Are gays accepted in mexican culture?

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baja QT

Gays are very excepted and welcomed in Puerto Vallarta.

weechi

in short, i would say no. i have a friend who would certainly lose his job if people found out he was gay. he has a "girlfriend" on standby, who goes with him to parties and dinners and such. it's really terrible and i feel badly for him.

however, there are pockets where gay people can feel totallly comfortable. puerto vallarta has a large community, mexico city, guadalajara, and some cities have "underground" gay clubs. my friend doesn't have trouble meeting people, but again, most of these people have not "come out" and they are all hiding.

what i do see is a HUGE amount of denial. as in, "cousin armando and his roomate, whom he's had for years, are coming to christmas dinner." it's like the elephant in the room. for some people, they do whatever they please, and as long as they don't actually confirm they are gay, everyone is willing to turn a blind eye.

but i would say, as with most of the world, being gay now is more accepted than 50 years ago. but mexico is far behind US culture.

beez

There are a lot of gay Mexican men, but they are 'out' only in specific clubs or locations. Mexico, like the U.S., is more accepting, but don't want it in their face, especially in the rural areas. Be discreet. Machismo is alive and well in Mexico. Would help to get a guide to gay friendly lodging and other sites.

bassmeister-D

Gays are a big part of Mexican culture especially if you conside bisexuals gay. One of the reasons the the high rate of HIV infection among women in Mexico, and all of LatinAmerica in general, is the high number of married men who have gay affairs on the side.
The way Mexican culture looks at gays is rather unique. There is acceptance, there is denial, there is ridicule and there is admiration. I see many cases of young gays who have the support of their families. Of course there are still families that absolutely do not accept it. You have some of the married men who consider themselves machos. When they have gay relations they are the active partners, the ones doing the penetration. Since they themselves are not being penetrated they do not consider themselves gay.
Here in Mexico, as in other places, there is a stereotype of gays being more artistically inclined, more intellectual, more talented and of generally having better taste in all aspects of life.

The two main TV networks in Mexico, Televisa and TV Azteca, both employ large numbers of gay actors, talk and game show hosts, and news announcers. Paradoxically much of their programming makes fun of gays.
Both networks, especially Televisa, have programming which promotes homosexuality. Televisa has had several programs dedicated the joys of being gay on their Telehit channel.

In summary, yes gays are accepted. Two years ago the federal gvt. passed a law on sexual diversity and equal rights for people regardless of their sexual orientation.
I would say that gays can be more open about their preferences that 50 years ago, just like anywhere else in the world.

Stan P

Things are better than they once were, but people in the U.S. are far more accepting of gays than the Mexicans are. If you are gay and going to Mexico, you should be alright in any of the cruise ship tourist destinations. Discretion is the key.

Vaggaloor

quick answer.
Not.
May be tolerated, but not accepted.
Sexuality in Mexico, gay or not, is not to be shown, is only an intimate thing, you don't discuss sexual topics to anyone.
The situation is better now than 50 years ago, but never as it is in USA.

Freedom

No. Not really.
I live in Mexico and I can tell you there are a lot more gay people than before, however our culture is not open to discuss sexuality anyway, straight or gay.
We live in a conservative society and there is a lot of discrimination towards gay people.
I hope this changes (not that I am gay), because I feel we have to be a tolerant peaceful society, but I don't see that happening in Mexico very soon.
At the beaches it is more accepted because there are many tourists.
In small cities it is quite criticized.
Leon, Monterrey, Aguascalientes, Tijuana, Queretaro, etc. have very closed societies.

--maRi;;*

yep i think they are, but there are still alot of people that don`t accept them.

=)â™¥

Bareasskmeagain

Yes as the Mexican Macho image is disappearing and the country is going into more decadence, gays are now a part of the culture around tourist frequented spots. . . .and so is HIV/AIDS. . .be careful

ana h

Yes gays are accepted in the Mexican culture , and now they are more accepted today than 50 years ago i,I have a lot of gay friends in Mexico Leon gto hope this answer helped you..

George

yes, we are more accepted today, but people even exist do not accept to us

Good night ;)

lpaganus

In more sophisticated, upper class circles, yes, much more so than even 10 years ago. In working class families, its still considered shameful. Cruising can be dangerous to your health particularly in Tijuana.

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