Treatment of Sexual Minorities

 

MAP

Source: Mexico: A Country Guide 1992, p. xvi.

GLOSSARY

ADODEMIS          Asociación Colectiva por los Derechos de las Minorías Sexuales (Collective Association for the Rights of Sexual Minorities)

AMAC   Acción Humana por la Comunidad (Human action for the community). "AMAC" is an acronym, retained for its recognizability, of the organization's former name, "Amigos Acompañantes": Accompanying Friends

CCCOH  Comisión Ciudadana contra Crímenes de Odio por Homofobia (Citizens' Commission against Homophobic Hate Crimes)

CDHDF  Comisión de Derechos Humanos del Distrito Federal (Federal District Human Rights Commission)

CECASH                Centro de Capacitación y Apoyo Sexológico Humanista (Sexological and Humanist Training and Support Centre)

DF           Distrito Federal (Federal District). Mexico City

PAN       Partido Acción Nacional (National Action Party). A Mexican opposition party

PRD        Partido de la Revolución Democrática (Party of the Democratic Revolution). A Mexican opposition party

PRI          Partido Revolucionario Institucional (Institutional Revolutionary Party). The long-standing ruling party in Mexico

1.                INTRODUCTION

This paper deals with social attitudes and legal, political, judicial and administrative issues as they may affect the human rights of sexual minorities in Mexico. In this paper, the term "sexual minorities" refers to homosexual and bisexual men and women, male transvestites and transsexuals. The words "gay" and "homosexual" refer to men unless otherwise stated. Very little information could be found on lesbians in the sources consulted. The focus of the report is the period from 1997 through February 1999.

2.   SOCIAL ATTITUDES TO SEXUAL MINORITIES

Mexican society places a high value on "manliness" (machismo) (Carrier 1995, 3, 4; Letra S 7 May 1998). One manifestation of this is contempt for men who exhibit female characteristics, especially transvestites (ibid.; Hurtado 3 Feb. 1999). To a great extent, Mexican society perceives male homosexuality as a condition close to womanhood or femininity, and the term "homosexual" is used to refer to effeminate men (ibid.; Carrier 1995, 17; Letra S 7 May 1998). Thus homophobia is not only a fear of the idea of having sex with other men, but also a masculine fear of being considered or appearing in any way weak or feminine (ibid.).

Paradoxically, the mere fact of a man having sexual relations with other men has traditionally not necessarily been considered proof of homosexuality in Mexico (Carrier 1995, 16, 17; Hurtado 3 Feb. 1998). Men who play the active role in anal intercourse with other men are often not considered homosexuals, and are referred to as mayates (Letra S 7 Aug. 1997; Buffington 1997, 120) or chingones, (ibid., 126). Mayates typically have sex with both men and women, are often married, and do not consider themselves "gay" (Out Dec./Jan. 1998, 52; Letra S 7 Aug. 1997). Men who play the passive role in anal intercourse, on the other hand, are considered to be "effeminate men" (afeminados), "fairies" (jotos or chotos), or chingadas, and they are likely to be stigmatized as homosexuals (ibid.; Buffington 1997, 124-26). According to Ian Lumsden, author of Homosexuality, Society and the State in Mexico, in Mexico the verb chingar means "to rape" or "to take advantage of" (1991, 19), and the words chingón and chingada refer to the author and recipient, respectively, of the act referred to by the verb chingar (Buffington 1997, 126). Other terms analogous to chingón and chingada are activo and pasivo, referring respectively to those who play the active and passive roles in anal intercourse (Lumsden 1991, 22).

According to an article by anthropologist Marta Lamas, the Mexican social critic Carlos Monsiváis maintains that the word "gay" has had a liberating effect on Mexican sexual minorities, especially in Mexico City, where the adoption of a "gay" identity and the entry into popular discourse of the word "gay" has resulted in sexual minorities being perceived as part of an international movement and lifestyle which is considered [translation] "extravagant but ‘modern'" (Letra S 7 Jan. 1999). The result has been a reduction of prejudice against homosexuals, according to Monsiváis (ibid.). In a 1997 La Jornada article Monsiváis stated the situation for sexual minorities in Mexico in recent years had been characterized by both an increase in freedom and a homophobic offensive, and that while the majority of Mexicans still publicly rejected homosexuality, a growing minority accepted it with equanimity (La Jornada 12 Mar. 1997).

With regard to the workplace, progress has been disappointing, according to Patria Jiménez, a member of Mexico's federal legislature and a lesbian, who stated that despite general improvements in the conditions for sexual minorities in recent years, sexual minorities still feel the need to remain "in the closet" at work (22 Mar.1999) (see also Section 7).

The attitude to homosexuality is not the same throughout Mexico. For example, in the town of Juchitán in Oaxaca state, the population tends to be tolerant of male homosexuals, called muxes by the local population (Out Dec./Jan. 1998, 54; NYT 14 Mar. 1997; The Los Angeles Times 31 Mar. 1995). They are seen as insurance for parents' old age, because they are not expected to marry and leave home (Out Dec./Jan. 1998, 54). Juchitán is mostly of Zapotec Indian origin, whose culture is less rigid and judgmental regarding sexuality than elsewhere in Mexico; the mayor in part attributes the acceptance of homosexuality to this (ibid., 54; The Los Angeles Times 31 Mar. 1995). Every year the town has a muxe festival (Out Dec./Jan. 1998, 54), referred to as the Vigil of the True Fearless Danger Seekers (Vela de la Auténticas Intrépidas Buscadoras de Peligro) in the IRB's Response to Information Request MEX29036.E of 27 March 1998. The relative tolerance of inhabitants of Oaxaca state regarding homosexuality is also mentioned in Response to Information Request MEX22635.E of 8 February 1996, available at Regional Documentation Centres, in REFINFO and on the IRB Website at ( www.irb.gc.ca ).

Sources also state that in general, the situation for sexual minorities tends to be better in the DF (Federal District) than elsewhere in the country, in part because the DF local government is sensitive to the needs of sexual minorities and because of the anonymity available in DF (Covarrubias 16 Feb. 1999; Jiménez 22 Mar. 1999).

2.1 Politics, the Church and Social Conservatism

In 1992 the Mexican federal government amended article 130 of the Constitution, ostensibly to strengthen freedom of religion in Mexico (Letra S 7 Jan. 1999). One immediate result of the change was that the Mexican constitution now protects the public presence of the Catholic church in Mexico. Before the amendment, article 130 stated that Mexican law did "not recognize any personality in religious groups called churches;" moreover, members of the clergy were not allowed to vote or criticize "the fundamental laws of the country or the authorities of the government," and religious periodicals were forbidden to comment on political matters (Blaustein Apr. 1998, 110-11). Following the amendment, the Catholic church became a stronger political force in Mexico (Letra S 7 Jan. 1999). The Catholic church has entered into alliances with other religious organizations (Opus Dei, Legionarios de Cristo, and Caballeros de Colón) and other organizations (Unión Nacional de Padres de Familia – UNPF, and Comité Nacional Pro-Vida) to promote its agenda on social matters, for example, in opposition to abortion, the use of condoms and the adoption of children by homosexuals and lesbians (Letra S 7 Jan. 1999). In January 1999 it was reported in the Mexican newspaper La Jornada that the president of the organization Pro-Vida (Pro-Life), Jorge Serrano Limón, had accused Mexico's secretariat of public education of encouraging Mexican society to be open to homosexuality by replacing the word "sex" with "gender" and "family" with "families" in school textbooks, which, Serrano felt, implied an acceptance of different kinds of families, including homosexual families. Serrano also objected to the secretariat of health's campaign of sterilization and distribution of contraceptive devices, including condoms, and he accused the heads of the two secretariats, Juan Ramón de la Fuente (education) and Miguel Limón Rojas (health), of promoting non-procreative genital activity and homosexuality as a desirable lifestyle (La Jornada 4 Jan. 1999).

In May 1998 the Catholic Archdiocese of Mexico, through its weekly publication Nuevo Criterio, with a circulation of 10,000 copies (Nuevo Criterio 9 Mar. 1999), launched an attack on the participants in a forum on sexual diversity that was held at the DF (Federal District) legislative assembly earlier that month. The publication accused the organizers of promoting deviant sexuality and same-sex marriage, and added that those who corrupt society should be [translation] "detained" (Letra S 4 June 1998b). In an editorial the publication accused Party of the Democratic Revolution (PRD: Partido de la Revolución Democrática) members of the DF legislature of preventing people with opposing views from participating in the forum (Nuevo Criterio May 1998, 1). Characterizing homosexuality as a moral disorder, the publication added that laws should not be made at the behest of [translation] "minorities … whose behaviour deviates from the natural order"(ibid.).

3.   LEGAL ISSUES

In the International Lesbian and Gay Association's (ILGA) "GLBT Human Rights Annual Report 97-98," Mexico is listed as a country where neither male nor female homosexuality is mentioned in the law (ILGA Bulletin 1998, 11). However, until 12 December 1998 there was a vestige of legal discrimination against homosexuals in Mexican federal legislation, specifically an article in the Penal Code for DF (which is federal legislation, because of the special status of DF), according to the lesbian PRD Congresswoman Patria Jiménez (Gay Law News Jan. 1999). The lower house of Mexico's federal legislature, the Chamber of Deputies, voted almost unanimously (437 to 0 with two abstentions) on 12 December 1998 to modify article 201 of the DF Penal Code, which included inducing a minor to homosexuality among the acts that constituted the crime of corrupting a minor. The penalty was from three to eight years' imprisonment and a fine of 50 to 200 days' income (Mexico 11 Dec. 1998; Gay Law News Jan. 1999). In addition, the law stated that if the acts of corruption resulted in the acquisition by the minor of one of a number of corrupt habits, including "homosexual practices," then the penalty was increased to five to ten years' imprisonment and a fine of 100 to 400 days' income (Mexico 11 Dec. 1998). Under the modification the references to homosexuality were replaced with a reference to "sexual practices," thus referring to both heterosexual and homosexual contact (ibid.; ibid. 12 Dec. 1998; Gay Law News Jan. 1999; Careaga Pérez 20 Jan. 1999).

