Gay Marriage Sparks Protests in Mexico

On September 24, Mass demonstrations against same-sex marriage legislation took place in various cities across Mexico, as reported by El País. Organized by the Catholic Church and other civil society members, tens of thousands of Mexican citizens took to the streets in peaceful protest. As of now, same sex marriage is legal in several states in Mexico, primarily the large urban center of Mexico City, northern states on the border with the US, and tourist-hub states like Jalisco. In 2015, the Mexican Supreme Court also ruled that denying the right to marriage on the basis of sexual orientation is a violation of the country’s constitution in that it is discriminatory.

However, the aforementioned states are in the minority, and lower regional courts in Central and Southern Mexico have not accepted the decision as law. In these areas, gay marriage remains banned and can only be challenged in court on a case-by-case basis.

The massive protests are a reaction to the president, Enrique Peña Nieto’s, recent proposal of legislation that would amend the Mexican constitution to legalize gay marriage throughout the country.

Peña Nieto is a member of the Partido Revolucionario Institucional (PRI), a center-left party, and took power in 2012 from the Partido de Acción Nacional (PAN). The PAN, generally seen as the more conservative rival to the PRI, maintained control over both the presidency and Congress for twelve years before the government shifted back to the slightly more liberal PRI.

Traditionally, Mexico is a socially conservative country with strong ties to Catholicism. Religion has played a predominant role in Mexico’s social, cultural, and political development since the country’s beginnings as a colony of Spain in 1519. According to Cal State Los Angeles, approximately 89% of Mexican citizens self-identify as Catholic to this day and subscribe to the official doctrines and policies of the church.

This commitment to Catholicism made it possible for conservative groups to mobilize hundreds of thousands of citizens throughout the country to take action against Peña Nieto’sproposed legislation. The National Front for the Family, the coalition that organized the march, cited an overall participation rate of 215,000 citizens making it one of the largest protests in Mexico’s history.

Peña Nieto’s call to nationally legalize gay marriage is not unique amidst a global wave of LGBTQ movements, particularly same-sex marriage legalizations, in the past several years. Nonetheless, the reaction to such legislation in Mexico is distinctive as it has brought to light a unique clash of conservative and progressive values within Mexican society.