751|accessdate=11 July 2015|publisher=El Sur|date=11 July 2015|location=Acapulco, Mexico|language=Spanish}}</ref>
:(10 July): The state of Guerrero becomes the fourth state to legalize same-sex marriage after the state Governor instructed civil agencies to approve same-sex marriage licenses.<ref name="Guerrero">{{cite web|url=http://www.rawstory.com/2015/07/acapulco-holds-mass-gay-wedding-on-beach/|title=Acapulco holds mass gay wedding on beach|publisher=Raw Story|date=10 July 2015|work=Agence France-Presse|author=Allan Garcia}}</ref>
:(21 July): The municipality of [[Santiago de Querétaro]] stops enforcing Querétaro's same-sex marriage ban and allows same-sex couples to marry in the municipality.<ref>[https://rotativo.com.mx/noticias/metropoli/queretaro/430808-en-queretaro-parejas-homosexuales-ya-no-necesitan-amparo-para-casarse/ En Querétaro parejas homosexuales ya no necesitan amparo para casarse]</ref>
:(11 August): The Mexican Supreme Court rules, in a 9-1 decision, that Campeche's ban on same-sex couples adopting children is unconstitutional.<ref name="adoptionruling1">[http://www.advocate.com/mexico/2015/08/12/mexican-supreme-court-strikes-down-gay-adoption-ban Mexican Supreme Court Strikes Down Adoption Ban]</ref>
:(7 September): The Congress of Michoacán legalizes domestic partnerships for same-sex couples.<ref>[http://lajornadamichoacan.com.mx/2015/08/anadiran-al-codigo-familiar-del-estado-la-figura-de-sociedades-de-convivencia Añadirán al Código Familiar del estado la figura de “sociedades de convivencia”]</ref>
:(22 December): Same-sex marriage becomes legal in the state of Nayarit.<ref name="Nayarit">[http://www.sggnay.gob.mx/periodico_oficial/pdfs/D%20221215%20%2802%29.pdf Periodico Oficial, Organo Del Gobierno Del Estado De Nayarit]</ref>
*'''2016''' (26 January): The Mexican Supreme Court unanimously strikes down Jalisco's same-sex marriage ban.<ref name="Jalisco">[http://www.joemygod.com/2016/01/26/mexico-same-sex-marriage-legalized-in-jalisco-state-after-unanimous-ruling-by-supreme-court/ MEXICO: Same-Sex Marriage Legalized In Jalisco State After Unanimous Ruling By Supreme Court]</ref>
:(5 May): Colima repeals it civil union law as well as its constitutional ban on same-sex marriage.<ref>[http://www.proceso.com.mx/439893/colima-deroga-13-meses-despues-articulo-que-excluia-a-parejas-gay-del-matrimonio Colima deroga, 13 meses después, artículo que excluía a parejas gay del matrimonio]</ref>
:(12 May): The Congress of Jalisco complies with the Supreme Court decision and amends the state Civil Code.<ref>{{es icon}} [http://www.mural.com/aplicacioneslibre/preacceso/articulo/default.aspx?id=842369&urlredirect=http://www.mural.com/aplicaciones/articulo/default.aspx?id=842369 Quieren gays adopter]</ref>
:(17 May): The Mexican President, [[Enrique Peña Nieto]], announces that he has signed an initiative to amend Article 4 of the [[Constitution of Mexico|Mexican Constitution]], which would legalize same-sex marriage nationwide.<ref>[http://bigstory.ap.org/article/288fdb745ac847d281015e5e64c0c2b6/mexican-president-proposes-legalizing-gay-marriage Mexican president proposes legalizing gay marriage]</ref>
:(20 May): Same-sex marriage becomes legal in Campeche, after the state Congress legalized such marriages in a 34-1 vote 10 days prior.<ref name="Campeche">{{cite web|url=https://theperchybird.wordpress.com/2016/05/10/mexico-campeche-becomes-7th-state-with-same-sex-marriage/|title=Mexico: Campeche Becomes 7th Mexican State with Same-Sex Marriage|date=10 May 2016|work=The Perchy Bird Blog}}</ref>
:(12 June): Same-sex marriage and adoption become legal in the state of Colima.<ref name="Colima">[http://www.periodicooficial.col.gob.mx/p/11062016/sup02/26061104.pdf DECRETO No. 103 Colima, Col., Sábado 11 de Junio del año 2016]</ref>
:(23 June): A bill allowing for legal same-sex marriages and adoptions comes into effect in Michoacán.<ref name="Michoacan">{{es}} [http://michoacantrespuntocero.com/ahora-si-michoacan-entre-los-8-estados-que-permiten-matrimonios-igualitarios Ahora sí, Michoacán entre los 8 estados que permiten matrimonios igualitarios]</ref>
:(5 July): A reform to the Constitution of Morelos, which would legalize same-sex marriage and adoption in the state, takes effect.<ref name="Morelos">{{es}} [http://periodico.morelos.gob.mx/periodicos/2016/5408.pdf PERIÓDICO OFICIAL “TIERRA Y LIBERTAD” 04 de julio de 2016]</ref>
:(11 September): The head of Veracruz's adoption agency announces that same-sex couples may adopt children jointly in the state.<ref name="Veracruz">{{es icon}} [http://www.elmundodecordoba.com/index.php/local/local-conten-izq/11132-sin-adoptar-parejas-del-mismo-genero Sin adoptar parejas del mismo género]</ref>
:(18 September): The municipality of [[San Pedro Cholula]], located in the state of Puebla, announces that any same-sex couples who wish to marry may do so in the municipality.<ref>[http://municipiospuebla.mx/nota/2016-09-18/san-pedro-cholula/san-pedro-abre-las-puertas-al-matrimonio-entre-personas-del-mismo San Pedro abre las puertas al matrimonio entre personas del mismo sexo]</ref>
:(23 September): The Mexican Supreme Court finalises the ruling in the adoption case against Campeche and issues a nationwide jurisprudence which binds all lower court judges to rule in favor of same-sex couples seeking adoption and parental rights.<ref name="adoption">{{es icon}} [http://www.debate.com.mx/mexico/Parejas-del-mismo-sexo-podran-adoptar-en-Campeche-20160926-0134.html Parejas del mismo sexo podrán adoptar en Campeche]</ref>
:(26 September): The state of Campeche lifts its same-sex adoption ban.<ref name="adoption"/>
 
==History==
Line 89 ⟶ 103:
[[File:AmInt2009MarchaGayDF.JPG|thumb|250px|LGBT marchers demanding equality at the 2009 [[Pride Parade|LGBT Pride Parade]] in Mexico City|alt=Gay-pride marchers on a street, with yellow banner and clothing]]
 
During the early 1970s, influenced by the [[Stonewall riots|U.S. gay liberation movement]]{{Citation needed|date=June 2016}} and the 1968 [[Tlatelolco massacre]],<ref name="history1"/> small political and cultural groups were formed. Initially, they were strongly linked to the [[left-wing|political left]] and, to a degree, [[feminism|feminist organizations]]. One of the first LGBT groups in Latin America was the Homosexual Liberation Front (''Frente de Liberación Homosexual''), organized in 1971 in response to the firing of a [[Sears]] employee because of his allegedly-homosexual behavior in Mexico City.<ref name="Dynes, Johansson p. 807" /><ref name="Herrick and Stuart, p. 144">Herrick and Stuart, p. 144.</ref>
 
The Homosexual Front of Revolutionary Action (''Frente Homosexual de Acción Revolucionaria'') protested the 1983 roundups in [[Guadalajara, Jalisco]].<ref name="Dynes, Johansson p. 807">Dynes, Johansson, Percy and Donaldson, p. 807.</ref> The onset of AIDS during the mid-1980s created considerable debate and public discussion about homosexuality. Many voices, both supportive and opposing (such as the [[Roman Catholic Church]]), participated in public discussions that increased awareness and understanding of homosexuality. LGBT groups were instrumental in initiating programs to combat AIDS, which was a shift in focus that curtailed (at least temporarily) the emphasis on gay organizing.<ref name="Herrick and Stuart, p. 144"/>
Line 98 ⟶ 112:
 
Visible (and well-attended) [[Pride Parade|LGBT marches and pride parades]] have been held in Mexico City since 1979 and in Guadalajara since 1996, the country's largest cities.<ref name="Herrick and Stuart, p. 144"/> In 2001, Article 1 of the [[Constitution of Mexico|Federal Constitution]] was amended to prohibit discrimination based (among other factors) on sexual orientation under the vague term ''preferences''. On 11 June 2003, an anti-discrimination federal law took effect, creating a national council to enforce it.<ref name="CONAPRED, official website">CONAPRED, official website.</ref> The same year, Amaranta Gómez ran as the first transgender congresswoman candidate affiliated with the former [[Mexico Posible]] party.<ref>{{cite web | author=Maggie Van Ostrand | publisher=Mex Connect | title=The shrewdness of Mexican women | date=1 July 2005 | url=http://www.mexconnect.com/articles/1006-the-shrewdness-of-mexican-women | accessdate=27 November 2009}}</ref> In June 2011, more precise term "sexual preferences" was inserted into the Article 1 of the Constitution.
 
In 2006, Mexico City legalized [[Same-sex marriage in Mexico|same-sex civil unions]], the third [[Latin American]] jurisdiction to do so after [[Buenos Aires]] and [[Río Negro Province|Río Negro]] in 2003. The law allows [[same-sex couples]] [[inheritance]] and [[pension]] rights.<ref name="Mexico City passes gay union law">{{cite news | publisher=BBC News | title=Mexico City passes gay union law | date=10 November 2009 | url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/6134730.stm | accessdate=27 November 2009}}</ref> The following year, the northern state of [[Coahuila]] legalized [[Same-sex marriage in Mexico|same-sex civil unions]].<ref>{{cite web | author=Juan Montano | publisher=The Washington Post | title=Lesbians Register Mexico's 1st Gay Union | date=31 January 2007 | url=http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/01/31/AR2007013102502.html | accessdate=27 November 2009}}</ref> In 2008, the PRD-controlled Legislative Assembly approved a law allowing transgender people to change their legal gender and name in Mexico City.<ref name="International Lesbian and Gay Association ILGA Trans">{{cite web | author=International Lesbian and Gay Association (ILGA) Trans | title=Mexico City extends official rights to transgender individuals | date=29 August 2008 | url=http://trans.ilga.org/trans/welcome_to_the_ilga_trans_secretariat/news/mexico_mexico_city_extends_official_rights_to_transgender_individuals | accessdate=27 November 2009}}</ref>
 
In December 2009, Mexico City's [[Legislative Assembly of the Federal District|Legislative Assembly]] passed a bill legalizing same-sex marriage and adoption by same-sex couples in the jurisdiction, which became effective in early March 2010.<ref name="LA Times"/><ref name="Gay Marriage Legal">{{cite news | agency=Associated Press | publisher=MSNBC | title=Mexico City’s gay marriage law takes effect | date=4 March 2010 | url=http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/35714490/ns/world_news-americas/#storyContinued | accessdate=6 March 2010}}</ref> In May 2012, a decision by Quintana Roo Secretary of State Luis González Flores<ref name="QR marriages annulled" /> allowed for same-sex marriages to be performed in Quintana Roo.<ref name="QR marriages reinstated" />
 
