Thousands march in southern Mexico to support LGBT+ community

Tuxtla Gutierrez, Mexico, Jun 11 (EFE).- Thousands of people on Saturday took to the streets of Tuxtla Gutierrez, in Mexico’s southern state of Chiapas, for the LGBT+ pride parade, to showcase the diversity of the community and call for the recognition of its rights.

More than a dozen groups gathered in the Mujer Soldado park, from which they moved in a convoy of around 70 vehicles decorated with rainbow flags and balloons to the center of the city.

Amid the beats of batucada and electronic music, the event was held in a festive atmosphere in front of the government headquarters, as the participants stressed the need to ensure their rights in terms of legislation, education, health, employment, and above all, inclusion.

“Although there has been progress in the state of Chiapas, much remains to be done, and the community should get hold of seats in the legislature so that the flag of the LGBT struggle is taken up by someone from community itself,” one of the participants, Conrado Cifuentes Astudillo, told EFE.

Candelaria Sosa, the coordinator of Alert of Gender Violence against Women in Chiapas, said that such gatherings should be held every year, as these sections of society had been marginalized.

“As responsible people, we should acknowledge the differences – they demand that their rights of non-discrimination and inclusion be respected,” she said.

Meanwhile, Tere Campos, the organizer of the march, urged politicians and public officials to raise awareness.

“They should have the desire, the political will, to keep building these spaces, to raise issues, to give us the judicial surety of our existence and of our recognized rights, such as the question of equal marriage earlier and the identity law today,” she said.

The march was held without incidents, the authorities said.

According to the nonprofit Letra Ese, on average six LGBT+ persons are killed in hate crimes in Mexico every month.

Mexico is the second-worst Latin American country in terms of violence linked to homophobia and transphobia after Brazil, according to the Rainbow Foundation’s National Observatory of LGBT Hate Crime.

As many as 70 hate-related killings were registered in 2021 according to Letra Ese. EFE

mf/ia/tw