As part of the International Day Against Homophobia, members of the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Trasvesti, Transexual, Transgender and Intersex (LGBTTTI) community gave a press conference at the Museo del Estanquillo in downtown Mexico City.
The event offered the opportunity for members of the LGBTQ community to talk about their personal experiences and the constant struggle for equal rights in a country where Catholicism is deeply rooted and where until recently, the subject was still labeled as “taboo.”
The panelist were Sabina Hernández of Youths for Wellness, Alina Vallejo of the Gay Women Group and Roberto Pérez Baeza of the Rainbow Foundation.
Pérez Baeza talked about the importance of young people in this movement.
“There are 30 million young people in Mexico, the largest demographic group in the country and the largest number in the history of the country as well,” said Pérez Baeza.
Mexico City seems to carry the torch for the LGBTQ community in the country, however, as the panelists mentioned “Mexico City is a paradise, I don’t know if anyone realizes it, but we are in a paradise. You should see the abuse that members of our community suffer in other states.”
The panelists want the LGBTQ community to have access to the political system in Mexico in order to influence decisions and be able to have an open dialogue with all political parties.
Vallejo mentioned the fact that there is a difference between “being politically active, and being influential in politics,” because so far the LGBTQ community has been very active in protests and public demonstrations but has yet to develop a functional political arm.
Panelists agreed that there are some terms that are not up for negotiation, like marriage equality, because that should be a “basic principle” and not up for discussion.