LGBT people in Mexico have organized in a variety of ways: through local organizations, marches, and the development of the Commission to Denounce Hate Crimes. Mexico has a thriving [[LGBT social movements|LGBT movement]] with organizations in [[Metropolitan areas of Mexico|various large cities]] throughout the country and numerous LGBT publications (most prominently in Mexico City, Guadalajara, [[Monterrey]], [[Tijuana]], and [[Puebla, Puebla|Puebla]]), the majority at the local level (since national efforts often disintegrate before gaining traction).<ref name="Padilla, p. 208">Padilla, p. 208.</ref>
 
==Recognition of same-sex relationships==
==Anti-discrimination laws==
On April 29, 2003, the [[Congress of Mexico|Federal Congress]] unanimously passed the "Federal Law to Prevent and Eliminate Discrimination", including [[sexual orientation]] as a protected category. The law, which went into effect on June 11, 2003, created the [[National Council to Prevent Discrimination]] to enforce it.<ref name="Federal Law">{{cite web | author=International Gay and Lesbian Human Rights Commission | title=Mexico protects its gay and lesbian citizens with new law | date=23 April 2003 | url=http://www.thefreelibrary.com/Mexico+protects+its+gay+and+lesbian+citizens+with+new+law.-a0108149079 | accessdate=27 November 2009}}</ref> Mexico became the second country in Latin America, after [[LGBT rights in Ecuador|Ecuador]], to provide anti-discrimination protection for [[LGBT|lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people]].<ref name="Federal Law"/> Article 4 of the law defines [[discrimination]] as:
{{quotation
|"Every distinction, exclusion or restriction based on ethnic or national origin, sex, age, disability, social or economic status, health, pregnancy, language, religion, opinion, sexual preferences, civil status or any other, that impedes recognition or enjoyment or fights and real equality in terms of opportunities for people."
|Article 4, Federal Law to Prevent and Eliminate Discrimination<ref name="Federal Law"/>}}
Article 9 defines "discriminatory behavior" as:
{{quotation
|"Impeding access to [[public education|public]] or [[private education]]; prohibiting free choice of employment, restricting access, permanency or promotion in employment; denying or restricting information on reproductive rights; denying medical services; impeding participation in civil, political or any other kind of organizations; impeding the exercise of property rights; offending, ridiculing or promoting violence through messages and images displayed in communications media; impeding access to social security and its benefits; impeding access to any public service or private institution providing services to the public; limiting freedom of movement; exploiting or treating in an abusive or degrading way; restricting participation in sports, recreation or cultural activities; incitement to hatred, violence, rejection, ridicule, defamation, slander, persecution or exclusion; promoting or indulging in physical or psychological abuse based on [[physical appearance]] or dress, talk, mannerisms or for openly acknowledging one's sexual preferences."
|Article 9, Federal Law to Prevent and Eliminate Discrimination<ref name="Federal Law"/>}}
 
CONAPRED is an [[government agency|organ of state]] created by "federal law to prevent and eliminate discrimination", adopted on April 29, 2003, and published in the [[Diario Oficial de la Federación]] on June 11. The Council is the leading institution for promoting policies and measures contributing to cultural development and social progress in social inclusion and the right to [[social equality|equality]], which is the first fundamental right in the [[Constitution of Mexico|Federal Constitution]].<ref name="CONAPRED, official website"/>
 
CONAPRED is also responsible for receiving and resolving grievances and complaints of alleged discriminatory acts committed by private individuals or federal authorities in carrying out their duties. CONAPRED also protects citizens with any distinction (or exclusion), based on any aspect mentioned in Article 4 of the federal law.<ref name="CONAPRED, official website"/> The Council has [[legal personality]], owns property, and is part of the [[Secretaría de Gobernación|Interior Ministry]]. Technical and management decisions are independent for its resolutions on claims and complaints.<ref name="CONAPRED, official website"/>
 
It is unclear if the anti-discrimination policy applies to the Mexican Armed Forces.{{Citation needed|date=May 2013}} The Uniform Code of Military justice does not expressly discriminate on the basis of sexual orientation. Openly gay or bisexual servicemen and women, however, are reportedly often harassed and strongly "encouraged" to resign.{{Citation needed|date=May 2013}} The UCMJ does have vague laws against servicemen and women engaging "bad manners" or "immorality", which can be used to unfairly punish or otherwise harass gay or bisexual servicemen and women.{{Citation needed|date=May 2013}} When asked, several retired generals stated that the policy, during their tenure, was to strongly encourage them to resign or to use the vague rules against immorality to remove them on bad conduct discharge.<ref>[http://www.msemanal.com/node/3117] {{wayback|url=http://www.msemanal.com/node/3117 |date=20120314121503 |df=y }}</ref>
 
==Anti-LGBT violence==
[[File:GayMarriage2009MarchaDF.JPG|thumb|250px|LGBT marchers denouncing [[hate crime]]s based on sexual orientation at 2009 [[Pride Parade|LGBT Pride Parade]] in Mexico City|alt=Male gay-pride marchers, with signs and rainbow flags]]
 
Same-sex sexual acts are legal in Mexico, but LGBT people have been prosecuted through the use of legal codes that regulate obscene or lurid behavior (''atentados a la moral y las buenas costumbres''). Over the past twenty years, there have been reports of [[violence]]<ref>[http://www.notiese.org/notiese.php?ctn_id=2055 ]</ref> against gay men, including the murders of openly gay men in Mexico City and of [[transvestite]]s in the southern state of [[Chiapas]]. Local activists believe that these cases often remain unsolved, blaming the police for a lack of interest in investigating them and for assuming that gays are somehow responsible for attacks against them.<ref name="Herrick and Stuart, p. 144"/>
 
In mid-2007, Emilio Alvarez Icaza Longoria (chairman of the Human Rights Commission of Mexico City) said he was deeply concerned that Mexico City had the worst record for [[homophobia|homophobic]] [[hate crime]]s, with 137 such crimes reported between 1995 and 2005.<ref name="Homophobia"/> Journalist and author (''Homophobia, Hate, Crime and Justice 1995–2005'') Fernando del Collado affirmed that during the decade covered by his book, 387 [[hate crime]]s due to [[homophobia]] were committed in Mexico (98 percent of which remain unprosecuted).<ref name="Homophobia"/>
 
Del Collado expressed his concern about a lack of prosecution and reported that according to the Citizens Commission Against Hate Crime because of Homophobia (CCCOH), three homosexuals are murdered per month in Mexico.<ref name="Homophobia"/> Del Collado indicated that between 1995 and 2005, 126 homosexuals were murdered in Mexico City. Of those, 75 percent were reclaimed by their families. In 10 percent of the cases, families identified the victim but did not reclaim their bodies (which were buried in common graves) and the remaining 5 percent were never identified.<ref name="Homophobia"/><!-- Adds up to 90 percent, not 100; unfortunately, I can't read Spanish. -->
 
Former assistant attorney for crime victims at the Federal District Attorney General's Office (PGJDF) Barbara Illan Rondero strongly criticized the lack of sensitivity and professionalism on the part of investigators in crimes committed against homosexuals and lesbians:
{{quote|"I still can't determine if this is due to [[negligence]], lack of preparation or down-right covering up and is a matter that has to do with the intention of not solving these crimes because they carry no weight of importance".<ref name="Homophobia"/>}}
 
Alejandro Brito Lemus, director of the news supplement ''Letra S'' (''"Letter S"''), claimed that only four percent of gays and lesbians who suffer from discrimination present their complaints to authorities:
{{quote|"In spite of the gravity of the aggressions suffered, the majority of gays, lesbians and [[transsexual]]s prefer to keep silent about what happens and to remain isolated in fear of being attacked again in revealing their sexual orientation".<ref name="Homophobia"/>}}
 
=={{anchor|LGBT influence on politics}}Political influence==
LGBT participation is a part of the long-governing [[Institutional Revolutionary Party]] (PRI). Since the [[Mexican Revolution|triumph of the Liberals]] under [[President of Mexico|President]] [[Benito Juárez]] in the 1860s and the [[Mexican Revolution|1910 Revolution]], there has been [[separation of church and state]] in Mexico. With morality generally considered the province of the [[Christian Church|Church]], the PRI (which considers itself the party of the Revolution) has generally been reluctant to be seen as implementing the will of the Catholic Church. However, it has also been careful not to offend Catholic [[morality|moral sensibilities]].<ref name="Mexico: Treatment of Homosexuals"/>
 
In 1998, [[President of Mexico|President]] [[Ernesto Zedillo]] (of the PRI) appointed [[Pedro Joaquín-Coldwell]] (an openly-bisexual politician and former [[governor of Quintana Roo]]) [[ambassador]] to [[Cuba]].<ref>Reding, p. 25.</ref> Nevertheless, most individual officeholders tend to view LGBT issues as a private matter (to be ignored) or a moral problem (to be opposed). The PRI has allied with the [[National Action Party (Mexico)|PAN]] to block legislation concerning LGBT rights in some states (except in two cases). The party unanimously voted in favor of the [[Recognition of same-sex unions in Mexico|recognition of same-sex civil unions]] in Mexico City and Coahuila.<ref name="Coahuila PCS II"/><ref name="Mexico City 19 Nov."/> There was some internal debate within the PRI whether or not the party should have a [[Party platform|platform]] plank on the issue.
 
The [[National Action Party (Mexico)|National Action Party]] (PAN), a rightist party, tends to endorse Roman Catholic Church teachings and oppose LGBT issues on [[morality|moral grounds]]. Some PAN mayors have adopted ordinances (or policies) leading to the closing of gay bars or the detention of transvestites (usually on prostitution charges).<ref name="Mexico: Treatment of Homosexuals"/> Many of its leaders have taken public stands describing homosexuality as "abnormal", a "sickness", or a "moral weakness".<ref name="Mexico: Treatment of Homosexuals"/>
 
In the [[Mexican general election, 2000|2000 presidential elections]], PAN candidate (and eventual winner) [[Vicente Fox]] used [[LGBT stereotypes|homosexual stereotypes]] to demean and humiliate his principal opponent ([[Francisco Labastida]]). Fox accused Labastida of being a [[sissy]] and a [[Mother's boy|mama's boy]] and nicknamed him ''Lavestida'' ("the cross-dressed").<ref>Coerver, Pasztor and Buffington, p. 201.</ref> When Mexico City and Coahuila legalized same-sex civil unions the chief opposition came from the PAN, former [[President of Mexico|President]] [[Vicente Fox]] and former president [[Felipe Calderón]]. Since then the party has opposed similar bills, with the rationale of protecting traditional family values.<ref>{{cite web | publisher=MSNBC | title=Mexico City OKs law recognizing gay unions | date=9 November 2006 | url=http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/15643540/ | accessdate=27 November 2009}}</ref> Nonetheless, PAN officials have insisted that homosexuals have rights as human beings and should in no case be subjected to hatred or physical [[Violence against LGBT people|violence]].<ref name="Mexico: Treatment of Homosexuals">{{cite web | author=Andrew Reding | publisher=University of Minnesota | title=Mexico: Treatment of Homosexuals | date=April 1998 | url=http://www1.umn.edu/humanrts/ins/mexico_demochumrts_98.html | accessdate=27 November 2009}}</ref>
 