Outside DF, penal law is under the jurisdiction of state legislatures, except for federal crimes, and every state in Mexico has its own penal code. It should be noted that several Mexican states mention homosexuality in their laws on corruption of minors in ways similar to the reference to homosexuality in article 210 of the DF Penal Code before it was modified (Info-Jus: Información Legislativa de México, 1998). Perusal of state legislation through a search engine posted on the Internet by the Institute of Juridical Research of the National Autonomous University of Mexico revealed that homosexuality is mentioned in the laws on corruption of minors in the penal codes of the following 15 of Mexico's 31 states: Aguascalientes, Baja California, Baja California Sur, Campeche, Chiapas, Chihuahua, Coahuila, Durango, Jalisco, México, Puebla, San Luis Potosí, Sinaloa, Sonora and Tamaulipas (ibid.). Penalties for corruption of a minor in those states range between imprisonment for a minimum of three months and a maximum of nine years, and fines of up to 700 days' pay. Out of those 15 states, homosexuality is referred to in the definition of acts constituting the corruption of a minor in only three: Puebla, Sinaloa and Sonora. However, in all 15 states the penalties rise if corrupt habits, including "homosexual practices," have been acquired by the minor as a result of the acts of corruption (ibid.). In addition to the laws on corruption of minors, the laws of three states specifically mention homosexuality in the following ways: in Campeche, the Judicial Hospital is the maximum-security penal institution in the state, where physically and mentally ill convicts, habitual offenders (multireincidentes) and homosexual convicts are detained. In Coahuila, homosexuals are among the groups barred from visiting inmates of the state Social Readaptation Centre. In Jalisco, homosexual convicts are to be kept in the state Judicial Hospital if possible, and failing that, in the maximum security section of the institution where they are incarcerated. Jalisco law also states that officials are to take measures to prevent the creation of homosexual couples in the state Centre for the Observation of Minors (ibid.).

Regarding discriminatory references to homosexuality in state penal codes, Congresswoman Jiménez stated that she expects that several states will soon follow the example of the federal legislature and remove the references to homosexuality from their laws on corruption of minors (22 Mar. 1999).

In May 1998 it was proposed at a forum on sexual diversity in Mexico City to include in the Government Statute of DF a guarantee of the right to be different and not to be discriminated against on the basis of race, ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation, age, religion, ideology, social or economic condition or any other category (Letra S 4 June 1998a; Careaga Pérez 20 Jan. 1999). The proposal has not been passed into law, nor has a bill to implement the proposal been sponsored by any legislator in the DF or federal legislatures (Brito 22 Mar. 1999).

The forum on sexual diversity took place on 12-14 May 1998 in the DF legislative assembly (Letra S 7 May 1998). The forum was convoked by the DF deputy David Sánchez Camacho, secretary of the Vulnerable Groups' Assistance Commission (Comisión de Atención a Grupos Vulnerables) of the DF legislative assembly (Letra S 4 June 1998a). At the forum, the head of the Federal District Human Rights Commission(CDHDF: Comisión de Derechos Humanos del Distrito Federal), Luis de la Barreda Solórzano, said that Mexico's laws already adequately protect the rights of all, without reference to sexual orientation, and therefore no further legislation was required (El Nacional 15 May 1998; El Universal 15 May 1998).

Not sharing de la Barreda Solórzano's opinion on the legislative status quo, Congresswoman Jiménez is pursuing projects to modify an article in the DF Civil Code which gives the courts considerable leverage to deny parental rights potentially on the basis of sexual orientation (see Section 8), and to amend Mexico's constitution to guarantee the rights of sexual minorities (El Universal 15 May 1998; Out Dec./Jan. 1998, 50; Gay Place News Aug. 1998c).

On 17 July 1998 the CDHDF, with the participation of the gay group Rainbow (Arcoiris) and Congresswoman Jiménez, issued a leaflet advising sexual minorities of their rights and outlining the government's policy of barring discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation (La Jornada 18 July 1998; Gay Place News Aug. 1998b; CDHDF n.d.). The policy leaflet begins with a categorical statement that it is not a violation of the law to be homosexual, lesbian, bisexual, transsexual or transgender. The leaflet outlines 19 rights which cannot be violated on the basis of sexual orientation, including the right to physical integrity, education, health care, and freedom of expression and association, the right to withhold information about one's sexual orientation, the right not to be involuntarily subjected to any experiment or treatment intended to modify one's sexual orientation, and the right not to be deprived of parental rights. The leaflet provides information on how to contact the following seven government departments to which members of sexual minorities can turn for redress in the event of discrimination in matters related to civil or criminal law, the workplace, housing, consumer matters, and public security:

1. To complain about a crime, the department of the Public Attorney (Ministerio Público).

2. To seek assistance regarding civil or family matters (materia civil y familiar) the office of the Ex-Officio Ombudsman of the Superior Court of DF (la Defensoría de Oficio del Tribunal Superior de Justicia del Distrito Federal).

3. In the event of difficulty renting accommodations, the office of the Ex-Officio Ombudsman of the Superior Court of DF (la Defensoría de Oficio del Tribunal Superior de Justicia del Distrito Federal).

4. To seek assistance regarding problems in the workplace, the office of the Ex-Officio Ombudsman of the Attorney General of Labour Defence of DF (Defensoría de Oficio de la Procuraduría General de la Defensa del Trabajo del Distrito Federal). For those who work for the government, the office of the Federal Attorney of Labour Defence (Procuraduría Federal de la Defensa del Trabajo).

5. To seek assistance regarding consumer matters, the nearest office of the Federal Consumer Attorney (Procuraduría Federal del Consumidor).

6. To seek assistance regarding public security, the Public Security Commission of the DF Assembly of Representatives (Comisión de Seguridad Pública de la Asamblea de Representantes del Distrito Federal), or the Internal Accounts Office of the DF Public Security Secretariat (Contraloría Interna de la Secretaría de Seguridad Pública del Distrito Federal).

7. For assistance regarding public services provided by DF and conflicts and problems regarding condominiums and public housing (Procuraduría Social del DF, 1998) the office of the DF Attorney for Social Affairs (Procuraduría Social del Distrito Federal).

In addition, the leaflet lists the following four non-governmental organizations (NGOs) to which members of sexual minorities can turn for help:

1. Centro de Derechos Humanos Fray Francisco de Vitoria.

2. El Closet de Sor Juana.

3. Acción Humana por la Comunidad.

4. Amnesty International, Group 44.

The leaflet, which is posted on an Internet Website at ( http://www.geocities.com/WestHollywood/Stonewall/2223/derhum-e.htm ) (Directorio de Recursos para Gente como Tú, 1998-1999), also provides information on the penalties for various civil offences related to public morals (CDHDF n.d.). Forty thousand copies of the leaflet were printed and distributed in DF (La Jornada 18 July 1998; CDHDF 4 Feb. 1999). Please see Appendix 1 for information on the government departments and organizations mentioned in the leaflet.

4.   ABUSES AND VIOLENCE AGAINST SEXUAL MINORITIES

4.1        Abuses by the General Public

Physical abuse on the streets is a significant problem for gays in Mexico (Hernández 15 Dec. 1998; Velasco 12 Feb. 1999; Covarrubias 16 Feb. 1999). A difficulty many gays face when dealing with abuse is that many incidents of harassment, up to and including physical assault, are classified in law as violations of municipal laws (faltas administrativas), according to Juan Jacobo Hernández of the DF gay-rights organization Colectivo Sol (Sun Collective) (15 Dec. 1998). Such offences may result in fines or very short jail terms. If somebody is beaten, for example, the incident is not necessarily classified as a crime (delito) under the law (ibid.). On 21 January 1999 it was reported that the mayor of DF, Cuauhtémoc Cárdenas, was planning to convert some municipal infractions into crimes, including striking a person (El Universal 21 Jan. 1999). There is more violence against homosexuals outside Mexico City, according to Hernández, and in Mexico City, homophobic violence happens more in areas where there are not many gays (15 Dec. 1998). Hernández added that in general, it is psychologically and bureaucratically very difficult for people to complain about homophobically-motivated violence in Mexico, and that an added difficulty in seeking justice for homophobically-motivated crimes is presented by the fact that there is no specific category of "homophobic crimes" in Mexican law (15 Dec. 1998).

Congresswoman Jiménez stated that there is a significant problem of domestic abuse against sexual minority young people in Mexico, especially from their fathers (22 Mar. 1999). She added that parents have been known to send their sexual minority children to psychiatrists in an effort to change their sexual orientation, and/or to expel them from the family home (ibid.).

