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Let’s Celebrate Same-Sex Marriage in Mexico City!

Mar 4th, 2010
by Anahi Parra.
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This evening, the LGBT community will celebrate the legalization of same-sex marriage in Mexico City. After members of Mexico City PAN (National Action Party) fought against the bill–politically supported by Mexican president Felipe Calderón–the Supreme Court dismissed six appeals coming from the governors of Baja California, Guanajuato, Jalisco, Morelos, Sonora and Tlaxcala who argued that same-sex marriage law affected the principle of autonomy of the other states.

In spite of the triumph, some still speculate that the law will rise conservative reactions in other states, as it has happened after Mexico City government legalized abortion in 2007 which inspired 17 states to penalize those women who practice it and making D.F. some kind of island of lefty rights for women, and now for same-sex couples who probably will travel to Mexico City to get married.

However, the law requires that one of the members of the couple has to live in Mexico City for at least six months. Also, beware that today is the official day in which same-sex couple are allowed to petition a date to get married, which means that the actual weddings will start until March 12. If you are interested in getting married to a chilango or chilanga, you have to pay around 70 dollars (if you are marrying at the City Hall); if you are getting married at home you pay around 60 dollars, and if the judge has to go out of his or her jurisdiction you pay around 500 dollars. The good news is that massive marriages are for free, so you can expect a bunch of couples celebrating very soon. I guess that’ll be the case of Lol Kin Castañeda and Judith Vázquez, and Jesusa Rodríguez and Liliana Felipe, so expect more news on same-sex weddings. So far I haven’t known about any public gay male couples getting married, but promise to share the information if that’s the case.

The appointment today is at 5 pm at the Hemiciclo a Juárez (a.k.a HOmociclo a Juárez), very close to Bellas Artes and Hidalgo subway stations, right in front of Sheraton Hotel in Centro Histórico.

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Mexico City from above

Feb 23rd, 2010
by Anahi Parra.
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In the last few weeks, wind has been blowing in Distrito Federal cleaning the sky, letting us contemplate the volcanoes and the mountains that surround the city. Coming from the airport, you can even see the Paso de Cortés, the saddle that links the Popocatépetl and the Iztaccíhuatl–as a reminder of the romantic legend that explains why these two volcanoes sit one beside the other.

Although it is true that the Torre Latinoamericana and the Torre Mayor are great spots to see the whole city, Macha Mexico recently found another place that is somehow neglected when it is about watching Mexico City’s skyline. The place is a restaurant called Bellini’s, located at the 45th floor of World Trade Center on Avenida Insurgentes.

To be honest, the food is pricey and not good. However, you can certainly order an appetizer, maybe a drink and enjoy the view. The restaurant (or whatever machine makes it spin) takes around an hour and forty-five minutes to get back to the starting point. We mind you that, depending on what time you arrive, you will find businessmen, straight couples or families. If this is not your first time in Mexico City you will certainly find some amusement identifying different ares of the city. Don’t forget a camera, and maybe a map to orient yourself from above…!

Bellini’s, Mexico World Trade Center , Montecito 38, 45th floor, Col. Nápoles. Monday to Saturday from 1pm to 2 am. Sundays from 9am to 11pm. Poliforum Metrobus station.

Posted in: activities.
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Macha Mexico in Photos

Feb 17th, 2010
by Anahi Parra.
2 comments

Coyoacán is one of the most visited spots by postmodern hippies and artsy youngsters in Mexico City. Maybe that’s why you can find graffiti and stencils invading the facades belonged to the well-off. I found this one particularly great….

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Lectures on same-sex marriage in Mexico City

Feb 8th, 2010
by Anahi Parra.
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Opposition against same-sex marriage in Mexico City has prompted several reactions among GLBT groups concerned about defending what it should be considered a matter of rights–and not a matter of opinion or referendums, as the PAN (National Action Party) has put it.

The same group that organized the march in defense of same-sex marriage last Saturday will host a series of lectures and debates next Tuesday and Wednesday regarding a series of matters:  human and gay rights, the separation between the Church and the State, the concept of family, and sexual diversity.

Activists and politicians closely involved in GLBT rights will speak during this event (including Rep. David Razú, who proposed the same-sex marriage bill). If you want to see the whole program you can click here.

Foro Derechos, ciudadanía y diversidad sexual, February 9th and 10th, 10 hrs., Comisión de Derechos Humanos del Distrito Federal, Av. Universidad No. 1449, Col. Florida, Phone number: 5229 5600.

Posted in: activities, events, politics.
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Xochimilco Revisited*

Feb 8th, 2010
by Anahi Parra.
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You may think that Macha Mexico is obsessed with Xochimilco—but only until you are there you could understand why we go back again and again. Every time I have been there, I have enjoyed the company of great machas and savored great food made right in front of me by an expert woman who can prepare delicious quesadillas of flor de calabaza (squash blosson), delicious Oaxaca cheese, and my favorite, hutilacoche. Well, a couple of weeks ago I was lucky enough to visit Xochimilco again, but I have to say, this time was the best, and probably will stay in my memory as one of the best trips I’ve ever made.