[[File:Patria Jiménez.jpg|thumb|200px|[[Patria Jiménez]], from the [[Party of the Democratic Revolution]] (PRD), became the first openly-lesbian lawmaker in the [[Congress of Mexico|Federal Congress]] in 1997.|alt=Woman with short dark hair, blue lanyard, and black and white blouse speaking at a podium]]
Participation by [[sexual minorities]] is widely accepted in the left-wing [[Party of the Democratic Revolution]] (PRD), one of Mexico's three [[List of political parties in Mexico|major political parties]]. Since its creation during the late 1980s, the PRD has supported [[LGBT rights]] and has a party program committed to ending discrimination on the basis of sexual diversity.<ref>{{cite web | title=National Committee of Sexual Diversity | url=http://diversidad.prd.org.mx/ | accessdate=27 November 2009|language=es}}</ref> In the [[Elections in Mexico|1997 parliamentary elections]], [[Patria Jiménez]] became the first openly lesbian member of the [[Congress of Mexico|Federal Congress]], and LGBT-rights advocate David Sánchez Camacho was elected to the [[Legislative Assembly of the Federal District]] (ALDF).<ref name="Reding, p. 26">Reding, p. 26.</ref>
 
Two years later, the PRD-controlled Legislative Assembly passed an ordinance banning discrimination based on sexual orientation (the first of its kind in the country).<ref name="Reding, p. 27"/> In 2008, a PRD-backed bill concerning gender identity was passed, allowing [[transgender|transgender people]] to change their gender and sex on official documents.<ref name="International Lesbian and Gay Association ILGA Trans"/> In the [[Mexican legislative election, 2009|2009 parliamentary elections]], of the 38 LGBT candidates presented by several political parties, only Enoé Uranga succeeded:<ref name="Gay Vote"/> an openly-lesbian politician who, in 2000, promoted the legalization of same-sex civil unions in Mexico City.<ref name="Latin American Herald Tribune"/> The [[Bill (proposed law)|bill]] passed six years later in the PRD-controlled Legislative Assembly, allowing same-sex couples [[inheritance]] and [[pension]] rights.<ref name="Mexico City passes gay union law"/> Similar bills have been proposed by the PRD in at least six states.<ref name="Christine Delsol"/>
 
In December 2009, Mexico City's PRD-controlled Legislative Assembly passed a bill that would [[Same-sex marriage in Mexico City|legalize same-sex marriage]] and [[LGBT adoption|adoption by same-sex couples]] in the jurisdiction. Eight days later, after congressional approval, PRD [[Head of Government of the Federal District|Head of Government]] ("Mayor") [[Marcelo Ebrard]] signed the same-sex marriage bill into law; it went into effect in early March 2010.<ref name="LA Times">{{cite web | author=Tracy Wilkinson | publisher=Los Angeles Times | title=Gay marriage closer to reality in Mexico | date=29 December 2009 | url=http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/laplaza/2009/12/gay-marriage-closer-to-reality-in-mexico.html | accessdate=30 December 2009}}</ref><ref name="Gay Marriage Legal"/>
 
Other leftist, smaller parties are [[Citizens' Movement (Mexico)|Convergence]] and the [[Labor Party (Mexico)|Labor Party]] (PT). Both have supported the [[LGBT community]] and PRD-proposed bills regarding LGBT rights.<ref>{{cite web | author=Rachel Evans | publisher=Links International Journal of Socialist Renewal | title="The only fight we lose is the one we abandon": Mexico's first openly lesbian MP on LGBTI rights and people's power | date=21 May 2009 | url=http://links.org.au/node/1068 | accessdate=27 November 2009}}</ref>
 
The defunct [[Social Democratic Party (Mexico)|Social Democratic Party]] (PSD), a minor progressive party, was noted for its support of the LGBT community. In the [[Mexican general election, 2006|2006 presidential elections]] [[Patricia Mercado]], the first woman presidential candidate, was the only candidate openly supporting [[same-sex marriage]].<ref>{{cite web | author=Monica Campbell | publisher=San Francisco Gate | title=The Mexican woman running for president | date=29 June 2006 | url=http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2006/06/29/MNGUCJM7RQ1.DTL | accessdate=27 November 2009}}</ref> In the [[Mexican legislative election, 2009|2009 parliamentary elections]], the party nominated 32 LGBT candidates (out of a total of 38 presented by other parties) for seats in the [[Congress of Mexico|Federal Congress]].<ref name="Gay Vote">{{cite web | author=Gernaro Lozano | publisher=El Universal | title=¿Dónde quedó el voto gay? | date=1 August 2009 | url=http://www.eluniversal.com.mx/editoriales/45083.html | accessdate=27 November 2009|language=es}}</ref>
 
In the municipality of Guadalajara, the second-largest city of Mexico, Miguel Galán became the first openly gay politician to run for mayor in the country.<ref name="Latin American Herald Tribune">{{cite web | author=Latin American Herald Tribune | title=First Openly Gay Mayoral Candidate Runs in Mexico | date=16 March 2009 | url=http://www.laht.com/article.asp?ArticleId=329653&CategoryId=14091 | accessdate=27 November 2009}}</ref> During his campaign Galán was a target of [[Homophobia|homophobic comments]], notably by [[Ecologist Green Party of Mexico|Green Party]] rival Gamaliel Ramírez (who, on a radio show, joked about homosexuals and referred to the PSD as "a dirty party of degenerates"). Ramírez also called homosexual practices "abnormal" and said they should be outlawed. The following day, Ramírez issued a written apology after his party condemned his comments.<ref>{{cite web | author=Guadalajara Reporter | title=Green Party rival crossed the line, says gay candidate | date=16 May 2009 | url=http://guadalajarareporter.com/news-mainmenu-82/guadalajara/24457-jalisco-elections-partido-social-democratica-gay-candidate.html | accessdate=27 November 2009}}</ref> Despite losing the election, Galán received 7,122 votes (the most for any openly gay politician in Mexico).<ref name="Gay Vote"/>
 
==LGBT speech laws==
 
Mexico's Supreme Court ruled in 2013 that two anti-gay words, "puñal" and "maricones", are not protected as freedom of expression under the constitution, allowing people offended by the terms to sue for moral damages.<ref>[http://www.washingtonpost.com/world/the_americas/top-court-rules-homophobic-terms-commonly-used-in-mexico-are-libelous/2013/03/07/a0cad83a-8761-11e2-a80b-3edc779b676f_story.html "Mexico's top court says anti-gay terms are hate speech not protected by freedom of expression", ''The Washington Post'', reported by the Associated Press, 7 March 2013]</ref>
 
==Civil union and same-sex marriage==
{{Main article|Same-sex marriage in Mexico}}
[[File:State recognition of same-sex relationships (North America).svg|thumb|350px|'''State recognition of same-sex relationships in North America & Hawaii.<sup>1</sup>'''
Line 174 ⟶ 127:
<sup>2</sup>Some states in these categories also have a binding judicial rulings against bans on unions similar to marriage or ban unions similar to marriage.]]
 
The [[United Mexican States]] is a federation composed of thirty-one states and a [[Mexican Federal District|federal district]], also known as Mexico City. Although a [[Civil Code|federalFederal civilCivil codeCode]] exists, each state has its own code that regulates [[concubinage]] and marriage. [[Civil unions]] and [[same-sex marriage]]s are not recognized at the federal level. Some states, however, have considered legislation on these issues.<ref name="Mexico.cnn.com">{{cite web|url=http://mexico.cnn.com/nacional/2013/11/14/senadores-proponen-legalizar-el-matrimonio-gay-en-todo-mexico |title=Senadores proponen legalizar el matrimonio gay en todo México |publisher=Mexico.cnn.com |date=2013-11-14 |accessdate=2014-04-05}}</ref>
 
In November 2013, Fernado Mayans, senator for the state of Tabasco and representing the Democratic Revolution Party, presented a proposal of changes to the Federal Civil Code in which marriage would be defined as "the free union of two people".<ref name="Mexico.cnn.com"/> The proposal was turned over to the Justice, Legal Studies and Human Rights commissions in the senate to be further studied <ref>{{cite web|url=http://comunicacion.senado.gob.mx/index.php/periodo-ordinario/boletines/9884-propone-fernando-mayans-canabal-reconocer-el-matrimonio-sin-distincion-de-preferencia-sexual.html |title=Propone Fernando Mayans Canabal reconocer el matrimonio sin distinciĂłn de preferencia sexual |publisher=Comunicacion.senado.gob.mx |date=2013-11-20 |accessdate=2014-04-05}}</ref>
Line 181 ⟶ 134:
 
On 14 June 2015, the Supreme Court of Justice declared it unconstitutional to deny marriage licenses to same-sex couples in all states. This does not legalize same-sex marriages nationwide, but in turn means that whenever a state government has an injunction taken out by a couple looking to get marital recognition, they will have to grant it and consider legalization when a certain number of injunctions is fulfilled <ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.glbtq.com/blogs/mexicos_supreme_court_effectively_legalizes_samesex_marriage_nationwide.html | title=Mexico's Supreme Court Effectively Legalizes Same-Sex Marriage Nationwide| publisher=glbtq.com | date=2015-06-14 |access-date=2015-06-15}}</ref>
 
On 17 May 2016, the President of Mexico, [[Enrique Peña Nieto]], signed an initiative to change the country's Constitution, which would legalize same-sex marriage throughout Mexico pending congressional approval.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.cnn.com/2016/05/17/world/mexico-same-sex-marriage/index.html|title=Mexico President Backs Same-Sex Marriage Nationwide|publisher=CNN|date=18 May 2016|accessdate=18 May 2016}}</ref>
 
===Mexico City===
Line 187 ⟶ 142:
In 2000, Enoé Uranga, an openly lesbian politician and activist, proposed a bill legalizing same-sex civil unions in Mexico City under the name ''Ley de Sociedades de Convivencia'' (LSC, or "Law for Coexistence Partnerships").<ref name="Latin American Herald Tribune"/> The bill recognized the inheritance and pension rights of two adults, regardless of sexual orientation. Because of widespread opposition from right-wing groups and [[Head of Government of the Federal District|Mayor]] [[Andrés Manuel López Obrador]]'s ambiguity concerning the bill, the Legislative Assembly decided not to consider it.<ref name="Mexico City 19 Nov.">{{cite web | author=Erich Adolfo Moncada Cota | title=Mexico City Approves Same Sex Unions | date=19 November 2006 | url=http://english.ohmynews.com/articleview/article_view.asp?menu=c10400&no=329768&rel_no=1 | accessdate=27 November 2009}}</ref>
 
As new leftist mayor [[Marcelo Ebrard]] was expected to take power in December 2006, the Legislative Assembly voted 43-17 to approve the LSC.<ref name="Mexico City 19 Nov.CDMX"/> The law took effect on 16 March 16, 2007.
 
