Mexico and gay rights
Marriage Equality Around the World
The Human Rights Campaign tracks developments in the legal recognition of same-sex marriage around the planet. Working through a worldwide network of HRC global alumni and partners, we lift up the voices of people, national and regional advocates and distribute tools, resources, and lessons learned to empower movements for marriage equality.
Current State of Marriage Equality
There are currently 38 countries where same-sex marriage is legal: Andorra, Argentina, Australia, Austria, Belgium, Brazil, Canada, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Cuba, Denmark, Ecuador, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Iceland, Ireland, Liechtenstein, Luxembourg, Malta, Mexico, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Portugal, Slovenia, South Africa, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Taiwan, Thailand, the Joined Kingdom, the Joined States of America and Uruguay.
These countries have legalized marriage equality through both legislation and court decisions.
Countries that Legalized Marriage Equality in 2025
Liechtenstein: On May 16, 2024, Liechtenstein's government passed a bill in favor of marriage equality. The law went into effe
Mexico: Thousands protest against same-sex marriage proposal
Leaders of the National Front for the Family, which organised the march, declare they are not opposed to LGBT rights.
But they contend that Mexico has fallen victim of an ideological battle that threatens family values and the institution of marriage.
"In a democratic society you cannot impose a unattached thought," said Mario Alberto Romo, a spokesman for the group.
Demonstrators are calling for a conference with Mr Pena Nieto to debate the issue.
LGBT rights supporters turned up at the pride to show their backing for Mr Pena Nieto's engagement to legalise homosexual marriage, but police said there were no clashes.
Some of them carried banners that read: "I'm gay and I'm a Catholic" and "We also contain families".
Four Latin American countries have already legalised same-sex marriage: Argentina, Brazil, Uruguay and most recently Colombia.
Mexico’s gay rights movement gaining ground
Guadalajara, Mexico – As the countdown to Modern Year’s Day reached its climax in Guadalajara’s trendy Barezzito nightclub, many of the well-dressed local couples shared a celebratory brush . But the euphoria did not last long for two young men who partook in a humble display of affection.
“We kissed a couple of times and the security guards told us that it wasn’t a gay exclude and that we had to leave,” Pedro Siordia Mora, a 23-year-old psychology graduate, told Al Jazeera.
“They called the police on us and the police showed up with machine guns,” added his partner, Michael Grendell, a 29-year-old English teacher from Novel York.
Intolerance of sexual diversity remains common across much of Mexico and Latin America, a strongly Catholic region where macho attitudes prevail. Yet the region has seen rapid transform in recent years. Democratisation, an increased respect for human rights, the onset of globalisation and the growth of social media have all facilitated the expansion of lesbian, lgbtq+, bisexual, transgender and homosexual (LGBTQ) rights across the region.
Argentina legalised same-sex marriage in 2010, and Brazil and Uruguay followed suit
Mexico
Mexico has emerged as a regional leader in noticing the rights of LGBTIQ individuals. Marriage equality is now universally recognized across all 32 states, a milestone achieved through years of advocacy and legal battles. Federal and local laws prohibit conversion practices, reinforcing the right to self-determination and protecting individuals from harmful interventions disguised as therapy. Respect for the rights of trans people has progressed in recent years, with 22 of the 32 states offering legal gender recognition processes that allow individuals to update their official documents without requiring invasive medical or psychological evaluations. Nevertheless, LGBT persons still experience discrimination and harassment in education and employment, contributing to economic precarity.
Intersex people’s rights have gained representation primarily through the efforts of organizations like Brújula Intersexual. Collaborations with government institutions, such as the National Council to Block Discrimination, have led to advances like Mexico City’s constitutional prohibition of discrimination based on sex characteristics and a 2017 Ministry of Health recommendation agai