Jalisco lawmakers have voted against a proposal to amend state law to allow minors the option to change the gender marker on their birth certificates.
The issue has sparked intense debate since Mexico’s Supreme Court ruled in 2023 that local authorities in several states, including Jalisco, must amend their statutes to allow gender self-identification for minors.
In 2020, Jalisco Congress approved a gender identity law that allowed trans people over the age of 18 to alter civil documents to reflect their chosen identity. However, a similar initiative to extend this right to transgender children, adolescents and non-binary minors was rejected by legislators.
In a March 8 vote, lawmakers rejected the reforms to the Ley de Registro Civil by a vote of 21-13, with one abstention. The bill has created fierce debate, with Jalisco Governor Pablo Lemus intervening at the last minute to urge lawmakers to reject it. Since making its ruling, the Supreme Court had issued several deadlines for Jalisco lawmakers to vote on the reform, all of which were ignored.
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