It was reported in August 1998 that in response to pressure from local gay organizations, the police in the city of Tijuana, in the northern state of Baja California, had resumed police patrols of a city pedestrian mall, Plaza Santa Cecilia, where gays had been victims of muggers after the police withdrew patrols from the mall in April 1998 (Gay Place News Aug. 1998a). There are three gay bars in Plaza Santa Cecilia. Representatives of a local gay publication, Frontera Gay, said that the mugging problem disappeared after the police resumed the patrols (ibid.).

4.1.1              The CCCOH Reports

Violence against sexual minorities allegedly goes far beyond harassment, beatings and muggings. The Citizens' Commission Against Homophobic Hate Crimes (CCCOH: Comisión Ciudadana contra Crímenes de Odio por Homofobia), a DF-based NGO established on 6 May 1998 to monitor killings of gays and lesbians (Citizens' Commission against Homophobic Hate Crimes 6 May 1998, n.p.), has produced two reports in which it claims that 149 people, all but 5 of them men, were killed in Mexico as a result of homophobic hatred from February 1995 to September 1998 inclusive (CCCOH n.d.a; ibid. n.d.b). The CCCOH is headed by Alicia Valle, the mother of AIDS activist Francisco Estrada Valle, who was killed in 1992 (CCCOH 6 May 1998, n.p.).

Of 124 killings reported in the period from February 1995 to April 1998, 65 took place in DF, 24 in the state of México, and 12 in Veracruz (CCCOH n.d.b, 1). Fewer killings were recorded in the states of Baja California, Chiapas, Hidalgo, Michoacán, Morelos, Puebla, and Sinaloa, and in nine killings from February 1995 to April 1998 the state or district was not indicated (ibid.). The Mexican newspaper Reforma reported in 1996 that DF and the state of México were the constituencies in Mexico with the highest crime rates, followed by the states of Jalisco and Veracruz (Reforma 8 Mar. 1996).

The Mexican criminologist Rafael Ruiz Harrell stated that he believes the CCCOH reports are seriously flawed in two respects: in many cases readers must simply take the CCCOH at its word that the victims were homosexual, and most of the incidents mentioned in the reports are based on only one newspaper story, with no follow-up (5 Feb. 1999). Ruiz Harrell also stated, based on his analysis of the statistics provided by the CCCOH, that the reports do not suggest that the homicide rate is higher for homosexuals than for the general population (5 Feb. 1999). According to Ruiz Harrell, there were 3,257 voluntary homicides in DF in the years 1995 through 1997 (ibid.). The 57 allegedly homophobic killings in DF in those years, as reported by the CCCOH, constitute 1.75 per cent of the total. The number of voluntary homicides recorded in DF in 1995, 1996, 1997 and 1998, respectively, were 1,204, 1,076, 977 and 947 (ibid.). Homicide statistics for all of Mexico could not be found among the sources consulted by the Research Directorate.

Ruiz Harrell stated that he believed that Mexican prosecutors are likely to assign lower priority to homicide cases if they believe the victims are homosexual (5 Feb. 1999). He also stated that he believed that Mexican courts are likely to hand down harsher sentences if they believe the convict is a homosexual, because of a general prejudice against homosexuals in Mexican courts (ibid.). He notes that this is analogous to Mexican courts' prejudice against women, which is reflected in the fact that women receive harsher sentences than men do for the same crimes (ibid.).

4.2 Abuses by Police

Police in DF have reportedly sexually abused homosexuals, especially by forcing them to perform oral sex (Hernández 15 Dec. 1998; Lamas 18 Jan. 1999; Lagunes 9 Feb. 1999). Transvestites are particularly vulnerable to such assault, as well as demands for a share of their earnings if they are prostitutes (Hernández 15 Dec. 1998; Lamas 18 Jan. 1999; Lagunes 9 Feb. 1999). Mexican anthropologist Marta Lamas stated that police typically ask both male and female sex workers for sexual favours and money, but they tend to be more abusive with transvestites, and sexually assault them more often (18 Jan. 1999). Juan Jacobo Hernández of Colectivo Sol stated by way of example that on a typical Friday or Saturday night in Mexico City, in an area where 12 or 15 transvestite prostitutes are working the street, it would not be unusual for the police to accost two or three of them for sex or to rob them (15 Dec. 1998). Francisco Lagunes, the Director-General of the human-rights organization AMAC, stated that his organization has dealt with about 12 complaints of sexual abuse of homosexual men by police since 1993 (9 Feb. 1999). He did not know if the officers involved had been disciplined (ibid.). Lagunes added that homosexuals usually decline to press charges against police officers, especially if they are from the Judicial Police, a plainclothes investigative unit (ibid.). According to Lamas, the Judicial Police is considered worse than the others in its treatment of sex workers (18 Jan. 1999). Hernández stated that it takes a lot of courage for a homosexual to complain about police mistreatment; the process is very slow and intimidating and he is likely to face threats to his family (15 Dec. 1998). Moreover, José María Covarrubias stated that in Mexican culture people do not in general complain, and may not do so even when their rights are violated (16 Feb. 1999).

According to Lamas, until the December 1997 election of a PRD-led local government in DF, the police in DF had always assumed that they could mistreat sex workers with impunity; now they are being held to higher standards, but it is not clear whether they have changed yet in that regard (18 Jan. 1999; Careaga Pérez 20 Jan. 1999). Lamas stated that she has no knowledge of any police officers being disciplined for mistreating gays or transvestites (18 Jan. 1999). According to Careaga Pérez, however, there are indications that the DF police are starting to change their behaviour, as the DF government has begun to take complaints against the police seriously (20 Jan. 1999).

Congresswoman Jiménez stated that there has been some improvement in police behaviour towards sexual minorities in DF since the election of the PRD government. She stated, for example, that the police now advise the staff of Letra S, when they intend to carry out raids on gay places of entertainment. Letra S then ensures that representatives of the gay community are on site to monitor any police abuses during the raids (Jiménez 22 Mar. 1999).

However, despite recent improvements in police behaviour, there is still a general homophobic attitude in the police in Mexico. This is the case even in DF where Jiménez noted, for example, that early in March 1999 police officers were shown on television removing the blouses from transvestites they had arrested, to show journalists that they were not women (ibid.). Jiménez also stated that conditions for sexual minorities tend to be worse in jurisdictions with PAN governments (22 Mar. 1999).

The CDHDF received one complaint of a human rights violation on the basis of sexual orientation in 1997 and six in 1998 (8 Feb. 1999). The complaint in 1997 involved an agent of the Public Attorney (Ministerio Público), whom the complainant alleged had inadequately investigated a robbery of which the complainant had been a victim, because of his sexual orientation. The case was resolved in the complainant's favour. Of the six complaints filed in 1998, four were against police officers. Two of those cases, including one of threatened sexual abuse, were dropped because of lack of follow-up by the complainants, and two resulted in internal investigations which were still in progress at the time of writing this report. The other two involved prison guards: in one case a prisoner complained because his request to be incarcerated with other homosexual prisoners was not granted, and in the other a prisoner complained of being beaten by a guard. In the former case the matter was resolved in the prisoner's favour, and in the latter a criminal investigation was launched against the guard (CDHDF 8 Feb. 1999).

There are also reports of members of sexual minorities in cars or parks or other public places being accosted by police officers who demand money from them in exchange for not arresting them on a municipal morality charge (Out Dec./Jan. 1998, 52; Careaga Pérez 20 Jan. 1999; Lagunes 9 Feb. 1999). Police sometimes use ganchos (literally, "hooks"): attractive men, often off-duty police officers, who lure gay men into compromising situations, whereupon the police step in and demand payment under threat of arrest, beatings or exposure as gay if they are "in the closet" (Quiroga 10 Feb. 1999; Hernández 3 Mar. 1999). "Closeted" gay men caught cruising for sex are particularly vulnerable to this kind of extortion (Hernández 3 Mar. 1999; Jiménez 22 Mar. 1999). People often give in to extortion of this kind, because the relevant laws are vaguely defined, or they do not know the penalties, or they do not know their rights (Careaga Pérez 20 Jan. 1999; Quiroga 10 Feb. 1999; Velasco 12 Feb. 1999). Many people do not know that while certain behaviours (for example, kissing in a parked car) may result in prosecution on a municipal morality charge, prosecution must be initiated by a member of the public–not the police–who has been offended by the behaviour, such offenses are not considered serious, and penalties are light (Careaga Pérez 20 Jan. 1999). This type of extortion has declined in DF in recent months (Lagunes 9 Feb. 1999; Velasco 12 Feb. 1999). One of the purposes of the DF human rights leaflet (cartilla) mentioned above (see Section 3) is to advise people of the penalties for municipal morality offences, which in DF range as low as a fine of one day's pay and six hours' detention to a maximum of a fine of 21 to 30 days' pay or 25 to 36 hours' detention (CDHDF n.d.). .

In the city of Tijuana the police often carry out abuses under the pretext of combating prostitution (Mejía and Velásquez 5 Feb. 1999). Three types of sexual minorities are particularly vulnerable to police abuse in Tijuana: those who visit public areas frequented by gays (such as parks), prostitutes, and transvestites (ibid.). The abuse can take the form of verbal insults, extortion, arrest and demanding sexual favours (ibid.).

A letter signed by eight people appeared in La Jornada on 19 August 1998. The signatories complained that Gay Pride (Orgullo Gay), a gay organization in the city of Cardel, Veracruz, had been subject to a campaign of threats and efforts by the mayor and the police chief to prevent the holding of a gay and lesbian cultural festival that was scheduled for 7 and 9 August 1998. When the festival began on 7 August there were attacks against participants and some were detained, and there were efforts to physically attack the event's organizer, Rafael León, which were prevented by the local people (La Jornada 19 Aug. 1998).

