Two marches in Guadalajara this weekend highlight the passions aroused by the initiative presented to Congress by President Enrique Peña Nieto to make same-sex marriage legal nationwide.
Starting 
from the Minerva, Saturday, September 10, conservative groups, encouraged by the Catholic Church, will march at 5 p.m. in protest at the measure due to be discussed soon by federal lawmakers. The next day, also at 5 p.m., diverse groups and individuals supporting same-sex marriage will set off in a “marcha por la igualdad” from the intersection Hidalgo and Chapultepec. Both marches will finish in the city center’s Plaza de la Liberation.
On Saturday, groups will gather outside Casa Jalisco, the state governor’s residence, to protest the lack of official action by the current administration over increased hostility toward the LGBT community in recent months and the illegal interference by the Catholic Church in the nation’s political affairs.
Although the country’s Supreme Court last year forced Jalisco to recognize same-sex marriage, the new law would change Article 4 of the Mexican Constitution to make it legal throughout the country. Despite the high court ruling, the Jalisco legislature has yet to alter its civil code to reflect the new situation.
Polls suggest public opinion in Mexico is split over the issue, with no significant majority either way.
Simultaneous marches on Saturday opposing the president’s initiative are planned in the Jalisco towns of San Juan de los Lagos, Tepatitlán, Lagos de Moreno, Ocotlán, Autlán de Navarro and Puerto Vallarta.