The reasons: we decided to go to the famous Isla de las Muñecas, a legendary place where many years ago an old man–Julián Santana Barrera–was scared by the spirit of a drowned woman who used to visit his chinampa. In order to fight the spirit Julián started collecting dolls that he found sunk in the canals or in the garbage and hung them around his house. Over the years, the collection grew bigger in size and fame, up to a point that locals and visitors would bring dolls too, until long lines of dolls completely surrounded the whole land.

In order to get there, you have to cross the Reserva Ecológica, which compels you to sail far away from the touristy parts of Xochimilco usually full of families and groups of friends who are sometimes singing to the tune of a mariachi or a marimba. Once you leave behind that area, Xochimilco becomes water and sky, herons landing here and there, milpas, and some cows that stare at you as you pass by. As you drift on the water you can actually see everyday life in Xochimilco: a house guarded by a dog here, little shops there, a bridge used by locals, little kids waving with their hands, carps (yes, carps) jumping from the water…

When you arrive to the Isla de las Muñecas you pay 10 pesos and you get to visit a little “museum” which is a little room where you can see Agustinita, the favorite doll of the old man who collected the dolls, seating on her own shrine. Julián’s nephew will tell you the legend of the place while you probably take pictures and peruse the place until you find a fish tank with two ajolotes, the legendary aquatic salamander that undergoes metamorphosis remaining in the water and gilled. No doubt that the whole place has a weird vibe (as expected), but you can ask your guide to take you to see the rest of the land—and his garden. He grows chard, chamomile, and chilacayotes (a type of big squash)—everything organic.

This time we didn’t go early in the morning as many people recommend to “enjoy” the trip. In fact, we arrived to Xochimilco around five which turned out to be a great timing since going back to downtown Xochimilco from Isla de las Muñecas allowed us to see the sunset and enjoy the night during the last part of the trip.

The cost of the trip was 1200 pesos (around a hundred dollars) and believe me, it worth it (thank you Islandia!).

As we were on our way back to Distrito Federal I really missed the water surrounding us. Being in Xochimilco makes you think about an ancient Mexico City that used to have canals instead of streets and trajineras as its main way of transportation. What if we’d started all over again and bring water to this dry lake that makes Mexico City sink more and more every year? Below, a photo montage inspired on this idea.

Taken last Summer at the exhibition Citámbulos, at the Museo Nacional de Antropología.

*Pictures via Macha Mexico’s friends on Facebook

Posted in: activities, outside d.f..
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March in Defense of Gay Marriage in Mexico City

Feb 4th, 2010
by Anahi Parra.
4 comments

After same-sex marriage was legalized last December 21st, conservatives in Mexico City didn’t wait long to protest and take action against this legal decision. Mariana Gómez del Campo from the conservative Partido de Acción Nacional is the leader of a campaign against same-sex marriage who argues, first, that Mexican constitution states that marriage should be between a man and a woman. Second, Gómez del Campo and her followers argue that adoption by same-sex couples is against the rights of children. Having total support from President Felipe Calderón, Gómez del Campo has been promoting her cause through the press. Also, in order to prove how right she is about how a family should be, she conducted a survey to ask if Mexican people agree or not with same-sex marriage. The results were not reliable since the sample was too small to be representative of a general opinion. However, it proved to be a tool to promote negative opinions regarding GLBT families within Mexican society.

While many same-sex couples are already waiting for March 4th, the day in which they could legally marry, those who have children are worried about the consequences of a possible backlash that Gómez del Campo is promoting. Some even ask themselves if the endless desire of DF government to become the most advanced bastion–if not the only one in the whole country–in terms of social rights will always mean a worse situation for the rest of the country. It has already happened with abortion: after Mexico City’s government legalized abortion in 2007, 11 states have changed their local laws in order to criminalize women who had (illegal and dangerous) abortions.

The fact is that next Saturday a march will take place in order to defend same-sex marriage and adoption rights for same-sex couples. To be honest, I don’t really know who is organizing the march, in spite of having thoroughly perused their website. However, if you are interested in going, the poster above gives the information about the march. The tour will depart from the Ángel de la Indepedencia, and the last stop will be Calderon’s residency, Los Pinos.

In case some doubt that same-sex families do not exist in Mexico, you can click here.

Posted in: activities, politics.
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Macha Mexico in Photos: Teddy Bear

Feb 3rd, 2010
by Anahi Parra.
1 comment

February just started…with awful weather that includes wind and constant rains. However, stores all over Mexico City do not waste the opportunity to celebrate Saint Valentine’s Day, offering colorful gifts for people in love. Meanwhile, the Chilango GLBT community is planning a march next Saturday to defend gay marriage and the right of adoption for gay couples in DF. Will Saint Valentine help a little bit in this matter?

