Only Women

I began using the Mexico City subway when I was around twelve or thirteen. The difficult thing of the new adventure was not only to understand the intricate labyrinth that is every subway in the world. The first and constant challenge to face was the rush hour, both during mornings and afternoons, which translated into a massive explosion of people surrounding me, pushing me without consideration, or even worst, in spite of my disorientation. However, both obstacles were nothing compared to the possibility of being “uncomfortably” close to a guy whose instincts would arouse while travelling on one of those conglomerated cars.

In order to keep safe women using the subway, the local government created a new policy: like in the old school days, women and men–like boys and girls–would be physically separated from each other. The first three cars of the train were designated for the exclusive use of women, their children, and the elderly. A policeman would be in charge of yelling at those who would dare to cross the boundaries established by the State’s moral from now on.

Years have gone by and the three-cars-for-women policy is still necessary. On November 2007, Mexico City’s governor, Marcelo Ebrard, updated the program, providing it with a new name: “Viajemos Seguras” (Let’s travel safe). The main difference is that the new plan is extended to the entire public transportation. Supposedly, some buses and street-cars all over the city were going to be only for women (I’ve never seen one). Also, more policemen inside the subway and the right to sue the aggressor are part of this strategy.

As a chilanga who has happily lived in Mexico City for thirty years, is sad to say that I don’t believe this policy to be completely useful. Taking a brief look at the statistics, the number of reports has peaked over the years, a fact that makes me stay convinced that what the government is doing is only to take the object of desire away. Cultural and social dilemmas cannot be solved as fast as we would like.

However, “Viajemos seguras” cars represent both an ephemeral oasis, and what I consider a radical-feminist fantasy that comes true within the rush hour schedule. For those who have attempted to think that there should be only women in this world, travelling at eight in the morning on one of these cars, can be a brief moment of experimentation of how would it feel to be surrounded by women all the time….