On 24 November 24, 2009, assemblyman David Razú, a member of the [[Partido de la Revolución Democrática]], proposed a bill that would legalize [[same-sex marriage in Mexico City]].<ref name="Same-sex in Mexico City">{{cite web | author=Latin American Herald Tribune | title=Mexico City Lawmakers to Consider Gay Marriage | date=24 November 2009 | url=http://www.laht.com/article.asp?ArticleId=348002&CategoryId=14091 | accessdate=15 December 2009}}</ref> The bill was backed by the Human Rights Commission of Mexico City and over 600 non-governmental organizations, including the [[International Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Trans and Intersex Association]], [[Amnesty International]], and the [[AIDS Healthcare Foundation]].<ref name="Asamblea divorciada">{{cite web | author=Mónica Archundia | publisher=El Universal | title=Proyecto de matrimonio gay "divorcia" a la ALDF | date=25 November 2009 | url=http://www.eluniversal.com.mx/ciudad/98773.html | accessdate=15 December 2009|language=es}}</ref><ref>{{cite web | author=Anodis | title=Preparan dictamen de matrimonio entre personas del mismo sexo | date=11 December 2009 | url=http://anodis.com/nota/15163.asp | accessdate=15 December 2009|language=es}}</ref> The [[National Action Party (Mexico)|National Action Party]] (PAN) announced it would either appeal the law in court or demand a referendum.<ref>{{cite web | author=Horacio Jiménez y Ella Grajeda | publisher=El Universal | title=PAN amaga con impedir bodas gay | date=16 December 2009 | url=http://www.eluniversal.com.mx/ciudad/99225.html | accessdate=16 December 2009|language=es}}</ref><ref>{{cite web | author=Notimex | publisher=Yahoo! México | title=Recurrirá PAN a Corte de legalizarse 'matrimonio' entre homosexuales | date=15 December 2009 | url=http://mx.news.yahoo.com/s/15122009/7/mexico-recurrira-pan-corte-legalizarse-matrimonio.html | accessdate=16 December 2009|language=es}} {{Dead link|date=October 2010|bot=H3llBot}}</ref>
 
The referendum proposal was rejected by the Legislative Assembly on a 36–22 vote on 18 December 18, 2009.<ref name="Same-sex marriage La Jornada">{{cite web | author=Rocío González Alvarado | publisher=La Jornada | title=Rechaza ALDF referéndum para bodas gay | date=18 December 2009 | url=http://www.jornada.unam.mx/2009/12/18/index.php?section=capital&article=032n2cap | accessdate=18 December 2009|language=es}}</ref> On 21 December 2009, the Legislative Assembly passed the bill by a vote of 39–20 with five abstentions.<ref name="BBC">[http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/8425269.stm "Mexico City backs gay marriage in Latin American first", ''BBC News'', 21 December 2009]</ref> Eight days later, Mayor [[Marcelo Ebrard]] signed the bill.{{Citation<ref needed|datename=May 2013}}"MexicoCity"/> It took effect on March 4, 2010.<ref name="effect"/> The law changed the definition of marriage in the city's civil code to "a free union between two people". It also granted same-sex couples the right to [[LGBT adoption|adopt children]].<ref>[http://articles.latimes.com/2009/dec/22/world/la-fg-mexico-gays22-2009dec22 "Mexico City moves to legalize same-sex marriage", ''Los Angeles Times'', reported by Tracy Wilkinson, 22 December 2009]</ref>
 
In February 2010, the [[Supreme Court of Justice of the Nation|Supreme Court]] rejected constitutional challenges by six states to the Mexico City law. The [[Attorney General of Mexico|federal attorney general]], however, had separately challenged the law as unconstitutional, citing an article in the [[Constitution of Mexico]] that refers to "protecting the family".<ref>{{cite web | author=John Holman | publisher=Al Jazeera | title=Anger at Mexico's gay marriage law | date=4 March 2010 | url=http://english.aljazeera.net/focus/2010/03/201034165223139236.html | accessdate=6 March 2010}}</ref> Five months later, the Supreme Court ruled 9–2 that the law did not violate the Constitution.<ref>[http://www.reuters.com/article/2010/08/05/us-mexico-gaymarraige-idUSTRE6745RD20100805 "Mexico court upholds gay marriage law", ''Reuters'', 5 August 2010]</ref>
 
===CampecheCivil unions by state===
On 11 January 2007, the Congress of the northern state of [[Coahuila]] legalized [[Same-sex marriage in Mexico|same-sex civil unions]] (by a 20–13 vote) under the name ''Pacto Civil de Solidaridad'' ("Civil Pact of Solidarity"; PCS), giving [[property]] and [[inheritance]] rights to same-sex couples.<ref name="Coahuila PCS II">{{cite web | publisher=Mail & Guardian Online | title=Mexican state approves gay civil unions | date=13 January 2007 | url=http://www.mg.co.za/article/2007-01-13-mexican-state-approves-gay-civil-unions | accessdate=27 November 2009}}</ref> The PCS was proposed by congresswoman Julieta López of the centrist PRI, whose nineteen members voted for the law.<ref name="Coahuila PCS II"/><ref name="Coahuila PCS"/> Luis Alberto Mendoza, deputy of the center-right PAN (which opposed), said the new law was an "attack against the family, which is society's natural group and is formed by a man and a woman".<ref name="Coahuila PCS II"/> Apart from that, the PCS drew little opposition and was (notably) supported by [[Bishop]] Raúl Vera.<ref name="Coahuila PCS"/> Unlike Mexico City's law, once [[same-sex couple]]s have registered in [[Coahuila]] the state protects their rights (no matter where they live in Mexico).<ref name="Coahuila PCS">{{cite web | author=S. Lynne Walker | publisher=Mail & Guardian Online | title=New law propels gay rights in Mexico | date=5 March 2007 | url=http://legacy.signonsandiego.com/uniontrib/20070305/news_1n5gaylaw.html | accessdate=27 November 2009}}</ref> Twenty days after the law passed, the country's first [[same-sex union|same-sex civil union]] took place in [[Saltillo, Coahuila]].<ref name="Saltillo"/>
11 April 2013 the Party of the Democratic Revolution introduced a measure to create a Civil Partnership of Coexistence for [[Campeche]].<ref>[http://www.congresocam.gob.mx/LXI/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=394:iv-sesion&catid=22:segundo-periodo-ordinario-primer-ano&Itemid=13 IV Sesión]</ref> The bill was unanimously passed 20 December 2013, and while it covers both same-sex and opposite-sex couples, it specifically provides that it "shall not constitute a civil partnership of people living together in marriage and cohabitation." An additional distinction is that it is not filed with the Civil Registrar, but with the Public Registry of Property and Trade.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.jornada.unam.mx/ultimas/2013/12/20/aprueba-campeche-la-ley-de-sociedades-civiles-de-convivencia-5127.html|title=Aprueba Campeche la Ley de Sociedades Civiles de Convivencia|work=La Jornada}}</ref> In May 10, 2016, the state congress passed a bill approving same.sex marriage.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.eluniversal.com.mx/articulo/estados/2016/05/10/campeche-aprueba-matrimonio-entre-personas-del-mismo-sexo|title=Campeche aprueba matrimonio entre personas del mismo sexo|work=El Universal}}</ref>
 
On 11 April 2013, the Party of the Democratic Revolution introduced a measure to legalize civil unions in [[Campeche]].<ref>[http://www.congresocam.gob.mx/LXI/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=394:iv-sesion&catid=22:segundo-periodo-ordinario-primer-ano&Itemid=13 IV Sesión]</ref> The bill was unanimously passed 20 December 2013, and while it covers both same-sex and opposite-sex couples, it specifically provides that it "shall not constitute a civil partnership of people living together in marriage and cohabitation." An additional distinction is that it is not filed with the Civil Registrar, but with the Public Registry of Property and Trade.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.jornada.unam.mx/ultimas/2013/12/20/aprueba-campeche-la-ley-de-sociedades-civiles-de-convivencia-5127.html|title=Aprueba Campeche la Ley de Sociedades Civiles de Convivencia|work=La Jornada}}</ref>
===Chihuahua===
{{Further|Same-sex marriage in Chihuahua}}
 
In July 2013, the Congress of Colima approved a constitutional amendment authorizing same-sex couples to legally formalize their unions by entering into marital bonds with the "same rights and obligations with respect to the contracting of civil marriage".<ref>[http://www.eluniversal.com.mx/estados/2013/colima-reforma-enlaces-gay-933938.html "Colima avala 'enlace conyugal' entre parejas ''gay''", ''El Universal'', reported by Alfredo Quiles, 4 July 2013]</ref>
On 11 June 2015, the state governor announced the state would no longer prevent same-sex marriage, making Chihuahua the fourth jurisdiction to have legal same-sex marriage without having to resort to individual injunction.<ref name=Chihuahua>{{cite news|last1=Lavers|first1=Michael K.|title=Mexican state to allow same-sex marriage|url=https://www.washingtonblade.com/2015/06/12/mexican-state-to-allow-same-sex-marriage/|accessdate=12 June 2015|publisher=Washington Blade|date=12 June 2015}}</ref> Governor César Duarte Jáquez announced that licenses would be available as of 12 June 2015.<ref name="licening available">{{cite news|last1=Morgan|first1=Joe|title=Mexico state of Chihuahua officially approves same-sex marriage|url=http://www.gaystarnews.com/article/mexico-state-chihuahua-officially-approves-same-sex-marriage120615|accessdate=12 June 2015|publisher=Gay Star News|date=12 June 2015|location=London}}</ref>
 
In 2013, deputies of the [[Party of the Democratic Revolution]] (PRD), [[Institutional Revolutionary Party]] (PRI), [[Ecologist Green Party of Mexico]] (PVEM), [[Citizens' Movement (Mexico)|Citizens' Movement]] (MC) and an independent deputy presented the Free Coexistence Act (''Ley de Libre Convivencia'') to the Congress of Jalisco.<ref name=animal>{{cite web |url=http://www.animalpolitico.com/2013/10/avanza-que-uniones-gay-en-jalisco-sean-contrato-notariado-no-estado-civil/#axzz2jWCKD4TA |title=Jalisco aprueba ley para uniones gay... pero recortada |date=31 October 2013 |accessdate=2 November 2013 |publisher=Animal Político. Elephant Publishing, LLC}}</ref> In it is established that same-sex civil unions can be applied in the state, as long as they are not considered as marriages, there is no [[LGBT adoption|adoption]] and they are performed with a [[civil law notary]].<ref name=animal/><ref name=informador>{{cite web|url=http://www.informador.com.mx/jalisco/2013/494561/6/acuerdo-prd-pri-clave-para-aprobar-libre-convivencia.htm|language=Spanish|title=Acuerdo PRD-PRI, clave para aprobar Libre Convivencia|accessdate=2 November 2013|date=1 November 2013|publisher=El Informador}}</ref> On 31 October 2013, the Jalisco Congress approved the Act in a 20–15 vote,<ref name=cnnjal>{{cite web|url=http://mexico.cnn.com/nacional/2013/11/01/jalisco-cuna-de-charros-y-tequila-da-primer-paso-hacia-el-matrimonio-gay|title=Jalisco, cuna de charros y tequila, da primer paso hacia el matrimonio gay|language=Spanish|publisher=CNN México|date=1 November 2013|accessdate=2 November 2013}}</ref> one abstained and three were absent.<ref name=informador/> The law took effect on 1 January 2014.<ref>[http://www.mexicogulfreporter.com/2013/10/same-sex-civil-unions-approved-in.html Same sex civil unions now approved in Jalisco - but they won't be called marriage]</ref>
===Colima===
For the first time in the municipality of Cuauhtémoc in [[Colima]], two people of the same sex were united in marriage. The vows were given on February 27, 2013, under the legal assessment granting the determination to assign based on the Constitution, International Treaties, and Law that prevents, combats, and eliminates discrimination in the [[State of Colima]],<ref>[http://www.colimadigital.com/final/index.php?tn=3&n=4781 Colima Digital]</ref> In July 2013, the state congress approved a constitutional amendment authorizing same-sex couples to legally formalize their unions by entering into marital bonds with the "same rights and obligations with respect to the contracting of civil marriage".<ref>[http://www.eluniversal.com.mx/estados/2013/colima-reforma-enlaces-gay-933938.html "Colima avala 'enlace conyugal' entre parejas ''gay''", ''El Universal'', reported by Alfredo Quiles, 4 July 2013]</ref>
 