Here, a huge teddy bear on the corner of Isabel la Católica and Regina, one of the newest trendy streets of Centro Histórico.

Posted in: macha mexico in photos.
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Clit Party: Electro Pop Love

Jan 19th, 2010
by Anna.
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The Clit Party is back again, with DJ May Crown spinning playful and sexy techno for the ladies to dance to this Thursday in the Condesa.

The party offers itself as an alternative to Lipstick, but caters to a similar crowd: twenty and thirty-somethings, middle class, femme-of-center. Being in the Condesa, however, expect a slightly more hipster vibe than at Lipstick. I’m sure electronic music aficionados can identify with much greater accuracy the sub-genres of techno that May Crown spins, but I’ll just describe it as pure ponchis-ponchis, the onomatopoeic descriptor used frequently in Mexico to describe any electronic dance beat.

Perhaps the best way to capture the feel of this scene is to leave you with the following footage from a recent Clit Party that the promoters published on youtube:

Clit Party: Electro Pop Love; Thursday, January 21st, 9pm; Nuevo Leon 67, Colonia Condesa

Posted in: events, nightlife.
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Take Action: Immigration Reform and the Uniting American Families Act

Jan 13th, 2010
by Anna.
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I just received the following in an email from Immigration Equality, a U.S. based organization fighting for immigration rights for GLBT and HIV positive people:

Senator Chuck Schumer of New York has said he will introduce a comprehensive immigration reform bill early this year.  A window is opening to pass UAFA.   Please send a personalized appeal to your Senators to stand with our families at this critical moment.

Please take action now to contact your Senators to urge them to tell Schumer:  comprehensive immigration reform is not comprehensive if it does not include UAFA and LGBT families!

Even if you have called and sent a letter before, please send one again!  The time for members of Congress to hear that this is important to their constituents is NOW.

Step 1 - Write both of your Senators.

  • Click here to send a letter to your Senators.
  • Please, please customize and personalize your letters — especially if you are a New Yorker. A customized letter will have much, much greater weight.
  • At the top, explain why inclusion of UAFA and lesbian and gay families in comprehensive immigration reform is so important to you, your family, friends, and community.

Step 2 – Call both of your Senators.

  • After you send your letter, please also call your Senators’ offices.
  • Call the U.S. Capitol Switchboard at 202-224-3121 and ask for your Senator (you can tell them your state and they can tell you who your Senators are).
  • Tell your senator:

“Senator Schumer has said he will introduce a comprehensive immigration reform bill early this year.  I urge Senator _______ [your Senator’s name] to tell Senator Schumer to support inclusion of gay and lesbian families and the Uniting American Families Act in his bill.  Comprehensive immigration reform is not comprehensive unless it includes ALL families.”

NOTE: New Yorkers calling Senator Schumer should amend this script.  Urge Senator Schumer to include gay and lesbian families and the Uniting American Families Act in his bill.

  • Then call the Switchboard again and repeat with your other Senator.

I’ve written before about immigration reform. This legislation will allow GLBT Americans to sponsor their same-sex partners for permanent visas, the same way that married straight people can now. As one half of a binational lesbian couple, I strongly encourage all of our readers to take the few minutes necessary to reach out to their senators about the Uniting American Families Act.

Posted in: politics, responsible travel.
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Esteban Arce, an update

Jan 6th, 2010
by Anahi Parra.
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The homophobia displayed by Esteban Arce a few days ago motivated some Twitter users to officially protest against the TV host, demanding that Televisa take him off the air. The National Council to Prevent Discrimination  (CONPRED) is now in charge of this issue, based on 18 e-mails sent to that governmental agency, in particular the one signed by Gabriel Gutiérrez García, elected by CONAPRED as embassador against discrimination.

Gutiérrez García has been following Arce closely: in the last Encuentro de Diversidad Sexual in Oaxtepec, Morelos he denounced the “Matutino Express” as a space where words such as puñal (faggot) or depravado (degenerate) were used to talk about gay men. The issue is still in process, so we don’t know how it will be solved yet.

Some people in Facebook have expressed that the whole issue will give Arce higher ratings, instead of helping the GLBT community to defend our rights. Well, we all know how powerful language can be, and how it can drive people to commit unmentionable atrocities.

Meanwhile, Arce’s reaction has been to deny that he is homophobic: “I never imagined that there would be such controversy, and I don’t care, here [in his program] I say what I think, and I don’t take the time to see if people agree or not.” “I’m not homophobic, I have my opinion… I respect human life, to young guys and the others (homosexuals) do as you want, I don’t care. But yes, what is natural is man-woman, nothing else”.

Please, someone help this guy!

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