Organizers of the Catholic anti-marriage equality group “Jalisco es uno por los niños” say they are expecting around 100,000 people to turn up for their march scheduled to start at 4 p.m. on Saturday, July 25 at Guadalajara’s Minerva traffic circle.
On Monday, the NGO Guadalajara Pride had put out a call on social media for supporters of marriage equality to congregate at the same place and time to “defend an equal society, free of social, moral or religious prejudice.”
“We want to protest what they are proposing, which is more fear and homophobia for our diverse population,” said Guadalajara Pride Director Karina Velasco.
However, the group later decided to call off the counter march, for fear that “things might get out of control.”
“We are not going to be provoked, but if they are free to manifest their freedom to be against (gay marriage) then we are free to do the same,” Velasco had said.
Representatives of Jalisco es uno por los niños are trying to garner public opinion against recent Supreme Court decisions that define state civil codes that deem marriage only to be between a man and a woman. On Thursday, the group delivered packages containing more than 20,000 signatures criticizing the high court’s ruling to offices of the State Congress, the State Human Rights Commission and the Government Palace.
A group spokesperson said Mexico should not be subscribing to this “international agenda” that seeks to wrest control from sovereign nations and “disrespects the innocence of children.”