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MEXICO
- GAY AND
LESBIAN TRAVELLERS |
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There are no federal laws
governing homosexuality in
Mexico, and hence it's
legal. There are, however,
laws enforcing "public
morality", which
although they are supposed
only to apply to
prostitution, are often used
against gays out cruising.
While July 1997 saw the
election of Mexico's first
"out"
congresswoman, the left-wing
PRD's Patria Jimémez, the
right-wing party, PAN, has
been running anti-gay
campaigns in towns and
states that it controls,
closing gay bars in
Monterrey and passing an
ordinance against
"abnormal sexual
behaviour" in
Guadalajara.
There are in fact a large
number of gay groups
and publications in
Mexico - we've supplied two
contact addresses. The
lesbian scene is nothing
like as visible or as large
as the gay scene for men,
but it's there and growing.
There are gay bars and clubs
in the major resorts and US
border towns, and in large
cities such as the capital,
and also Monterrey,
Guadalajara, Veracruz and
Oaxaca; elsewhere, private
parties are where it all
happens, and you'll need a
contact to find them.
As far as popular attitudes
are concerned, religion and
machismo are the order of
the day, and prejudice is
rife. Even so, soft porn
magazines for gay men are
sold openly on street stalls
and, while you should be
careful to avoid upsetting
macho sensibilities, you
should have few problems if
you are discreet (camp gay
men and butch women,
incidentally, are known in
Mexico as obvios ).
Many Mexicans of both sexes
are bisexual, though they do
not see themselves as such
("The difference
between a straight and a
gay," says one gay
activist, "is about two
beers."). In Juchitán,
Oaxaca, on the other hand,
gay male transvestites,
known as muxes , are
accepted as a kind of third
sex, and the town even has a
transvestite basketball
team.
HIV and AIDS
(SIDA) are as much a threat
in Mexico as anywhere else
in the world, and the usual
precautions are in order. As
for contacts within Mexico:
lesbians can get in touch
with Grupo Lesbico
Patlatonalli, Aptdo Postal
1-4045, Guadalajara, Jalisco;
while for gay men, CIDHOM (Colectivo
de Información de las
Homosexualidades en Mexico),
Aptdo Postal 13-424, México
D.F. 03500, can offer
information.
International gay and
lesbian travel contacts
Australian Gay and
Lesbian Tourism
Association (AGLTA),
PO Box 208, Darlinghurst,
NSW 2010 (tel 02/9810
2439, www.aglta.asn.au
).
Ferrari Publications
, PO Box 37887, Phoenix,
AZ 85069 (tel
1-800/962-2912 or
602/863-2408). Publishes Ferrari
Gay Travel A to Z
($16), a worldwide gay and
lesbian guide; Inn
Places ($16), a
worldwide accommodation
guide; Men's Travel in
Your Pocket and Women's
Travel in Your Pocket
, and the quarterly Ferrari
Travel Report .
International Gay
Travel Association ,
PO Box 4974, Key West, FL
33041 (tel
1-800/448-8550). Trade
group that can provide a
list of gay-owned or
gay-friendly travel
agents, accommodation and
other travel businesses.
Spartacus Gay Guide
, Bruno Gmünder Verlag,
GMBH Zeughostrasse 1 (Uberwrangelstrasse
100), Gebaude, 43-1 OG,
100997 Berlin, Germany (tel
49-30/610 01230); c/o
Bookazine Co, 75 Hook Rd,
Bayonne, NJ 07002 (tel
201/339-7777); c/o
Milliveres-Prowler Group
(Male Xpress), 3 Broadbent
Close, 20-22 Highgate High
St, London N6 5GG (tel
020/8340 7667); c/o
Edition Habit Press, 72-80
Bourke Rd, Alexandria, NSW
2015 (tel 02/9310 2098).
International gay guide
with information on
meeting and cruising spots
for gay men, but nothing
much for lesbians.
Women Going Places
c/o InBook, PO Box 120261,
East Haven, CT 06512 (tel
203/469-7697); c/o Bulldog
Books, PO Box 155,
Broadway, Sydney, NSW
2000. An international
travel guide for women,
with emphasis on lesbian
contacts.
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