On 27 August 2015, the Justice and Human Rights Committee announced it would enact a civil union law for same-sex couples in Michoacán. It was approved unanimously in a 34-0 vote by the full Michoacán Congress on 7 September 2015.<ref>[http://lajornadamichoacan.com.mx/2015/08/anadiran-al-codigo-familiar-del-estado-la-figura-de-sociedades-de-convivencia Añadirán al Código Familiar del estado la figura de “sociedades de convivencia”]</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.quadratin.com.mx/politica/Aprueban-Codigo-Familiar-en-Michoacan-no-incluye-matrimonios-gay|title=Aprueban Código Familiar en Michoacán; no incluye matrimonios gay|work=Quadratín}}</ref> The law was published on 30 September 2015 in the state's official journal.<ref>[http://189.254.237.242/media/documentos/trabajo_legislativo/Decreto_554-C%C3%B3digo_familiar_30-09-2015_1.pdf PERIÓDICO OFICIAL DEL GOBIERNO CONSTITUCIONAL DEL ESTADO DE MICHOACÁN DE OCAMPO]</ref>
===Coahuila===
{{Further|Same-sex marriage in Coahuila}}
 
===Same-sex marriage by state===
On January 11, 2007, the Congress of the northern state of [[Coahuila]] legalized [[Same-sex marriage in Mexico|same-sex civil unions]] (by a 20–13 vote) under the name ''Pacto Civil de Solidaridad'' ("Civil Pact of Solidarity"; PCS), giving [[property]] and [[inheritance]] rights to same-sex couples.<ref name="Coahuila PCS II">{{cite web | publisher=Mail & Guardian Online | title=Mexican state approves gay civil unions | date=13 January 2007 | url=http://www.mg.co.za/article/2007-01-13-mexican-state-approves-gay-civil-unions | accessdate=27 November 2009}}</ref> The PCS was proposed by congresswoman Julieta López of the centrist PRI, whose nineteen members voted for the law.<ref name="Coahuila PCS II"/><ref name="Coahuila PCS"/> Luis Alberto Mendoza, deputy of the center-right PAN (which opposed), said the new law was an "attack against the family, which is society's natural group and is formed by a man and a woman".<ref name="Coahuila PCS II"/> Apart from that, the PCS drew little opposition and was (notably) supported by [[Bishop]] Raúl Vera.<ref name="Coahuila PCS"/> Unlike Mexico City's law, once [[same-sex couple]]s have registered in [[Coahuila]] the state protects their rights (no matter where they live in Mexico).<ref name="Coahuila PCS">{{cite web | author=S. Lynne Walker | publisher=Mail & Guardian Online | title=New law propels gay rights in Mexico | date=5 March 2007 | url=http://legacy.signonsandiego.com/uniontrib/20070305/news_1n5gaylaw.html | accessdate=27 November 2009}}</ref> Twenty days after the law passed, the country's first [[same-sex union|same-sex civil union]] took place in [[Saltillo, Coahuila]].<ref>{{cite web | author=Gunther Hamm | publisher=Reuters | title=Lesbians form Mexico's first gay civil union | date=1 February 2007 | url=http://www.reuters.com/article/worldNews/idUSN0137243220070201 | accessdate=27 November 2009}}</ref>
On 28 November 2011, the first two same-sex marriages occurred in Quintana Roo after it was discovered that Quintana Roo's Civil Code did not explicitly prohibit same-sex marriage,<ref name="QR marriages annulled"/> but these marriages were later annulled by the [[Governor of Quintana Roo]] in April 2012.<ref name="QR marriages annulled"/> In May 2012, the Secretary of State of Quintana Roo reversed the annulments and allowed for future same-sex marriages to be performed in the state.<ref name="QR marriages reinstated"/>
 
Mexico's Supreme Court ruled in December 2012 that [[Oaxaca|Oaxaca's]] marriage law was unconstitutional because it limited the ceremony to a man and a woman with the goal to "perpetuate the species".<ref name="sdgln.com">{{cite web|url=http://sdgln.com/news/2013/03/30/lesbian-couple-weds-oaxaca-after-mexicos-high-court-ruling |title=Lesbian couple weds in Oaxaca after Mexico's high court ruling |publisher=Sdgln.com |date=2013-03-30 |accessdate=2014-04-05}}</ref> In 2013 a lesbian couple became the first same-sex couple to marry after this ruling.<ref name="sdgln.com"/>
===Guerrero===
{{Further|Same-sex marriage in Guerrero}}
 
On 11 February 2014, the Congress of Coahuila approved adoptions by same-sex couples and a bill legalizing same-sex marriages passed on 1 September 2014 making Coahuila the second state to reform its Civil Code to allow for legal same-sex marriages.<ref name="Coahuila">{{cite news|title=Aprueban matrimonios gay en Coahuila|date=1 September 2014|url=http://www.vanguardia.com.mx/apruebanmatrimoniosgayencoahuila-2155742.html|publisher=Vangardia.com.mx}}</ref><ref name="Coahuila1"/> It took effect on 17 September, and the first couple married on 20 September.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.ontopmag.com/article.aspx?id=19500&MediaType=1&Category=24|title=First Gay Couple Marries In Coahuila, Mexico|date=21 September 2014|publisher=On Top Magazine}}</ref>
After the Supreme Court of Justice of the Nation's ruling went into effect on 22 June, officials in Guerrero began announcing plans for a collective group wedding.<ref>{{cite web|author=La Jornada |url=http://www.lajornadaguerrero.com.mx/2015/06/26/index.php?section=sociedad&article=008n1soc |title=A partir de julio, en Guerrero se permitirá casarse a parejas del mismo sexo |publisher=Lajornadaguerrero.com.mx |date= |accessdate=2015-07-03}}</ref> The governor, [[Rogelio Ortega]] submitted a same-sex marriage bill to Congress on 7 July 2015. Legislators lamented they would have preferred to have the bill passed before marriages took place, but given the time line presented, it was unlikely.<ref name="bill to legislature">{{cite news|title=Recibe el Congreso iniciativa que permitirá matrimonios entre personas del mismo sexo|url=http://suracapulco.mx/archivos/288901|accessdate=8 July 2015|publisher=El Sur Periódico de Guerrerro y Acapulco|date=8 July 2015|location=Acapulco, Mexico|language=Spanish}}</ref> On 10 July 2015, twenty same-sex couples were married by the Governor Rogelio Ortega in Acapulco.<ref name="marriages accompished!">{{cite news|title=Se casan 20 parejas en boda colectiva de personas del mismo sexo en Guerrero|url=http://suracapulco.mx/archivos/289751|accessdate=11 July 2015|publisher=El Sur|date=11 July 2015|location=Acapulco, Mexico|language=Spanish}}</ref>
 
On 12 June 2015, the Governor of Chihuahua announced that his administration would no longer oppose same-sex marriages within the state. The order was effective immediately, thus making Chihuahua the third state to legalize such unions.<ref name="Chihuahua"/>
=== Jalisco ===
{{Further|Same-sex marriage in Jalisco}}
 
On 25 June 2015, following the Supreme Court's ruling striking down district same-sex marriage bans, a civil registrar in Guerrero announced that they had planned a collective same-sex marriage ceremony for 10 July 2015 and indicated that there would have to be a change to the law to allow gender-neutral marriage, passed through the state legislature before the official commencement.<ref name="Guerrero"/> The registry announced more details of their plan, advising that only select registration offices in the state would be able to participate in the collective marriage event.<ref name="collective marriage">{{cite news|last1=Trujillo|first1=Javier|title=Invitan a boda colectiva del mismo sexo en Acapulco|url=http://www.milenio.com/estados/Invitan_a_boda_colectiva_del_mismo_sexo_en_Acapulco_0_545345734.html|accessdate=30 June 2015|publisher=Milenio|date=29 June 2015|location=Acapulco, Mexico|language=Spanish}}</ref> The Governor instructed civil agencies to approve same-sex marriage licenses. On 10 July 2015, 20 same-sex couples were married by Governor Rogelio Ortega in Acapulco.<ref name="marriages accompished!">{{cite news|title=Se casan 20 parejas en boda colectiva de personas del mismo sexo en Guerrero|url=http://suracapulco.mx/archivos/289751|accessdate=11 July 2015|publisher=El Sur|date=11 July 2015|location=Acapulco, Mexico|language=Spanish}}</ref>
A female same-sex couple was able to become the first same-sex couple to marry in [[Jalisco]].<ref>{{cite web|last=Garcia |first=Michelle |url=http://www.advocate.com/news/world-news/2013/12/15/lesbian-couple-first-marry-mexican-state |title=Lesbian Couple First to Marry in Mexican State |publisher=Advocate.com |date=2013-12-15 |accessdate=2014-04-05}}</ref>
 
On 17 December 2015, the Congress of Nayarit approved a bill legalizing same-sex marriage.<ref name="Nayarit"/> In January 2016, the Mexican Supreme Court declared Jalisco's Civil Code unconstitutional for limiting marriage to opposite-sex couples, effectively legalizing same-sex marriage in the state.<ref name="Jalisco"/> On 10 May 2016, the Congress of Campeche passed a same-sex marriage bill.<ref name="Campeche"/> On 18 May 2016, both Michoacán and Morelos passed bills allowing for same-sex marriage to be legal.<ref name="Michoacan"/><ref name="Morelos"/> On 25 May 2016, a bill to legalize same-sex marriage in Colima was approved by the state Congress.<ref name="Colima"/>
In 2013, deputies of the [[Party of the Democratic Revolution]] (PRD), [[Institutional Revolutionary Party]] (PRI), [[Ecologist Green Party of Mexico]] (PVEM), [[Citizens' Movement (Mexico)|Citizens' Movement]] (MC) and an independent deputy presented the Free Coexistence Act (''Ley de Libre Convivencia'').<ref name=animal>{{cite web |url=http://www.animalpolitico.com/2013/10/avanza-que-uniones-gay-en-jalisco-sean-contrato-notariado-no-estado-civil/#axzz2jWCKD4TA |title=Jalisco aprueba ley para uniones gay... pero recortada |date=31 October 2013 |accessdate=2 November 2013 |publisher=Animal Político. Elephant Publishing, LLC}}</ref> In it is established that same-sex civil unions can be applied in the state, as long as they are not considered as marriages, there is no [[LGBT adoption|adoption]] and they are performed with a [[civil law notary]].<ref name=animal/><ref name=informador>{{cite web|url=http://www.informador.com.mx/jalisco/2013/494561/6/acuerdo-prd-pri-clave-para-aprobar-libre-convivencia.htm|language=Spanish|title=Acuerdo PRD-PRI, clave para aprobar Libre Convivencia|accessdate=2 November 2013|date=1 November 2013|publisher=El Informador}}</ref> On 31 October 2013, the Jalisco Congress approved the Act in a 20–15 vote,<ref name=cnnjal>{{cite web|url=http://mexico.cnn.com/nacional/2013/11/01/jalisco-cuna-de-charros-y-tequila-da-primer-paso-hacia-el-matrimonio-gay|title=Jalisco, cuna de charros y tequila, da primer paso hacia el matrimonio gay|language=Spanish|publisher=CNN México|date=1 November 2013|accessdate=2 November 2013}}</ref> one abstained and three were absent.<ref name=informador/> The law took effect on 1 January 2014.<ref>[http://www.mexicogulfreporter.com/2013/10/same-sex-civil-unions-approved-in.html Same sex civil unions now approved in Jalisco - but they won't be called marriage]</ref> In January 2016, the Mexican Supreme Court brought marriage equality to the state by invalidating a provision in the State's civil code that limited marriage to a man and a woman.<ref>[http://www.advocate.com/marriage-equality/2016/1/27/mexican-supreme-court-oks-marriage-equality-jalisco Advocate: Mexican Supreme Court OK's Marriage Equality in Jalisco]</ref>
 
