Gender and Gender Diversity in Mexico
Gender, according to the dictionary, means either of the two sexes; male and female. Gender can also be used to refer to other identities that are not necessarily male or female. Gender identity is the personal sense of one’s gender. One can correspond with the sex at birth or differ from it. That is why we have lesbians, gays, transgender, and bisexuals. This paper will discuss the LGBT community in Mexico under the notion of gender diversity. Gender diversity, when addressed in today’s context, has more to do with women’s inclusivity in society.
The introduction of other gender identities like gays, lesbians, transgender, and bisexuals has raised many concerns in Mexico. From the introduction of LGBT, there has been a lot of rejection as the community does not want to accept these people in the community; instead, they treat them like outcasts (Domínguez-Ruvalcaba, 2009). Ignorant is one reason why discrimination against LGBT has been prevalent in society. Simultaneously, people do not know that some causes are biological, and therefore the LGBT have no choice of their sexuality. The community has stereotyped LGBT making them uncomfortable in the community, and in extreme cases, they live in fear of being killed because of the violence they face.
Gay people are males who are sexually attracted to other males. Lesbians are females who are sexually attracted to women, and bisexuals are males or females who are interested in both genders. Transgender are people who change their gender identity from what they were at birth. You may find someone who was thought to be a male transforming to be a female (Mirandé, 2014). The community does not accept such people because they argue that they go against God’s work.
The LGBT, over the years, have lived in the closet without coming out in fear of stigmatization. They have faced stigmatization from their families, in educational institutions, in their workplaces, churches, and even by law enforcers. Families have been the primary source of stigmatization as parents have not given their children the freedom to explore their sexuality and decide what they like or do not like. In most cases, when parents identify their children to be of different sexuality, they condemn them and try to force them to behave and act how they are not. Some employers discriminate when it comes to LGBT and refuse to employ them even when they are qualified. LGBT are reported to have challenging encounters with police officers who treat them harshly. Some community members in gangs who disapprove of LGBT have formed gangs that terrorize these people in society, even at times their violence leads to the victims’ death.
LGBT have formed movements to represent and fight for their rights in Mexico. The government of Mexico has passed laws that allow for the LGBT community existence and clearly stating their rights. Despite the government allowing same-sex marriage, some parts of Mexico have not embraced the change and still stigmatize the LGBT, like Veracruz and the State of Mexico. The social movements have helped end the stigmatization in society, and inclusivity has been embraced where even same sex marriage has been allowed.
LGBT should be included in society as they also play the same roles as others when it comes to community development. They all work and support their families, so they should be treated equally. When they are appreciated, their right to sexuality is exercised, and they live normal lives like others without fear of stigmatization. Transgender should also be treated equally with the others as they are humans, and no human has the right to take someone else’s life (Mirandé, 2014).
References
Domínguez-Ruvalcaba, H. (2009). From Fags to Gays. Mexico Reading the United States, 116-134.
Mirandé, A. (2014). Transgender identity and acceptance in a global era: The Muxes of Juchitán. In Masculinities in a global era (pp. 247-263). Springer, New York, NY.