5.   SEXUAL MINORITY ORGANIZATIONS AND SOCIAL ACTIVITIES

5.1          Events

On 28 June 1998 the twentieth annual Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Pride Parade took place in Mexico City (Ser Gay n.d.b). According to the gay publication Ser Gay, nearly 8,000 people participated in the parade, and in recent years the parade has been characterized by assistance from the police and a tolerant attitude from the citizenry in general (ibid.). On 20 June 1998 4,000 people, some from the United States, participated in Tijuana's fourth annual gay and lesbian pride parade, which has become the second most important parade of its type in Mexico, after the parade in Mexico City (Wockner 6 July 1998). The Gay Cultural Circle (Círculo Cultural Gay) in DF has organized an annual Gay and Lesbian cultural week in DF for the past 10 years (Out Dec./Jan. 1998, 54; Covarrubias 16 Feb. 1999).

Since 1995 there has been an annual international gay festival held in the resort town of Cancun, in the state of Quintana Roo. The next festival is scheduled for 7-11 October 1999. The festival was established to promote gay tourism in Cancun (Don Pato's Gay Cancun n.d.; Cancun International Gay Festival 1999 n.d.).

5.2 Organizations

In June 1998 Letra S, an independent monthly publication which serves as a supplement to the Mexico City daily La Jornada, carried a listing of 30 support organizations in DF, complete with postal addresses and e-mail addresses, and fax and phone numbers for gays, lesbians, bisexuals and transsexuals, including four telephone information lines (Letra S 4 June 1998c). Acción Humana por la Comunidad (AMAC) in DF began a gay and lesbian telephone service in January 1999 (Triple Jornada 4 Jan. 1999; Wockner 1 Feb. 1999).

It was reported in January 1999 that a gay organization had been created in November 1998 in the city of San Luis Potosí to promote awareness of gays and lesbians in San Luis Potosí as a community (Wockner 4 Jan. 1999).

In December 1997 the mayor of Mexico City, Cuauhtémoc Cárdenas, agreed to build a gay community centre in Mexico City (Gay Place News Dec. 1997). On 24 March 1998 Cárdenas met with a US-Mexican gay delegation, including Mexican Congresswoman Patria Jiménez, to discuss plans for the community centre (Wockner 30 Mar. 1998; ILGA Bulletin Apr.-June 1998, 30). Further information on the construction of the community centre could not be found among the sources consulted by the Research Directorate.

5.3 Periodicals

This subsection provides information on eight sexual minority periodicals currently being published in three Mexican cities: ADANes (DF), Atractivo (DF), Boys & Toys (DF), Frontera Gay (Tijuana), LesVOZ (DF), Montegay (Monterrey), Rola Gay (Monterrey), and Ser Gay (DF). Information on additional homosexual periodicals could not be found among the sources consulted by the Research Directorate.

Boys & Toys, for gay men, was founded on 4 October 1994, and focuses mostly on entertainment but also contains erotic photos, some coverage of issues related to AIDS and human rights as well as free classified ads (Coste 9 Mar. 1999). It has an average circulation of 10,000, about 55 per cent in DF. The editor of Boys & Toys, Arturo Coste, stated that the magazine has periodically been threatened by the federal Ministry of the Interior (Ministerio de Gobernación) with being declared an illicit publication, which would mean a distribution ban, because it contains explicit erotic text and photos. So far the threat has not been carried out, but according to Coste Boys & Toys "has to be careful" (ibid.).

Ser Gay, for gays and lesbians, was founded in November 1994, is published every 14 days, has a circulation of 15,000 copies, is distributed free in gay entertainment places, and 80-90 per cent of the distribution is in DF (Román 9 Mar. 1999). Ser Gay provides information on AIDS and gay support organizations, but the focus is mainly on entertainment (ibid.). Boys & Toys and Ser Gay both have Internet websites (Boys & Toys Jan. 1999; Ser Gay n.d.a).

Also published in DF are ADANes and Atractivo. ADANes, a monthly founded in June 1998, is described by its editor as a magazine for gays and lesbians, but primarily for gay men, which deals with health issues, AIDS, human rights, stories about gay personalities, the Internet, entertainment, and tourism (Wolstein 9 Mar. 1999). ADANes has circulation of 12,000, mostly in DF (ibid.). Atractivo, a magazine for gay men, was founded in 1997 and is published every 15 days (Flores 9 Mar. 1999). Atractivo is described by a member of the staff as non-political and non-activist in orientation, focusing instead on "the joy of being gay" (ibid.). Atractivo also features a news section and an advice column by a psychologist, and has a distribution of 15-20,000 copies, mostly in DF (ibid.).

LesVOZ is a magazine for lesbians (see Appendix 2) published every two months in DF, and it also publishes an Internet edition (LesVOZ-on line March 1999).

The Monterrey, Nuevo León monthly Rola Gay, originally called Guía Gay, for gays and lesbians, was founded in September 1997 (Schaper 9 Mar. 1999). Copies are free of charge (ibid.) Circulation is 5,000, of which about 3,000 are in Monterrey, and it deals with topics of general interest to gays (ibid.). Rola Gay maintains an Internet Website (Rola Gay Feb. 1999). Another free gay monthly in Monterrey is Montegay, founded in 1996 and published by the Monterrey gay-rights organization ACODEMIS (ACODEMIS 9 Mar. 1999). Montegay has a circulation of about 5,000 copies, of which 4,000 are in Monterrey (ACODEMIS 9 Mar. 1999). Montegay is for both men and women, but mostly for men, and deals primarily with matters related to HIV/AIDS, health, safe sex, and use of condoms, and also provides information on contacts for those seeking help on health issues (ibid.). Another gay publication in the north of Mexico is the Frontera Gay, published every two months in Tijuana (Letra S 5 Feb. 1998; Mejía and Velásquez, 5 Feb. 1999).

5.4 Entertainment

Regarding gay social life in Mexico City, Hernández stated that there is no exclusive gay area or "gay village" in Mexico City, analogous to those found in Montreal, New York or San Francisco. However, there is an area called the Zona Rosa (the Pink Zone) where there is a greater concentration than elsewhere of gay bars and more homosexuals on the streets (15 Dec. 1999). The only cities in Mexico that have that kind of gay village are Puerto Vallarta and Acapulco, because of the gay foreign tourists (ibid.). Hernández stated that there are about 33 gay bars in Mexico City, and 3 private sex clubs called casas de cuarto oscuro (houses of dark rooms) (ibid.). In addition there are two or three gay pornographic cinemas in Mexico City (ibid.).

The US gay magazine Out reports that there are about 40 gay discos and bars in Mexico City for the middle and upper classes (Out Dec./Jan. 1998, 52). For lower classes, there is the Catorce ("Fourteen") bar, near Garibaldi Plaza, where gays, straights and mayates meet (ibid.).

Two Internet websites specializing in Mexican gay issues list 23 gay and mixed gay/lesbian bars and discos in greater Mexico City, of which seven are in Zona Rosa, five are in Colonia Roma, three are in Zona Centro, two each are in Centro Histórico, Colonia Juárez, and Colonia Insurgentes Mixcoac, one is in Alameda, and another is in Ciudad Satélite, in the state of México. The sites also lists baths, sex shops and sex clubs (Ciudad de México: bares y discos n.d.; Don Pato's Gay Mexico City n.d.).

There are several gay bars, bath houses, and cinemas listed on websites devoted to gay entertainment in Mexico, including in Guadalajara, Monterrey, Puerto Vallarta, Cancun, Acapulco, and 24 other Mexican cities (Guadalajara, Jalisco: bares y discos, n.d.; Don Pato's Gay Guadalajara n.d.; Monterrey, Nuevo León: bares y discos, n.d.; Guía de lugares n.d.). Abel Quiroga, president of the Monterrey gay organization ACODEMIS, stated that there are about 15-20 gay bars in Monterrey, 1 bath house and 3 cinemas. (10 Feb. 1999).

6.   SEXUAL MINORITIES IN PUBLIC LIFE

In legislative elections in July 1997 one of the federal deputies elected on the ticket of the left-wing party the PRD (Partido de la Revolución Democrática) was Patria Jiménez, who became Mexico's first openly gay legislator (Austin American-Statesman 24 Aug. 1997; The Ottawa Citizen 17 Nov. 1997; Gay Place News Aug. 1998c). Patria Jiménez was also the head of the lesbian organization called El Closet de Sor Juana (Austin American-Statesman 24 Aug. 1997). Jiménez was elected to one of the seats reserved for deputies elected by a proportional representation system, and she was 12th on the PRD's party list of proportional-representation candidates (The Ottawa Citizen 17 Nov. 1997; Gay Place News Aug. 1998c). A member of the Revolutionary Workers' Party, Jiménez was one of several candidates chosen for the PRD's list from outside the PRD (La Jornada 16 Mar. 1997). The Mexican anthropologist Marta Lamas states that despite Jiménez' presence in the PRD, the party has not played a major role in challenging homophobia and sexism in Mexico, preferring to see these problems as secondary matters to poverty (Letra S 7 Jan. 1999). Despite the PRD's reputation for tolerance, many PRD representatives have taken retrogressive and macho positions on sexual matters, according to Lamas (ibid.).

In February 1998 it was reported that Mexico had appointed an openly bisexual man, Pedro Joaquin-Coldwell, as ambassador to Cuba. Joaquin-Coldwell had had much experience in public life, including as head of the National Tourist Development Fund and governor of the state of Quintana Roo (Gay Place News June 1998).