==Discrimination protections==
===Michoacán===
On 29 April 2003, the [[Congress of Mexico|Federal Congress]] unanimously passed the "Federal Law to Prevent and Eliminate Discrimination", including [[sexual orientation]] as a protected category. The law, which went into effect on 11 June 2003, created the [[National Council to Prevent Discrimination]] to enforce it.<ref name="Federal Law">{{cite web | author=International Gay and Lesbian Human Rights Commission | title=Mexico protects its gay and lesbian citizens with new law | date=23 April 2003 | url=http://www.thefreelibrary.com/Mexico+protects+its+gay+and+lesbian+citizens+with+new+law.-a0108149079 | accessdate=27 November 2009}}</ref> Mexico became the second country in Latin America, after [[LGBT rights in Ecuador|Ecuador]], to provide anti-discrimination protection for [[LGBT|lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people]].<ref name="Federal Law"/> Article 4 of the law defines [[discrimination]] as:
{{Further|Same-sex marriage in Michoacán}}
{{quotation
|"Every distinction, exclusion or restriction based on ethnic or national origin, sex, age, disability, social or economic status, health, pregnancy, language, religion, opinion, sexual preferences, civil status or any other, that impedes recognition or enjoyment or fights and real equality in terms of opportunities for people."
|Article 4, Federal Law to Prevent and Eliminate Discrimination<ref name="Federal Law"/>}}
Article 9 defines "discriminatory behavior" as:
{{quotation
|"Impeding access to [[public education|public]] or [[private education]]; prohibiting free choice of employment, restricting access, permanency or promotion in employment; denying or restricting information on reproductive rights; denying medical services; impeding participation in civil, political or any other kind of organizations; impeding the exercise of property rights; offending, ridiculing or promoting violence through messages and images displayed in communications media; impeding access to social security and its benefits; impeding access to any public service or private institution providing services to the public; limiting freedom of movement; exploiting or treating in an abusive or degrading way; restricting participation in sports, recreation or cultural activities; incitement to hatred, violence, rejection, ridicule, defamation, slander, persecution or exclusion; promoting or indulging in physical or psychological abuse based on [[physical appearance]] or dress, talk, mannerisms or for openly acknowledging one's sexual preferences."
|Article 9, Federal Law to Prevent and Eliminate Discrimination<ref name="Federal Law"/>}}
 
CONAPRED is an [[government agency|organ of state]] created by "federal law to prevent and eliminate discrimination", adopted on 29 April 2003, and published in the [[Diario Oficial de la Federación]] on June 11. The Council is the leading institution for promoting policies and measures contributing to cultural development and social progress in social inclusion and the right to [[social equality|equality]], which is the first fundamental right in the [[Constitution of Mexico|Federal Constitution]].<ref name="CONAPRED, official website"/>
On 27 August 2015, the Justice and Human Rights Committee announced it would enact a civil union law for homosexual couples. It was approved unanimously in a 34-0 vote by the full Michoacán Congress on 7 September 2015.<ref>[http://lajornadamichoacan.com.mx/2015/08/anadiran-al-codigo-familiar-del-estado-la-figura-de-sociedades-de-convivencia Añadirán al Código Familiar del estado la figura de “sociedades de convivencia”]</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.quadratin.com.mx/politica/Aprueban-Codigo-Familiar-en-Michoacan-no-incluye-matrimonios-gay|title=Aprueban Código Familiar en Michoacán; no incluye matrimonios gay|work=Quadratín}}</ref> The law was published on 30 September 2015 in the state's official journal.<ref>[http://189.254.237.242/media/documentos/trabajo_legislativo/Decreto_554-C%C3%B3digo_familiar_30-09-2015_1.pdf PERIÓDICO OFICIAL DEL GOBIERNO CONSTITUCIONAL DEL ESTADO DE MICHOACÁN DE OCAMPO]</ref>
 
CONAPRED is also responsible for receiving and resolving grievances and complaints of alleged discriminatory acts committed by private individuals or federal authorities in carrying out their duties. CONAPRED also protects citizens with any distinction (or exclusion), based on any aspect mentioned in Article 4 of the federal law.<ref name="CONAPRED, official website"/> The Council has [[legal personality]], owns property, and is part of the [[Secretaría de Gobernación|Interior Ministry]]. Technical and management decisions are independent for its resolutions on claims and complaints.<ref name="CONAPRED, official website"/>
===Nayarit===
{{Further|Same-sex marriage in Nayarit}}
 
In 2011, the Mexican Constitution was amended to prohibit discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation.<ref name="constitution"/><ref name="constitution1"/>
A bill to legalize '''[[same-sex marriage]]''' in the Mexican state of '''[[Nayarit]]''' was approved by the state congress on 17 December 2015, in a 26-1 vote, with 1 abstention.
 
===OaxacaLGBT speech laws===
Mexico's Supreme Court ruled in 2013 that two anti-gay words, "puñal" and "maricones", are not protected as freedom of expression under the constitution, allowing people offended by the terms to sue for moral damages.<ref>[http://www.washingtonpost.com/world/the_americas/top-court-rules-homophobic-terms-commonly-used-in-mexico-are-libelous/2013/03/07/a0cad83a-8761-11e2-a80b-3edc779b676f_story.html "Mexico's top court says anti-gay terms are hate speech not protected by freedom of expression", ''The Washington Post'', reported by the Associated Press, 7 March 2013]</ref>
{{Further|Same-sex marriage in Oaxaca}}
 
==Adoption and parenting==
Mexico's Supreme Court ruled in December 2012 that [[Oaxaca|Oaxaca's]] marriage law was unconstitutional because it limited the ceremony to a man and a woman with the goal to "perpetuate the species".<ref name="sdgln.com">{{cite web|url=http://sdgln.com/news/2013/03/30/lesbian-couple-weds-oaxaca-after-mexicos-high-court-ruling |title=Lesbian couple weds in Oaxaca after Mexico's high court ruling |publisher=Sdgln.com |date=2013-03-30 |accessdate=2014-04-05}}</ref> In 2013 a lesbian couple became the first same-sex couple to marry after this ruling.<ref name="sdgln.com"/>
Same-sex couples aren't allowed to adopt in every state in Mexico. Mexico City along with the states of Campeche, Chihuahua, Coahuila, Colima, Michoacán, Morelos and Veracruz allow for same-sex couples to adopt children jointly.
 
Mexico City legalized same-sex adoptions in March 2010, when the same-sex marriage law took effect.<ref name="BBC"/> On 24 November 2011, the Coahuila Supreme Court struck down the state's law barring same-sex couples from adopting.<ref name="Coahuila Court"/> The state complied with ruling in February 2014 and legalized such adoptions.<ref name="Coahuila1"/> According to the Chihuahua [[National System for Integral Family Development|DIF]], the Office of the Defense of Children and the Family in the state performs the same protocol for all couples seeking to adopt regardless of their sexual orientation.<ref>[http://www.omnia.com.mx/noticias/buscan-8-parejas-gay-casarse-en-matrimonios-colectivos/ Buscan 8 parejas gay casarse en Matrimonios Colectivos]</ref>
===Quintana Roo===
{{Further|Same-sex marriage in Quintana Roo}}
 
On 11 August 2015, the Mexican Supreme Court ruled, in a 9-1 decision, that Campeche's ban on same-sex couples adopting children is unconstitutional.<ref name="adoptionruling1"/> The Supreme Court struck down Article 19 of Campeche's civil union law which outlawed adoption by couples in civil unions. Children's rights were cited as the main reason for the Court's decision. The ruling set a constitutional precedent, meaning all bans in Mexico forbidding same-sex couples from adopting are unconstitutional and discriminatory. On 23 September 2016, the Mexican Supreme Court finalized the ruling in the adoption case against Campeche and issued a nationwide jurisprudence which binds all lower court judges to rule in favor of same-sex couples seeking adoption and parental rights.<ref name="adoption"/> Campeche lifted its adoption ban three days later.<ref name="adoption"/>
The Civil Code of Quintana Roo does not state sex or gender requirements for marriage, only specifying "people interested in getting married".<ref name="QR marriages legal" /> A same-sex couple filed for a marriage license in [[Cancún]] and [[Chetumal]] after discovering this legal quirk, but both cities rejected their applications, arguing that a man-woman marriage was implied. The couple then applied in the municipality of Lázaro Cárdenas, where authorities accepted the application. Quintana Roo's first two same-sex marriages were held in the community of Kantunilkin on November 28, 2011.<ref name="CNN 1 Quintana Roo">{{cite web | author=Brisa Muñoz | publisher=CNN México | title=Sin hacer una reforma legal, Quintana Roo realiza sus primeras bodas gay | date=30 November 2011 | url=http://mexico.cnn.com/nacional/2011/11/30/sin-hacer-una-reforma-legal-quintana-roo-realiza-sus-primeras-bodas-gay | accessdate=2 January 2012|language=es}}</ref>
 
Colima, Michoacán and Morelos legalized such adoptions following the approval of their respective same-sex marriage laws in May 2016.<ref name="Colima"/><ref name="Michoacan"/><ref name="Morelos"/> In September 2016, the head of Veracruz's adoption agency announced that same-sex couples may adopt children jointly in the state.<ref name="Veracruz"/>
Cancún, Cozumel, and other resort areas in Quintana Roo planned to hold a same-sex group wedding in January 2012, but these weddings were suspended upon review by Luis González Flores,<ref name="QR marriages annulled" /> the Secretary of State of Quintana Roo.<ref name="QR marriages suspended"/><ref>{{cite web | author=Brisa Muñoz | publisher=CNN México | title=Dos matrimonios homosexuales se casaron en un municipio conservador | date=2 December 2011 | url=http://mexico.cnn.com/nacional/2011/12/02/los-matrimonios-del-mismo-sexo-despiertan-polemica-en-quintana-roo | accessdate=2 January 2012|language=es}}</ref> In April 2012, the two same-sex marriages performed in Kantunilkin were annulled by Quintana Roo Governor [[Roberto Borge Angulo]],<ref name="QR marriages annulled" /> but these annulments were later reversed by González Flores on 3 May 2012, in a decision that allowed for future same-sex marriages to be performed in the state.<ref name="QR marriages reinstated" />
 
===Military Veracruz =service==
{{See also|Sexual orientation and military service}}
Held at the Civil Registry of the municipality of Veracruz, Jahir Olivares Dario Garcia and Victor Manuel García were legally joined in marriage. Dec, 2014<ref>http://www.demotix.com/news/6425713/first-official-gay-wedding-held-veracruz-mexico#media-6425702</ref>
 
