Gay marriage brings hope and tension to Mexico City

Will progress bring a culture war to largely conservative Mexico?

By Andrew Button

Undiplomatic Relations

Mexico City handed out its first licenses for same-sex marriages last week, as a bill passed in December made gay marriage legal in the city. This development comes just days after Washington, D.C. and Buenos Aires blessed same-sex marriages for the first time. The extension of marriage rights to homosexuals in three major cities in such a short time is a clear victory for gay rights and liberalism in the Americas. However, signs are becoming visible of a backlash that will not be easy to overcome, particularly in Mexico. Concerns of backlash stem from Mexico’s highly conservative morals: Much of its population identifies strongly with their religion (generally Catholic). To date, strongly religious countries have not been particularly supportive of same sex-marriages, as compared to more secular countries.

A study conducted by Vanderbilt University researchers indicated that this is indeed in the case in Mexico. According to the study, 58 per cent of Mexican survey respondents felt homosexuality would “never be justifiable,” while 60 per cent felt it would be appropriate for churches to speak out against homosexuality. It’s worth noting that respondents in the United States, on average, gave similar answers to these questions. It also happens that many American cities and states have elected to allow gay marriage, just as Mexico City has. Generally, gay rights progress in America hasn’t brought with it long political backlash or violent opposition. It also hasn’t done much to stop isolated attacks against gay people or prevent hypocritical policies like the highly controversial “don’t ask, don’t tell” policy in the United States military.

So if the United States is the precedent, why worry about violent backlash against gay rights in Mexico? Wouldn’t the more pressing concern be passive-aggressive backlash like Proposition 8, which overturned a California Supreme Court decision to legalize same-sex marriage?

The answer partially has to do with political culture. Over the past century or so, Mexico has shown itself to be much more prone to violence over political issues when compared with its northern neighbour.

Yes, America has seen many a riot over hot-button issues, but the violence has generally not been as widespread or as frequent in recent years as it has been in Mexico. Mexico has descended into rioting several times in the previous century over election results, and has been the site of revolution as recently as the 1920s. We are already seeing political backlash in the form of certain Mexican states banning gay marriage. If history is indication, this political opposition may be a sign foreboding violence. The homosexual community in Latin America, as everywhere else, has fought hard and come a long way. At this crucial moment it is important we pay keen attention to make sure this recent blessing does not become a curse for the Mexican gay community.

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