Mexico City’s legislative assembly passes LGBT rights law

RIO DE JANEIRO, BRAZIL – The Law for the Recognition and Attention of LGBTTTI Persons of Mexico City, which aims to guarantee and prevent discrimination against people of this group, was passed on Wednesday by the Mexican capital’s legislative assembly.

The law contains a comprehensive perspective on the welfare of LGBT people of all ages, with priority to trans and intersex identities, which experience increased discrimination.

In addition, it recognizes sexual and gender diversity, the right to dignified treatment without discrimination in public and private health services, education, work, health, culture, legal security and political participation, among others.

With 45 votes in favor – 1 against and no abstention – the Assembly approved the opinion presented by deputy Temístocles Villanueva, of the leftist and ruling National Regeneration Movement (Morena) “by which the Law for the Recognition and Attention of LGBTTTI (lesbian, gay, bisexual, transvestite, transsexual, transgender and intersex) persons of Mexico City is decreed.”

Villanueva pointed out that the passage of this law represents a very important step by the local legislature, since the bill contains a mandate for the drawing of “public policies and transversal actions aimed at guaranteeing a better quality of life for LGBTTTI people,” as well as the “recognition of the right to self-description and legal existence.”

Villanueva assured that local Public Administration agencies and institutions “must level the attention of LGBTTTI people with the rest of the population in order to guarantee the recognition and adequate attention of a broader legal framework for their protection.”

On the other hand, he acknowledged that violence and hate crimes against this population continue to be a pending issue, for which he mentioned that he will seek to “institutionalize and mainstream the results of the Prosecutor’s Office specialized in crimes against the LGBTTTI population, in order to have more accurate instruments in the fight against hate crimes.”

The decree has 43 articles and 12 transitory articles and will be applied in a supplementary manner in the following ordinances: Law to Prevent and Eliminate Discrimination in Mexico City, Federal District Health Law, and Organic Law of the Executive Branch and Public Administration of Mexico City.

And in addition to the Federal District’s Civil and Criminal Codes, the Law for Women’s Access to a Life Free of Violence, Law of the Integral System of Human Rights of Mexico City and other applicable ordinances.

After its discussion was suspended in June, LGBT Pride month, the law will be forwarded to the Mexico City government for publication in the  Mexico City Official Gazette.