7.   HIV/AIDS

The Journal of the International Association of Physicians in AIDS Care reports that AIDS in Mexico is found primarily among men who have sexual relations with other men, and it is the third ranking cause of death among men aged 25 to 44 (Nov. 1998). Fifty-five per cent of all Mexico's AIDS cases are in DF, México and Jalisco states. Antiretroviral drugs are provided free of charge to patients covered by Mexico's national health-care plan, Social Security (Seguro Social), which is provided to employed people within certain income brackets (ibid.). However, in late 1997 it was estimated that about 55 per cent of Mexican AIDS patients were not covered by Social Security (ibid.). The director of the government AIDS clinic in Tijuana said in March 1997 that the only AIDS medication available to his patients was left-over medication from US AIDS patients who had died, donated by US AIDS activists (AP 20 Mar. 1997).

In late 1998 for the first time in Mexico a campaign was launched, with government support, which had the express purpose of educating men who have sexual relations with other men about the dangers of HIV/AIDS and the possibility of protecting themselves from it, Letra S reported (3 Dec. 1998). The government of Mexico (through the National Council for the Prevention and Control of AIDS: Conasida–Consejo Nacional para la Prevención y Control del SIDA), Mexico City and private businesses sponsored the campaign, of which the first event was a poster competition and exhibition (ibid.).

On 5 February 1998 the online version of Letra S published a list of 32 organizations throughout Mexico which provide information and/or assistance to persons at risk of or seeking information about HIV/AIDS in Mexico. Of these, 19 are in DF and the remaining 13 are in Baja California, Chihuahua, Jalisco, Michoacán, Nuevo León, Oaxaca, Puebla, Tabasco and Veracruz. Five are telephone services apparently based in DF (no area code provided), one of which has an 800 number, two of which provide services 24 hours a day, and one of which is associated with the Mexican Red Cross (Letra S 5 Feb. 1998).

In August 1998 an AIDS hospice in Tijuana, the Casa Hogar de San Rafael, built in 1995 with municipal, state and federal funding, was closed by the municipal authorities, on the grounds that it was unsanitary (Wockner 23 Aug. 1998). The patients were transferred to a local hospital where AIDS treatment was unavailable (ibid.).

Mandatory AIDS testing, violation of confidentiality, and social stigmatization are common problems related to AIDS in Mexico (IPS 21 Apr. 1998). The municipal authorities of both DF and Monterrey require sex workers to obtain a "health card" (tarjeta sanitaria), which certifies that they are free of sexually-transmitted diseases (Quiroga 10 Feb. 1999; Velasco 12 Feb. 1999). Joaquín Hurtado of the AIDS support group Abrazo in Monterrey stated that there is a significant amount of workplace discrimination against HIV positive people in Mexico. This is largely due to the fact that it is assumed that if a man is HIV positive, he is homosexual (3 Feb. 1999).

In Jalapa, in the state of Veracruz, an NGO dealing with AIDS and sexual orientation issues (Centro de Estudios Sociales Xochiquetzatl–CESX) carried out a six-month investigation into sexual practices of mayates in two coastal communities in Veracruz state (Gonzales 16 Feb. 1999). As a result of the study, CESX produced a 10-part radio series called "Love Between the River and the Beach" (Amores entre el Río y la Playa). The 20-minute episodes were broadcast at the end of 1996 and again in December 1997. The series had three themes: HIV/AIDS, condom use and "responsible pleasure" (ibid.).

8.   LESBIANS

According to Rosa María Ortiz Martínez, the Coordinator of the Lesbian Mothers' Group (GRUMALE: Grupo de Madres Lesbianas) in DF, the main problem faced by lesbians in Mexico is twofold: first, as women, they are second-class citizens; secondly, as lesbians, they live with homophobia. Moreover, their children also face homophobic social pressure because of their mothers' sexual orientation. Thus lesbians' children often find themselves living "in the closet" (11 Feb. 1999). In addition, under Mexican civil law lesbianism can be used to justify denying mothers custody of their children in divorce cases. Some judges have been sympathetic to this kind of argument, and Ortiz Martínez stated that she knows of two or three women in her organization (out of total of 50) who have lost custody of their children for that reason (ibid.). What this means, according to Ortiz Martínez, is that some lesbian women in unhappy marriages to men will not try to get a divorce for fear of losing their children (ibid.).

Ortiz Martínez stated that conditions for lesbians are better in DF than in the rest of the country, because outside DF the society is more conservative. However, in the past 10 or 15 years there has been a gradual liberalization in Mexican society's attitudes to sexual minorities (11 Feb. 1999). To Ortiz Martínez' knowledge, there are no analogous groups in other states, and GRUMALE operates in DF only. A gay magazine, Ser Gay (see Section 5.3), devoted a few pages to lesbians issues in the past, but it does not do so any more (ibid.) (see Section 5.3 for information on a Mexican lesbian magazine). According to Ortiz Martinez there are no lesbian bars, discos, or bookstores. Some are mixed, but none are exclusively for lesbians (ibid.).

Another DF organization concerned with the rights of lesbians is Sister Juana's Closet (ECSJ: El Closet de Sor Juana), with which Congresswoman Patria Jiménez is associated (see Section 6), and which describes itself as a group of feminists with different sexual orientations. ECSJ holds weekly discussion groups, maintains a documentation centre, and hosts a party every month, and has participated in national and international events related to the rights of women and lesbians (ECSJ n.d.; Quevas 9 Feb. 1999). ECSJ publishes a quarterly newsletter called Las Virreinas (ECSJ n.d.).

NOTES ON SELECTED SOURCES

Alejandro Brito

Director-General of Letra S. (see later entry)

Gloria Careaga Pérez

A professor in the Gender Studies Programme at the National Autonomous University of Mexico (UNAM) in Mexico City, and a member of the International Advisory Board of the International Gay and Lesbian Human Rights Commission (IGLHRC).

José María Covarrubias–Círculo Cultural Gay

Coordinator of Círculo Cultural Gay (Gay Cultural Circle), a Mexico City organization which has organized an annual Gay and Lesbian cultural week in DF for the past 10 years.

Araceli Gonzales

Coordinator of the investigation network and secretary of the governing council (consejo directivo) of Centro de Estudios Sociales Xochiquetzatl (CESX) (Xochiquetzatl Social Studies Centre), in Jalapa, Veracruz.

Juan Jacobo Hernández

General coordinator of Colectivo Sol, a non-governmental organization established in Mexico City in 1981 to promote the rights of sexual minorities and people with HIV-AIDS, and to provide education on matters related to HIV-AIDS. Colectivo Sol also maintains an archive of information related to sexual minorities and HIV-AIDS in Mexico.

Joaquín Hurtado

President of Grupo Abrazo, a non-governmental organization founded in 1992 in Monterrey, Nuevo León, which provides public education on AIDS and distributes condoms and provides services for people with HIV/AIDS.

Patria Jiménez

A member of the lower house of Mexico's federal legislature, the Chamber of Deputies (Cámara de Diputados), representing the PRD. Upon her election in July 1997 Patria Jiménez became Mexico's first openly homosexual legislator.

Francisco Lagunes–AMAC

Director-general of Acción Humana por la Comunidad (AMAC) (Human Action for the Community). "AMAC" is an acronym, retained for its recognizability, of the organization's former name, Amigos Acompañantes (Accompanying Friends). A human rights organization, AMAC promotes human rights for homosexuals in DF. AMAC was founded in 1993, and since 18 January 1999 has operated a telephone counseling service. AMAC conducts human rights "first aid": what victims of human rights violations should do, how to direct a complaint to the Human Rights Commission, etc.

Marta Lamas

An anthropologist living in Mexico City, director of the journal Debate Feminista and founder of the Grupo de Información en Reproducción Elegida (GIRE) (Information group on reproductive choice).

Letra S

A monthly magazine which specializes in matters related to HIV/AIDS, sexual health, sexual orientation and human rights for sexual minorities. It is distributed as a supplement to the Mexico City daily La Jornada. "Letra S" means "letter S" in Spanish, and the name was chosen because in Spanish, the three main themes the magazine deals with; health, sexuality and AIDS, all begin with S: salud, sexualidad and SIDA.

Max Mejía

Editor of the gay publication Frontera Gay in Tijuana, Baja California.

Marta Quevas

A member of the coordinating council of the youth group of El Closet de Sor Juana (Sister Juana's Closet), a Mexico City women's group concerned with the rights of lesbians.

Abel Quiroga

President of ACODEMIS: Asociación Colectiva por los Derechos del los Minoridades Sexuales (Collective Association for the Rights of Sexual Minorities), an organization concerned with gay rights and HIV-AIDS, based in Monterrey, Nuevo León. ACODEMIS publishes the periodical Montegay.

Rafael Ruiz Harrell

A criminologist and vice-president of the NGO the Mexican Commission for the Defence and Promotion of Human Rights (CMDPDH: Comisión Mexicana de Defensa y Promoción de los Derechos Humanos) in Mexico City. Founded in 1990, The Commission receives complaints and provides legal aid to victims of human rights violations. Is a member of Mexico's Sociedad de Criminología and teaches graduate seminars in modern trends in the philosophy of law, and theoretical problems in criminology at UNAM. The CMDPDH was founded in 1990 by Dr. Ruiz Harrell and Marie-Claire Acosta.

