A few thousand people armed with protest banners, sky-blue and pink balloons and Mexican and Jalisco flags made a bee line for Guadalajara’s Plaza de la Liberation last Saturday to vent their opposition to same-sex marriage in the state.
Between 3,500 and 5,000 demonstrators (far fewer than the 60,000-100,000 organizers were hoping for) chanted “Here No” as their response to the recent decision of the Mexican Supreme Court to strike down language in Jalisco’s Civil Code, effectively legitimizing gay marriage.
The protestors demanded that state legislators ignore the court ruling and maintain local laws that currently determine marriage permissible only between a man and a woman.
No date has yet been set for the State Congress to begin debating changes to the Civil Code. The majority of legislators have indicated they favor changing the law to reflect the Supreme Court ruling.
State Congressman Augusto Valencia of the Citizens Movement and Federal Deputy Edith Martinez of the Partido Encuentro Social were the only legislators from either chamber to participate in the demonstration.
Daniel Gallegos, one of the founders of Uno por los Niños, the organizers of the protest, said legislators who support their movement would find themselves “favored” by the public in future elections.
Without providing any statistical data, Gallegos said 75 percent of Guadalajara residents opposed gay marriage, with the number increasing to 90 percent in the rest of Jalisco.
The protestors handed in a petition to legislators stating their demands to staff blocking the doors of the Congress building situated alongside the plaza.
Although gay rights groups had asked their supporters to stay away from the protest, a few pockets of counter demonstrators set up around the plaza.
One woman, standing outside Congress with her gay son, highlighted the ignorance and discrimination on display. “They ought to be protesting against infidelity, adultery, abortion, divorce. I taught my son to believe in God, because God wants us all to love each other.”
Others participating in the demonstration were keen to share their particular viewpoints on homosexuality with reporters. “It’s a distortion of the spirit,” said Luis Rodriguez, talking to Milenio. “We should integrate them (in society), but in inherent talents that they have, such as fashion designers, chefs, singers and artists, but not as teachers or members of the armed forces.”
The poor attendance at last weekend’s rally may signal that the predominantly Catholic, conservative population of Jalisco is finally resigned to accepting the changing times. Since January’s ruling, several same-sex couples have applied to get married at Guadalajara and Zapopan registry offices. The mayors of both municipalities have instructed registrars to accept the applications. The Zapopan Family Development Agency (DIF) revealed last week that it has given pre-marital courses to two female couples since the Supreme Court ruling.
Meanwhile, the NGO Union Diversa de Jalisco is providing assistance to same-sex couples contemplating getting married. “Not all the registry offices are up to speed on filling out the forms,” the group’s website says. Those requiring help are asked to go to the office on Calle Pavo 229 in the Guadalajara city center between 4 and 6 p.m.
Getting the law changed to allow same-sex couples to adopt children may take longer to achieve, gay rights groups acknowledge. Currently, only left-of-center legislators from the Party of the Democratic Revolution (PRD) openly favor such a move. Legal experts say the Supreme Court ruling only affects three articles of the state Civil Code (258, 260 and 267) regarding marriage. Adoption is covered in Article 539, stating that the adoptive parents be “a married man and women who are living together.”