The Mexican Armed Forces' policy on sexual orientation is ambiguous, leaving homosexual and bisexual soldiers in a "legal limbo". Officially, there is no law or policy preventing homosexuals from serving, and applicants are not questioned on the subject. In practice, however, outed homosexual and bisexual soldiers are subject to severe harassment and are often discharged. One directive, issued in 2003, described actions "en contra de la moral o de las buenas costumbres dentro y fuera del servicio [sic]" ("contrary to morality or good manners on- and off-duty") as serious misconduct warranting disciplinary action. Other references to morality are found throughout military documents, leaving room for interpretation with regards to sexual orientation. Although there is no clear position from current military leadership, several retired generals have agreed that homosexual soldiers were usually removed from service either through an encouraged withdrawal or dishonorable discharge.<ref>[http://bilerico.lgbtqnation.com/2011/10/gay_in_mexico_a_cautious_quinceanera.php Gay in Mexico: A Cautious Quinceañera]</ref>
===Other states===
LSC bills have been unsuccessfully proposed by the PRD in at least six states: [[Colima]], [[Guerrero]], [[Jalisco]], [[Michoacán]], [[Puebla]] and [[Veracruz]].<ref name="Christine Delsol">{{cite web | author=Christine Delsol | publisher=San Francisco Gate | title=Mexico's top destinations for gay vacations | date=26 November 2008 | url=http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/g/a/2008/11/26/mexicomix112608.DTL&type=printable | accessdate=27 November 2009}}</ref> After Mexico City legalized same-sex marriage and adoption by same-sex couples in December 2009, debate resumed in states where civil unions had been previously proposed. In February 2013, the state of [[Colima]] started to give marriage licenses to same-sex couples, citing the state constitution, which prohibits discrimination due to sexual preference and the Supreme Court of Mexico's ruling which struck down Oaxaca state's gay marriage ban.<ref name="First Colima"/>
 
==Gender identity and expression==
=={{anchor|Living conditions}}Discrimination and pride==
In 2008, the PRD-controlled Legislative Assembly approved a law allowing transgender people to change their legal gender and name in Mexico City.<ref name="International Lesbian and Gay Association ILGA Trans">{{cite web | author=International Lesbian and Gay Association (ILGA) Trans | title=Mexico City extends official rights to transgender individuals | date=29 August 2008 | url=http://trans.ilga.org/trans/welcome_to_the_ilga_trans_secretariat/news/mexico_mexico_city_extends_official_rights_to_transgender_individuals | accessdate=27 November 2009}}</ref>
 
==Blood donation==
In August 2012, new health regulations allowing for gay and bi men to donate blood were approved. The regulations were published in the country's regulatory diary in October and took effect on Christmas Day, 25 December 2012.<ref>[http://www.advocate.com/health/health-news/2012/12/28/mexico-lifts-blood-donation-ban-gay-and-bisexual-men Mexico Lifts Blood Donation Ban for Gay and Bisexual Men]</ref>
 
==Public opinion==
A 2013 [[Pew Research Center]] opinion survey showed that 61% of Mexicans believe homosexuality should be accepted by society, while 30% believe it should not.<ref>[http://www.pewglobal.org/2013/06/04/the-global-divide-on-homosexuality/ The Global Divide on Homosexuality]</ref> Younger people were more accepting than people over 50: 70% of people between 18 and 29 believe it should be accepted, 60% of people between 30 and 49 and 52% of people over 50. There was a slight increase in acceptance since 2007, when a Pew Research poll showed that 60% of the population believe homosexuality should be accepted.
 
In May 2015, [[PlanetRomeo]], a LGBT social network, published its first Gay Happiness Index (GHI). Gay men from over 120 countries and territories were asked about how they feel about society’s view on homosexuality, how do they experience the way they are treated by other people and how satisfied are they with their lives. Mexico was ranked 32, just above Portugal and below Curaçao, with a GHI score of 56.<ref>[https://www.planetromeo.com/en/lgbt/gay-happiness-index/ The Gay Happiness Index. The very first worldwide country ranking, based on the input of 115,000 gay men] Planet Romeo</ref>
 
Following President Enrique Peña Nieto's proposal to legalize same-sex marriage in Mexico, a poll on the issue was carried out by Gabinete de Comunicación Estratégica. 69% of respondents were in favor of the change. 64% said they saw it as an advance in the recognition of human rights. Public opinion has changed radically over the course of 16 years. In 2000, 62% felt that same-sex marriage should not be allowed under any circumstances. In 2016, only 25% felt that way.<ref name="opinion"/>
 
==Living conditions==
[[File:StrippersMarchaGay2009.JPG|thumb|250px|[[Go-go dancing|Go-go dancers]] at 2009 [[Pride Parade|LGBT Pride Parade]] in Mexico City.|alt=Go-go dancers in costume at gay-pride parade]]
 
Line 264 ⟶ 233:
In 2003, the first Lesbian Pride March was held in the nation's capital.<ref>Jiménez, De la Garza and Glockner, p. 20.</ref> In Guadalajara, well-attended [[Guadalajara Gay Pride|LGBT Pride Parades]] have also been held each June since 1996.<ref name="Jiménez, De la Garza and Glockner, p. 19"/> Consecutive LGBT Pride Parades have been held in [[Monterrey]],<ref name="González, p. 94">González, p. 94.</ref> [[Tijuana]],<ref>{{cite web | publisher=Anodis | title=Se tiñe Tijuana de arco iris con el Orgullo Gay | date=23 June 2009 | url=http://anodis.com/nota/14289.asp | accessdate=2 December 2009|language=es}}</ref> [[Puebla, Puebla|Puebla]],<ref>{{cite web | publisher=Anodis | title=Convocan a juntas para la 8&nbsp;Marcha del Orgullo LGBT en Puebla | date=2 March 2009 | url=http://anodis.com/nota/13710.asp | accessdate=2 December 2009|language=es}}</ref> [[Veracruz, Veracruz|Veracruz]],<ref name="González, p. 94"/> [[Xalapa]],<ref>{{cite web | publisher=Anodis | title=Reúne a 200 personas marcha gay en Xalapa, Veracruz | date=9 February 2009 | url=http://anodis.com/nota/13591.asp | accessdate=2 December 2009|language=es}}</ref> [[Cuernavaca]],<ref>{{cite web | author=Francisco Iglesias | publisher=NotiGay | title=Copian gays en Cuernavaca vicios de la marcha gay en el DF | date=31 August 2009 | url=http://www.notigay.com/tablero/457-copian-gays-en-cuernavaca-vicios-de-la-marcha-gay-en-el-df.html | accessdate=2 December 2009|language=es}}</ref> [[Tuxtla Gutiérrez]],<ref>Jiménez, De la Garza and Glockner, p. 16.</ref> [[Acapulco]],<ref>{{cite web | author=José Juan Delgado Alemán | publisher=Milenio | title=Euforia durante primera marcha gay en Acapulco | date=1 August 2009 | url=http://www.milenio.com/node/260097 | accessdate=2 December 2009|language=es}} {{Dead link|date=October 2010|bot=H3llBot}}</ref> [[Chilpancingo]],<ref name="González, p. 94"/> and [[Mérida, Yucatán|Mérida]].<ref name="Jiménez, De la Garza and Glockner, p. 19">Jiménez, De la Garza and Glockner, p. 19.</ref>
 
===Anti-LGBT violence===
=={{anchor|HIV and AIDS issues}}HIV and AIDS==
[[File:GayMarriage2009MarchaDF.JPG|thumb|250px|LGBT marchers denouncing [[hate crime]]s based on sexual orientation at 2009 [[Pride Parade|LGBT Pride Parade]] in Mexico City|alt=Male gay-pride marchers, with signs and rainbow flags]]
 
Same-sex sexual acts are legal in Mexico, but LGBT people have been prosecuted through the use of legal codes that regulate obscene or lurid behavior (''atentados a la moral y las buenas costumbres''). Over the past twenty years, there have been reports of [[violence]] against gay men, including the murders of openly gay men in Mexico City and of [[transvestite]]s in the southern state of [[Chiapas]]. Local activists believe that these cases often remain unsolved, blaming the police for a lack of interest in investigating them and for assuming that gays are somehow responsible for attacks against them.<ref name="Herrick and Stuart, p. 144"/>
 
In mid-2007, Emilio Alvarez Icaza Longoria (chairman of the Human Rights Commission of Mexico City) said he was deeply concerned that Mexico City had the worst record for [[homophobia|homophobic]] [[hate crime]]s, with 137 such crimes reported between 1995 and 2005.<ref name="Homophobia"/> Journalist and author (''Homophobia, Hate, Crime and Justice 1995–2005'') Fernando del Collado affirmed that during the decade covered by his book, 387 [[hate crime]]s due to [[homophobia]] were committed in Mexico (98 percent of which remain unprosecuted).<ref name="Homophobia"/>
 
Del Collado expressed his concern about a lack of prosecution and reported that according to the Citizens Commission Against Hate Crime because of Homophobia (CCCOH), three homosexuals are murdered per month in Mexico.<ref name="Homophobia"/> Del Collado indicated that between 1995 and 2005, 126 homosexuals were murdered in Mexico City. Of those, 75 percent were reclaimed by their families. In 10 percent of the cases, families identified the victim but did not reclaim their bodies (which were buried in common graves) and the remaining 5 percent were never identified.<ref name="Homophobia"/><!-- Adds up to 90 percent, not 100; unfortunately, I can't read Spanish. -->
 
Former assistant attorney for crime victims at the Federal District Attorney General's Office (PGJDF) Barbara Illan Rondero strongly criticized the lack of sensitivity and professionalism on the part of investigators in crimes committed against homosexuals and lesbians:
{{quote|"I still can't determine if this is due to [[negligence]], lack of preparation or down-right covering up and is a matter that has to do with the intention of not solving these crimes because they carry no weight of importance".<ref name="Homophobia"/>}}
 
Alejandro Brito Lemus, director of the news supplement ''Letra S'' (''"Letter S"''), claimed that only four percent of gays and lesbians who suffer from discrimination present their complaints to authorities:
{{quote|"In spite of the gravity of the aggressions suffered, the majority of gays, lesbians and [[transsexual]]s prefer to keep silent about what happens and to remain isolated in fear of being attacked again in revealing their sexual orientation".<ref name="Homophobia"/>}}
 
===Political influence===
LGBT participation is a part of the long-governing [[Institutional Revolutionary Party]] (PRI). Since the [[Mexican Revolution|triumph of the Liberals]] under [[President of Mexico|President]] [[Benito Juárez]] in the 1860s and the [[Mexican Revolution|1910 Revolution]], there has been [[separation of church and state]] in Mexico. With morality generally considered the province of the [[Christian Church|Church]], the PRI (which considers itself the party of the Revolution) has generally been reluctant to be seen as implementing the will of the Catholic Church. However, it has also been careful not to offend Catholic [[morality|moral sensibilities]].<ref name="Mexico: Treatment of Homosexuals"/>
 
In 1998, [[President of Mexico|President]] [[Ernesto Zedillo]] (of the PRI) appointed [[Pedro Joaquín-Coldwell]] (an openly-bisexual politician and former [[governor of Quintana Roo]]) [[ambassador]] to [[Cuba]].<ref>Reding, p. 25.</ref> Nevertheless, most individual officeholders tend to view LGBT issues as a private matter (to be ignored) or a moral problem (to be opposed). The PRI has allied with the [[National Action Party (Mexico)|PAN]] to block legislation concerning LGBT rights in some states (except in two cases). The party unanimously voted in favor of the [[Recognition of same-sex unions in Mexico|recognition of same-sex civil unions]] in Mexico City and Coahuila.<ref name="Coahuila PCS II"/><ref name="Mexico City 19 Nov."/> There was some internal debate within the PRI whether or not the party should have a [[Party platform|platform]] plank on the issue.
 