Victor Velasco

President of CECASH: Centro de Capacitación y Apoyo Sexológico Humanista (Sexological and Humanist Training and Support Centre) in Mexico City. Founded in 1995, CECASH provides psychological counselling for sexual minorities, both men and women, and also has two self-help groups which meet once a week, one in DF and one in Texcoco, México state. One of the groups is for heterosexual transvestites.

Emilio Velásquez

President of Frente Internacional para las Garantías Humanas en Tijuana (FIGHT) (International front for human guarantees in Tijuana), a coalition of gay-rights and AIDS organizations based in Tijuana, Baja California, with which the periodical Frontera Gay is affiliated.

APPENDIX 1: CONTACT INFORMATION ON GOVERNMENT DEPARTMENTS AND NGO'S MENTIONED IN THE DF HUMAN RIGHTS COMMISSION'S HUMAN RIGHTS LEAFLET

Department of the Public Attorney (Ministerio Público)

The nearest office can be located by calling the Locatel telephone service, 658-1111.

Ex-Officio Ombudsman of the Superior Court of DF (la Defensoría de Oficio del Tribunal Superior de Justicia del Distrito Federal)

Av. Niños Héroes 132, ground floor, Col. Doctores, telephone 578-8625, 578-8627, 578-8629 and 578-8616.

Calle Claudio Bernard 60, first floor, Col. Doctores, telephone 578-4799.

Ex-Officio Ombudsman of the Attorney General of Labour Defence of DF (Defensoría de Oficio de la Procuraduría General de la Defensa del Trabajo del Distrito Federal)

Calle José Ma. Izazaga 142, first floor, Pino Suárez Metro station, telephone 542 7605.

Federal Attorney of Labour Defence (Procuraduría Federal de la Defensa del Trabajo)

Luis Moya 124, at the corner of Arcos de Belén, telephone 510-2021, extensions 406 to 410.

Federal Consumer Attorney (Procuraduría Federal del Consumidor)

Can be located through the Locatel telephone service, 658-1111.

Public Security Commission of the DF Assembly of Representatives (Comisión de Seguridad Pública de la Asamblea de Representantes del Distrito Federal)

Donceles and Allende, Centro Histórico, telephone 510-3208.

Internal Accounts Office of the DF Public Security Secretariat (Contraloría Interna de la Secretaría de Seguridad Pública del Distrito Federal)

Liverpool 136, first floor, Col. Juárez, near the Insurgentes Metro station, telephone 208-9455, extension 1117).

DF Attorney for Social Affairs (Procuraduría Social del Distrito Federal)

Calle Colima 161, Col. Roma, telephone 209-6600 and 209-6666.

Centro de Derechos Humanos Fray Francisco de Vitoria

Odontología 35, room 23, Col. Copilco telephone 659-6797, extension 227, Fax 659 3823, e-mail: [email protected].

El Closet de Sor Juana

AP 25-492, CP 03400, México, DF, telephone 590-2446, fax 672-7623, e-mail [email protected].

Acción Humana por la Comunidad

República de Bolivia 5, Centro Histórico telephone and fax 772-0778, e-mail: [email protected].

Amnesty International, Group 44

Aniceto Ortega 624, Col. Del Valle, telephone and fax 559-8413, e-mail: [email protected].

APPENDIX 2: ORGANIZATIONS AND SOCIAL CLUBS WHICH PROVIDE SERVICES TO SEXUAL MINORITIES, BY STATE

Note: this appendix contains a list of organizations in Mexico that were found in the course of researching this Issue Paper. It is not exhaustive.

BAJA CALIFORNIA

1. Frente Internacional por las Garantías Humanas Tijuana, Organización Sida Tijuana, AC
Calle 3a. No.1810-11 Col. Centro 22000, Tijuana, Baja California
Tel./Fax: (66)88-0267, e-mail: [email protected]
(Letra S 5 Feb. 1998)

DISTRITO FEDERAL

1. AMAC: Acción Humana por la Comunidad, AC
República de Bolivia No.5 Centro 06020, México, DF
Tel./Fax: 772-0778, e-mail: [email protected]
(Letra S 4 June 1998c)

2. Ave de México, AC
Tuxpan No.2-1004
Col. Roma 06760, México, DF Tel.: 574-5309
(Letra S 5 Feb. 1998)

3. Ayudatel: 574-1373
Telephone help-line.
Hours: 16:00 to 20:00, Monday to Saturday.
(Letra S 4 June 1998)

4. CECASH Centro de Capacitación y Apoyo Sexológico Humanista,AC
Edificio Chamizal-501 Tlatelolco 06300, México, DF
Tel./Fax: 583-9914
(Letra S 4 June 1998c)

5. Centro Cultural Humanista
General Anaya No.55-1 Col. Churubusco Coyoacán 04120, México, DF
Tel.: 549-6084
(Letra S 4 June 1998c)

6. Círculo Cultural Gay
Apdo. postal 27-237 06760, México, DF
Tel.: 536-8242
(Letra S 4 June 1998c)

7. El Closet de Sor Juana, AC
Xola No.181, 2nd. Floor, Col. Alamos 03400, México, DF
Tel.: 590-2446 Fax: 672-7623
(Letra S 4 June 1998c)

8. Colectiva Sex-pol
Tonalá No.143-7 Col. Roma 06100, México, DF
Tel.: 532-2205
(Letra S 4 June 1998c)

9. Colectivo Sol, AC
Cda. Cuahnochitl No.11 Col. Pueblo Quieto 14040, México, DF
Tel./Fax: 666-6849 / 606-7216, e-mail: [email protected]
(Letra S 4 June 1998c)

10. Colectiva HIMeN, Prensa Editorial LesVOZ
Apdo. postal 33-091 15900, México DF
Tel.: 399-6019.
E-mail : [email protected]
 (Letra S 4 June 1998c)

11. Comisión Ciudadana Contra Crímenes de Odio por Homofobia
Zempoala No.9-205 Col. Narvarte 03020, México, DF
Tel./Fax: 538-7400
E-mail: [email protected]
(Letra S 4 June 1998c)

12 De Joven a Joven
Tel: 518-4107
(Letra S 4 June 1998)

13. Enlace Lésbico Feminista/"Nancy Cardenas"
Apdo. postal M-7459, 06002, México DF
E-mail: [email protected]
(Letra S 4 June 1998c)

14. Eón, Inteligencia Transgenérica
Apartado Postal No.13-617 03501, México, DF
Fax: 536-3937
E-mail: [email protected]
Website: http://spin.com.mx/ alejandrav/eon
(Letra S 4 June 1998c)

15. Fundación Arcoiris
Nevado No.112-8 Col. Portales 03300, México, DF
Tel./Fax: 672-7623
(Letra S, 4 June 1998c)

16. GHAI Grupo Homosexual de Acción Inmediata
Florencia No.37, Zona Rosa
Tel.: 227-7979, code: 556-6397
(Letra S 4 June 1998c)

17. Grupo de Madres Lesbianas.
Apdo. postal 16-143. 02011, Mexico DF
Tel. (52-5) 352-1152
E-mail: [email protected]
(Directorio de Recursos para Gente como Tú; Letra S 4 June 1998c)

18. Generación Gay Musas de Metal
General Anaya No.55 Col. Churubusco Coyoacán 04120, México, DF Tel.: 606-0606
(Letra S 4 June 1998c)

19. Grupo Cuenta Conmigo.
Apdo. Postal No. 117-031, CP. 07091, México, DF
Apdo. Postal No. 11598, CP. 06100, México, DF
(Directorio de Recursos para Gente como Tú)

20. Grupo Fortaleza y Libertad, de Neuróticos Anónimos Gay.
Playa Hornos No. 308, between Playa Icacos and Playa Erizo, Reforma Iztaccíhuatl (near the Villa de Cortés Metro Station).
Tel. 570-0599.
(Directorio de Recursos para Gente como Tú)

21. Homosexuales Creyentes.
Tels: (52-5) 592-1986 and 553-2103.
(Directorio de Recursos para Gente como Tú)

22. ICM Reconciliación Iglesia de la Comunidad Metropolitana, A.R.
"Nuevos Horizontes"
Norte 77 No.3218 Col. Obrero Popular 02840, México, DF
Tel./Fax: 396-7768
(Letra S 4 June 1998c)

23. Nueva Generación de Jóvenes Lesbianas
Xola No.181 2nd floor, Col. Alamos 03400, México, DF
Tel.: 590-2446 Fax: 672-7623
(Letra S 4 June 1998c)

24. Pro-ML, Organizacion Nacional Pro Derechos Humanos de las Mujeres y Mujeres Lesbianas
Apdo. postal 389 Admon. Palacio Postal 1 06002, México DF
Tel.: 399-6019
E-mail: [email protected]
(Letra S 4 June 1998c)

25. PRT
Xola No.181 Col. Alamos 03400, México, DF
Tel.: 590-2021 Fax: 590-0969
(Letra S 4 June 1998c)

26. Punto G
Blv. Adolfo López Mateos No.349 San Angel 01060, México, DF
Tel.: 447-1111 code 565-2393
E-mail: [email protected]
(Letra S 4 June 1998c)

27. SAPTEL
Emotional crisis telephone support line from the Mexican Red Cross. 395-1111 ext. Saptel
(Letra S 4 June 1998c; ibid. 5 Feb. 1998)

28. Shalom Amigos
Apartado Postal No.105-67 Col. Anzures 11591, México, DF
Tel.: 264-6888
E-mail: [email protected]
Web Site: www.wcgljo.org/wcgljo/
(Letra S 4 June 1998c; Directorio de Recursos para Gente como Tú)