The [[National Action Party (Mexico)|National Action Party]] (PAN), a rightist party, tends to endorse Roman Catholic Church teachings and oppose LGBT issues on [[morality|moral grounds]]. Some PAN mayors have adopted ordinances (or policies) leading to the closing of gay bars or the detention of transvestites (usually on prostitution charges).<ref name="Mexico: Treatment of Homosexuals"/> Many of its leaders have taken public stands describing homosexuality as "abnormal", a "sickness", or a "moral weakness".<ref name="Mexico: Treatment of Homosexuals"/>
 
In the [[Mexican general election, 2000|2000 presidential elections]], PAN candidate (and eventual winner) [[Vicente Fox]] used [[LGBT stereotypes|homosexual stereotypes]] to demean and humiliate his principal opponent ([[Francisco Labastida]]). Fox accused Labastida of being a [[sissy]] and a [[Mother's boy|mama's boy]] and nicknamed him ''Lavestida'' ("the cross-dressed").<ref>Coerver, Pasztor and Buffington, p. 201.</ref> When Mexico City and Coahuila legalized same-sex civil unions the chief opposition came from the PAN, former [[President of Mexico|President]] [[Vicente Fox]] and former president [[Felipe Calderón]]. Since then the party has opposed similar bills, with the rationale of protecting traditional family values.<ref>{{cite web | publisher=MSNBC | title=Mexico City OKs law recognizing gay unions | date=9 November 2006 | url=http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/15643540/ | accessdate=27 November 2009}}</ref> Nonetheless, PAN officials have insisted that homosexuals have rights as human beings and should in no case be subjected to hatred or physical [[Violence against LGBT people|violence]].<ref name="Mexico: Treatment of Homosexuals">{{cite web | author=Andrew Reding | publisher=University of Minnesota | title=Mexico: Treatment of Homosexuals | date=April 1998 | url=http://www1.umn.edu/humanrts/ins/mexico_demochumrts_98.html | accessdate=27 November 2009}}</ref>
 
[[File:Patria Jiménez.jpg|thumb|200px|[[Patria Jiménez]], from the [[Party of the Democratic Revolution]] (PRD), became the first openly-lesbian lawmaker in the [[Congress of Mexico|Federal Congress]] in 1997.|alt=Woman with short dark hair, blue lanyard, and black and white blouse speaking at a podium]]
Participation by [[sexual minorities]] is widely accepted in the left-wing [[Party of the Democratic Revolution]] (PRD), one of Mexico's three [[List of political parties in Mexico|major political parties]]. Since its creation during the late 1980s, the PRD has supported [[LGBT rights]] and has a party program committed to ending discrimination on the basis of sexual diversity.<ref>{{cite web | title=National Committee of Sexual Diversity | url=http://diversidad.prd.org.mx/ | accessdate=27 November 2009|language=es}}</ref> In the [[Elections in Mexico|1997 parliamentary elections]], [[Patria Jiménez]] became the first openly lesbian member of the [[Congress of Mexico|Federal Congress]], and LGBT-rights advocate David Sánchez Camacho was elected to the [[Legislative Assembly of the Federal District]] (ALDF).<ref name="Reding, p. 26">Reding, p. 26.</ref>
 
Two years later, the PRD-controlled Legislative Assembly passed an ordinance banning discrimination based on sexual orientation (the first of its kind in the country).<ref name="Reding, p. 27"/> In 2008, a PRD-backed bill concerning gender identity was passed, allowing [[transgender|transgender people]] to change their gender and sex on official documents.<ref name="International Lesbian and Gay Association ILGA Trans"/> In the [[Mexican legislative election, 2009|2009 parliamentary elections]], of the 38 LGBT candidates presented by several political parties, only Enoé Uranga succeeded:<ref name="Gay Vote"/> an openly-lesbian politician who, in 2000, promoted the legalization of same-sex civil unions in Mexico City.<ref name="Latin American Herald Tribune"/> The [[Bill (proposed law)|bill]] passed six years later in the PRD-controlled Legislative Assembly, allowing same-sex couples [[inheritance]] and [[pension]] rights. Similar bills have been proposed by the PRD in at least six states.
 
Other leftist, smaller parties are [[Citizens' Movement (Mexico)|Convergence]] and the [[Labor Party (Mexico)|Labor Party]] (PT). Both have supported the [[LGBT community]] and PRD-proposed bills regarding LGBT rights.<ref>{{cite web | author=Rachel Evans | publisher=Links International Journal of Socialist Renewal | title="The only fight we lose is the one we abandon": Mexico's first openly lesbian MP on LGBTI rights and people's power | date=21 May 2009 | url=http://links.org.au/node/1068 | accessdate=27 November 2009}}</ref>
 
The defunct [[Social Democratic Party (Mexico)|Social Democratic Party]] (PSD), a minor progressive party, was noted for its support of the LGBT community. In the [[Mexican general election, 2006|2006 presidential elections]] [[Patricia Mercado]], the first woman presidential candidate, was the only candidate openly supporting [[same-sex marriage]].<ref>{{cite web | author=Monica Campbell | publisher=San Francisco Gate | title=The Mexican woman running for president | date=29 June 2006 | url=http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2006/06/29/MNGUCJM7RQ1.DTL | accessdate=27 November 2009}}</ref> In the [[Mexican legislative election, 2009|2009 parliamentary elections]], the party nominated 32 LGBT candidates (out of a total of 38 presented by other parties) for seats in the [[Congress of Mexico|Federal Congress]].<ref name="Gay Vote">{{cite web | author=Gernaro Lozano | publisher=El Universal | title=¿Dónde quedó el voto gay? | date=1 August 2009 | url=http://www.eluniversal.com.mx/editoriales/45083.html | accessdate=27 November 2009|language=es}}</ref>
 
In the municipality of Guadalajara, the second-largest city of Mexico, Miguel Galán became the first openly gay politician to run for mayor in the country.<ref name="Latin American Herald Tribune">{{cite web | author=Latin American Herald Tribune | title=First Openly Gay Mayoral Candidate Runs in Mexico | date=16 March 2009 | url=http://www.laht.com/article.asp?ArticleId=329653&CategoryId=14091 | accessdate=27 November 2009}}</ref> During his campaign Galán was a target of [[Homophobia|homophobic comments]], notably by [[Ecologist Green Party of Mexico|Green Party]] rival Gamaliel Ramírez (who, on a radio show, joked about homosexuals and referred to the PSD as "a dirty party of degenerates"). Ramírez also called homosexual practices "abnormal" and said they should be outlawed. The following day, Ramírez issued a written apology after his party condemned his comments.<ref>{{cite web | author=Guadalajara Reporter | title=Green Party rival crossed the line, says gay candidate | date=16 May 2009 | url=http://guadalajarareporter.com/news-mainmenu-82/guadalajara/24457-jalisco-elections-partido-social-democratica-gay-candidate.html | accessdate=27 November 2009}}</ref> Despite losing the election, Galán received 7,122 votes (the most for any openly gay politician in Mexico).<ref name="Gay Vote"/>
 
===HIV and AIDS===
{{Main article|HIV/AIDS in Mexico}}
[[File:Red Ribbon.svg|thumb|200px|right|The [[Red ribbon#AIDS awareness symbol|red ribbon]], a symbol of solidarity with HIV-positive people and those living with AIDS|Red loop-and-cross HIV/AIDS ribbon]]
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In August 2008, Mexico hosted the 17th [[International AIDS Conference]], a meeting that contributed to overcoming [[AIDS#Stigma|stigmas]] and highlighting the achievements in the struggle against the illness.<ref name="HIV/AIDS"/> In late 2009, [[Secretariat of Health|Health Secretary]] [[José Ángel Córdova]] said in a statement that Mexico had met the [[Millennium Development Goals#Goal 6: Combat HIV/AIDS, malaria, and other diseases|United Nations Millennium Development Goal]] concerning HIV/AIDS (which demands that countries begin to reduce the spread of HIV/AIDS before 2015). The HIV infection rate then was 0.4 percent, below the 0.6 percent target set by the [[World Health Organization]] for Mexico.<ref name="HIV/AIDS">{{cite web | publisher=Latin American Herald Tribune | title=Mexico Meets HIV-AIDS Millennium Development Goals | date=3 December 2009 | url=http://www.cdhdf.org.mx/index.php?id=pibol14707 | accessdate=4 December 2009}}</ref>
 
About 70 percent of people requesting treatment for HIV/AIDS arrive without [[AIDS#Symptoms|symptoms of the disease]], which increases [[life expectancy]] by at least 25 years.<ref name="HIV/AIDS"/> Treatment for HIV/AIDS in Mexico is free, and is offered at 57 specialized clinics to 30,000 (of 60,000) people living with HIV.<ref name="HIV/AIDS"/> The [[MexicanFederal government of Mexico|Mexican Government]] spends about $2 billion [[MXN]] (US $151.9 million) each year fighting the disease.<ref name="HIV/AIDS"/>
 
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== Summary table ==
{| class="wikitable"
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| [[File:Yes check.svg|15px|Yes]] (Since 2003)
|-
| Same-sex marriage(s)
| Same-sex marriage(s)<ref group=note>Performed only in Mexico City, Campeche, Chihuahua, Chiapas Coahuila, Colima, Guerrero, Hidalgo, Jalisco, Michoacán, Morelos, Nayarit, Nuevo Leon, Quintana Roo and parts of Querétaro but recognised throughout the country.</ref>
| [[File:Yes check.svg|15px|Yes]]/[[Image:X mark.svg|15px|No]]<ref group=note>Performed only in Mexico City, Campeche, Chihuahua, Coahuila, Colima, Jalisco, Michoacán, Morelos, Nayarit, Quintana Roo and parts of Guerrero, Querétaro and Puebla but recognised throughout the country.</ref> (Pending nationwide)
|-
| Recognition of same-sex couples<ref group=note>All states are obliged to honour same-sex marriages performed in Mexico.</ref>
| [[File:Yes check.svg|15px|Yes]] (Since 2010)
|-
| Step-childStepchild adoption by same-sex couples
|[[File:Yes_check.svg|15x15px|Yes]]/[[File:X_mark.svg|17x17px|No]]<ref (group=note name="adoption">Only in Mexico City, Campeche, Chihuahua, Coahuila, Colima, Michoacán, Morelos and Morelos)Veracruz</ref> (Pending nationwide)
|-
| Joint adoption by same-sex couples
|[[File:Yes_check.svg|15x15px|Yes]]/[[File:X_mark.svg|17x17px|No]]<ref (Onlygroup=note inname="adoption" Mexico City, Campeche, Coahuila, Colima, Michoacán and Morelos) (Pending nationwide)/>
|-
| Gays, lesbians and bisexuals allowed to serve in the military
| [[File:Yes check.svg|15px|Yes]]
|-
| Right to change legal gender<ref group=note>Legal in Mexico City and Michoacán only.</ref>
| [[File:Yes check.svg|15px|Yes]]/[[File:X mark.svg|15px|No]]<ref group=note>Legal in Mexico City only.</ref> (Pending)
|-
| Access to IVF for lesbians
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|-
| [[Men who have sex with men|MSM]]s allowed to [[MSM blood donor controversy|donate blood]]
| [[File:Yes check.svg|15px|Yes]] (Since 2012)
|}
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