29. Taller Reflexivo de Mujeres Bisexuales
Apartado Postal No.71-043, 06302, México, DF
(Letra S 4 June 1998c)

30. TelSida
Mondays to Fridays 9:00-21:00
Tel: 207-4077
From outside DF, tel: (91-800) 90-832
(Letra S 4 June 1998c)

31. UAM (Universidad Autónoma Metropolitana) Ollinhuitzicalli
La Casa del Colibrí Cambiante–UAM Xochimilco, DF
E-mail: [email protected]
(Letra S 4 June 1998c)

32. UAM Ollinhuitzicalli La Casa del Colibrí Cambiante–UAM Iztapalapa, DF
E-mail: [email protected]
(Letra S 4 June 1998c)

33. Unigay
Av. Niños Héroes No.151 Col. Doctores 06720, México, DF
Tel.: 571-2058
(Letra S 4 June 1998c)

HIDALGO

1. Club Gay Health Inter.
Club-Inter-Corp., Apdo. Postal No. 169, CP 43601, Tulancingo, Hidalgo
(Directorio de Recursos para Gente como Tú)

2. Grupo I Icni Ne Tlacatl.
Apdo. Postal No. 10, CP. 42001, Pachuca, Hidalgo
(Directorio de Recursos para Gente como Tú)

JALISCO

1. Club Amistad Nacional
Apdo. Postal No. 1-516, CP 44100, Guadalajara, Jalisco
Tel: (013) 651-7749 (Directorio de Recursos para Gente como Tú)

2. Iglesia de la Comunidad Metropolitana en Zapopan.
Apdo. Postal No. 56, CP. 45101, Zapopan, Jalisco
(Directorio de Recursos para Gente como Tú)

MEXICO

1. MUSH' E Club.
Tel: (52-5) 756-1363
(Directorio de Recursos para Gente como Tú)

MORELOS

1. Telemanita AC
Apdo. postal 199 62520, Tepoztlán, Morelos
Tel.: (01-739)5-1556
E-mail: [email protected]
(Letra S 4 June 1998c)

NUEVO LEON

1. Movimiento Abrazo, AC
Alvaro Obregón No.1309 Nte. 2nd floor, Col. Terminal 64000, Monterrey, NL
Tel./Fax: (8)375-6889
E-mail: [email protected]
 (Letra S 5 Feb. 1998)

2. ACODEMIS: Asociación Colectiva para los Derechos de las Minorías Sexuales, formerly known as Colectivo Nancy Cárdenas
Condominios Constitución Edif. 39-32 64000, Monterrey, NL
Tel.: (8)345-0927 Fax: (8)375-6889
E-mail: [email protected]
(Letra S 5 Feb. 1998; Quiroga 10 Feb. 1999)

OAXACA

1. "Ama la Vida" Guanxhii Guendanabani
Produces a preventative project and a transvestite show, "Intrépidas buscadoras de Peligro" (See Section 2)
Belisario Domínguez No.10 Centro 70000, Juchitán, Oaxaca
Tel.: (971) 1-1420
(Letra S 5 Feb. 1998)

TABASCO

1. Club Gay Amazonas
Calle 24 No.105 Centro Tenozique, Tabasco.
(Letra S 5 Feb. 1998)

VERACRUZ

1. Centro de Estudios Sociales Xochiquetzatl, AC
Xalapeños Ilustres No.186, Centro 91000, Xalapa, Veracruz
Tel./Fax: (28)18-4878
(Letra S 5 Feb. 1998)

REFERENCES

ACODEMIS, Monterrey. 9 March 1999. Telephone interview with a representative.

Associated Press (AP). 20 March 1997. PM Cycle. Dana Calvo. "Less Medicine for Mexicans with AIDS as Americans Live Longer." (NEXIS)

Austin American-Statesman. 24 August 1997. Susan Ferriss. "First Openly Gay Legislator Prepares to Serve in Mexico." (Mexico NewsPak [Austin, Tex.] 11-24 Aug. 1997, Vol. 5, No. 14, p. 4)

Blaustein, Albert P. April 1988. Vol. 12. "Mexico." Constitutions of the Countries of the World. Edited by Albert P. Blaustein and Gisbert H. Flanz. Dobbs Ferry, NY: Oceana Publications.

Boys & Toys. January 1999. [Internet] ( http://sergay.com.mx/boys/ ) [Accessed 16 Feb. 1999]

Brito, Alejandro. 22 March 1999. Telephone interview.

Buffington, Rob. 1997. "Los Jotos: Contested Visions of Homosexuality in Modern Mexico." Sex and Sexuality in Latin America, edited by Daniel Balderston and Donna J. Guy. New York: New York University Press.

Cancun International Gay Festival 1999. [Internet] ( http://www.donpato.com ) [Accessed 17 Feb. 1999]

Careaga Pérez, Gloria. 20 January 1999. Telephone interview.

Carrier, Joseph. 1995. De Los Otros: Intimacy and Homosexuality Among Mexican Men. New York: Columbia University Press.

Citizen's [sic] Commission against Homophobic Hate Crimes. 6 May 1998. "Press Conference." Mexico City: Comisión Ciudadana contra Crímenes de Odio por Homofobia.

Ciudad de México: bares y discos. [Internet] ( http://www.sergay.com.mx/ ) [Accessed 11 Feb. 1999]

Comisión Ciudadana contra Crímenes de Odio por Homofobia (CCCOH). N.d. Investigación Hemerográfica: Reporte de Crímenes (1998). Mexico City: Comisión Ciudadana contra Crímenes de Odio por Homofobia.

Comisión Ciudadana contra Crímenes de Odio por Homofobia (CCCOH). N.d. Investigación Hemerográfica: Reporte de Crímenes (1995-1997). Mexico City: Comisión Ciudadana contra Crímenes de Odio por Homofóbia.

Comisión de Derechos Humanos del Distrito Federal (CDHDF) N.d. Cartilla de derechos humanos para evitar la discriminación por orientación sexual (Human rights leaflet to avoid discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation). Sent by e-mail.

Comisión de Derechos Humanos del Distrito Federal (CDHDF) N.d. Cartilla de derechos humanos para evitar la discriminación por orientación sexual (Human rights leaflet to avoid discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation). 8 February 1999. Correspondence.

Comisión de Derechos Humanos del Distrito Federal (CDHDF) N.d. Cartilla de derechos humanos para evitar la discriminación por orientación sexual (Human rights leaflet to avoid discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation). 4 February 1999. Telephone interview.

Coste, Arturo. 9 March 1999. Telephone interview.

Covarrubias, José María. 16 February 1999. Telephone interview.

Directorio de Recursos para Gente como Tu. 1998-1999. [Internet] ( http://www.geocities.com/WestHollywood/Stonewall/2223/ ) [Accessed 11 Feb. 1999]

Don Pato's Gay Cancun N.d. [Internet] ( http://www.donpato.com/ ) [Accessed 17 Feb. 1999]

Don Pato's Gay Guadalajara. N.d. [Internet] ( http://www.donpato.simplenet.com/ ) [Accessed 17 Feb. 1999]

Don Pato's Gay Mexico City N.d. [Internet] ( http://www.donpato.com/ ) [Accessed 15 Feb. 1999]

El Closet de Sor Juana (ECSJ). [Internet] ( http://www.igc.org/ ) [Accessed 19 Feb. 1999]

El Nacional. [Mexico City]. 15 May 1998. Cecilia Cruz Garcia. "Democracia plena sólo si se reconoce la diversidad sexual, dice Amalia García" [Internet] ( http://www.el-nacional.com.mx/ ) [Accessed 11 Dec. 1998]

El Universal [Mexico City]. 21 January 1999. José Luis Flores. "Propondrá Cárdenas más dureza contra infractores." [Internet] ( http://www.el-universal.com.mx/ ) [Accessed 12 Feb. 1999]

El Universal [Mexico City]. 15 May 1998. (Mexico NewsPak [Austin, Tex.] 14-17 May 1998, Vol. 6, No. 7, p. 10)

EON–inteligencia transgenérica. N.d. [Mexico City] [Internet]( http://spin.com.mx/ alejandrav/eon ) [Accessed 12 Mar. 1999]

Flores, Gabriela. 9 March 1999. Telephone interview.

Gay Law News. January 1999a. "Mexico Repeals Last Anti-Gay Law." [Internet] ( http://www.labyrinth.net.au/ ) [Accessed 19 Jan. 1999]

Gay Place News. August 1998a. "Mexican Gay Plaza Safe Again." [Internet] ( http://gayplace.com/ ) [Accessed on 21 Jan. 1999]

Gay Place News. August 1998b. "Mexico City Officials Defend Gay Rights. [Internet] ( http://gayplace.com/ ) [Accessed 20 Jan. 1999]

Gay Place News. August 1998c. Rex Wockner. "Patria Jiménez: Interview with Latin America's First Openly Gay Congressmember." [Internet] ( http://gayplace.com/ ) [Accessed 20 Jan. 1999]

Gay Place News. June 1998. "Mexico Appoints Bisexual Cuban Ambassador." [Internet] ( http://gayplace.com/ ) [Accessed on 21 Jan. 1999]

Gay Place News. December 1997. "Mexico City Mayor to Fund Gay Center." [Internet] ( http://gayplace.com/ ) [Accessed on 21 Jan. 1999]

Gonzales, Araceli. 16 February 1999. Telephone interview.

Guadalajara, Jalisco: bares y discos. N.d. [Internet] ( http://sergay.com.mx/ ) [Accessed 17 Feb. 1999]

Guía de lugares. N.d. [Internet] ( http://sergay.com.mx/ ) [Accessed 17 Feb. 1999]

Hernández, Juan Jacobo. 15 December 1998. Telephone interview.

Hopper, W. Donald. 9 March 1999. Telephone interview.

Hurtado, Joaquín. 3 Feb. 1999. Telephone interview.

Hurtado, Joaquín. 9 Feb. 1999. Telephone interview.

ILGA Bulletin [Brussels]. 1998. Issue 3/98. "GLBT Human Rights Annual Report 97-98."

ILGA Bulletin [Brussels]. April-June 1998. Issue 2/98. "World News: Activists Meet with Mexico City Mayor."

Info-Jus: Información Legislativa de México, 1998. [Internet] ( http://info4.juridicas.unam.mx/ ) [Accessed 3 Mar. 1999]

Inter Press Service (IPS). 21 April 1998. Mario Bolanos. "Health: AIDS Victims in NAFTA Countries Unite." (NEXIS)

Jiménez, Patria. 22 March 1999. Telephone interview.

Journal of the International Association of Physicians in AIDS Care [Chicago]. Patricia Uribe Zúñiga, Carlos Magis Rodríguez, Enrique Bravo García. "AIDS in Mexico." [Internet] ( http://www.thebody.com/ ) [Accessed 17 Feb. 1999]

La Jornada [Mexico City, in Spanish]. 4 January 1999. Karina Avilés. "Pro Vida acusa a la SEP de promover la homosexualidad." [Internet] ( http://serpiente.dgsca.unam.mx/jornada/ ) [Accessed 4 Jan. 1999]

La Jornada [Mexico City, in Spanish]. 19 Aug. 1998. "Comunidad gay de Cardel exige que se respeten sus garantías." [Internet] ( http://serpiente.dgsca.unam.mx/jornada/ ) [Accessed 4 Dec. 1998]

La Jornada [Mexico City, in Spanish]. 18 July 1998. Ricardo Olayo. "Presentó la CDHDF cartilla sobre derechos de homosexuales." [Internet] ( http://serpiente.dgsca.unam.mx/jornada/ ) [Accessed 11 Dec. 1998]

La Jornada [Mexico City, in Spanish]. 16 March 1997. Rosa Icela Rodriguez. "PRD ‘Outsider' Candidates Chosen." (FBIS-LAT-97-056 16 Mar. 1997/WNC)

La Jornada [Mexico City, in Spanish]. 12 March 1997. Carlos Monsiváis. "Diez y va un siglo." [Internet] ( http://serpiente.dgsca.unam.mx/jornada/ ) [Accessed 19 Feb. 1999]

Lagunes, Francisco. 9 February 1999. Telephone interview.

Lamas, Marta. 18 January 1999. Telephone interview.

LesVOZ-on line [Mexico City, in Spanish]. March 1999. [Internet] ( http://www.geocities.com/WestHollywood/Park/5973/sus.html) [Accessed 12 Mar. 1999]

Letra S [Mexico City, in Spanish]. 7 January 1999. Marta Lamas. "Escenas de un campo de batalla: la política sexual en México." [Internet] ( http://serpiente.dgsca.unam.mx/jornada/ ) [Accessed 11 Jan. 1999]

Letra S [Mexico City, in Spanish]. 3 December 1998. "Arranca campaña preventiva dirigida a gays." [Internet] ( http://serpiente.dgsca.unam.mx/jornada/ ) [Accessed 10 Dec. 1998]

Letra S [Mexico City, in Spanish]. 4 June 1998a. Alejandro Brito. "Una asamblea de diversidades." [Internet] ( http://serpiente.dgsca.unam.mx/jornada/ ) [Accessed 10 Dec. 1998]

Letra S [Mexico City, in Spanish]. 4 June 1998b. "Editorial." [Internet] ( http://serpiente.dgsca.unam.mx/jornada/ ) [Accessed 10 Dec. 1998]

Letra S [Mexico City, in Spanish]. 4 June 1998c. "Para servirle a usted." [Internet] ( http://serpiente.dgsca.unam.mx/jornada/ ) [Accessed 10 Dec. 1998]

Letra S [Mexico City, in Spanish]. 7 May 1998. Manuel Zozaya. "En defensa de los derechos sexuales." [Internet] ( http://serpiente.dgsca.unam.mx/jornada/ ) [Accessed 10 Dec. 1998]

Letra S [Mexico City, in Spanish]. 5 February 1998. "Para servirle a usted: Atención a grupos vulnerables." [Internet] ( http://serpiente.dgsca.unam.mx/jornada/ ) [Accessed 11 Dec. 1998]

Letra S [Mexico City, in Spanish]. 7 August 1997. Manuel Zozaya. "La práctica bisexual en el medio rural: Entrevista con Juan Carlos Hernández, Investigador Social." [Internet] ( http://serpiente.dgsca.unam.mx/jornada/ ) [Accessed 11 Dec. 1998]

The Los Angeles Times. 31 March 1995. Juanita Darling. "The Women Who Run Juchitán." (NEXIS)

Lumsden, Ian. 1991. Homosexuality, Society and the State in Mexico. Toronto: Canadian Gay Archives.

Mejía, Max and Emilio Velásquez. 5 February 1999. Correspondence.

Mexico. 12 December 1998. Cámara de Diputados, LVII Legislatura. Archivo de Sesiones. [Internet] ( http://www.camaradediputados.gob.mx/ ) [Accessed 17 Feb. 1999]

Mexico. 11 December 1998. Cámara de Diputados, LVII Legislatura. Gaceta Parlementaria. [Internet] ( http://gaceta.cddhcu.gob.mx/ ) [Accessed 12 Feb. 1999]

Mexico: A Country Guide. 1992. Edited by Tom Barry. Albuquerque, New Mexico: The Inter-Hemispheric Education Resource Center.

Monterrey, Nuevo León: bares y discos [Internet] ( http://sergay.com.mx/ ) [Accessed 17 Feb. 1999]

The New York Times (NYT). 14 March 1997. Margarett Loke. "Inside Photography." (NEXIS)

Nuevo Criterio [Mexico City, in Spanish]. 9 March 1999. Telephone interview with a representative.

Nuevo Criterio [Mexico City, in Spanish]. May 1998. Special Issue. "Editorial: No Legitimar lo Inadmisible."

Ortiz Martínez, Rosa María. 11 February 1999. Telephone interview.

The Ottawa Citizen. 17 November 1997. Andrew Reding. "Macho Mexico Elects a Lesbian." (NEXIS)

Out [New York]. December-January 1998. No. 50. Paige Bierma. "Letter from Mexico."

Procuraduría Social del DF, 1998. [Internet] ( http://regen.ddf.gob.mx/prosoc/index.html ) [Accessed 4 Mar. 1999]

Quevas, Marta. 9 February 1999. Telephone interview.

Quiroga, Abel. 10 February 1999. Telephone interview.

Reforma [Mexico City, in Spanish]. 8 March 1996. Maria de Jesus. "Crime Replaces Economic Crisis." (FBIS-LAT-96-073 8 Mar. 1996/WNC)

Rola Gay. February 1999. [Internet] ( http://www.geocities.com/ rolagay ) [Accessed 16 Feb. 1999]

Román, Julio. 9 March 1999. Telephone interview.

Ruiz Harrell, Rafael. 5 February 1999. Telephone interview.

Schaper, Carlos. 9 March 1999. Telephone interview.

Ser Gay. N.d.a [Internet] ( www.sergay.com.mx/ ) [Accessed 16 Feb. 1999]

Ser Gay. N.d.b "20 Marcha del Orgullo Lésbico, Gay, Bisexual y Transgenérico." [Internet] ( http://www.sergay.com.mx/sergay/marcha.html ) [Accessed 16 Feb. 1999]

Triple Jornada [Mexico City, in Spanish]. 4 January 1999. "Informaciones y servicios." [Internet] ( http://serpiente.dgsca.unam.mx/jornada/ ) [Accessed 12 Feb. 1999]

Velasco, Victor. 12 February 1999. Telephone interview.

Wockner, Rex. 1 February 1999. International News #249. "Gay Switchboard Opens in Mexico City." [Internet] ( http://www.qrd.org/ ) [Accessed 17 Feb. 1999]

Wockner, Rex. 4 January 1999. International News #245. "Gays Organize in San Luis Potosí." [Internet] ( http://www.qrd.org/ ) [Accessed 23 Jan. 1999]

Wockner, Rex. 23 August 1998. "Tijuana AIDS Hospice Shut Down by City." [Internet] ( http://www.qrd.org ) [Accessed 29 Jan. 1999]

Wockner, Rex. 6 July 1998. "400 March in Tijuana." [Internet] ( http://www.qrd.org/ )[Accessed 29 Jan. 1999]

Wockner, Rex. 30 March 1998. International News #205. "Activists Meet with Mexico City Mayor." [Internet] ( http://www.qrd.org/ ) [Accessed 10 Mar. 1999]

Wolstein, José. 9 March 1999. Telephone interview.

Some Internet sources cited in this Issue Paper may contain information, images, or electronic links to material that some individuals may find offensive. These websites were accessed for the information they provide on the subjects covered in this Issue Paper. The IRB does not endorse any of these websites.