VO - The colours of the rainbow brighten the streets of Mexico City when gender and sexual minorities gather annually to march for their rights. Although the event looks more like a carnival, the demonstrators have a clear message.
transvestite on the street - We have to face discrimination everywhere. When you get into a bus or a taxi, you’ll surely get abuse of some sort.
Like how?
Some don’t want to stop for you, or shout out rude things,
others want to touch you even if they weren’t willing to pay for it.And in the end they wash their hands of the whole thing.
VO - Enrique and Javier also decide to go and demonstrate among the 75 000 others.
Enrique - With this demonstration we want to articulate that we have the same rights for partnership and family as anyone else.
Javier - In this way, we’re also asking to be treated as people because discrimination is still really widespread.
VO - Prejudices against sexualities different from the mainstream are very common in Mexico. Very often even family members condemn a person’s homosexuality.
Javier - I’m sure they noticed already when I was little that I did strange things like combing my sister’s hair or giving her different hairstyles.I’m sure they guessed it. Although I told them nothing, until recently my sister said she knew about it already. But my parents didn’t like the news. The less they were to see me the better.
Enrique - My sister is really religious.. I know that this is contentious for her because there’s obviously love between us but at the same time she is...deeply Catholic. And unfortunately the Catholic Church has harmed many families.
Priest in mass - These days we come across examples of this “ethical relativism” which goes against the laws of nature and which approves marriages between people of the same sex in countries such as Belgium, Canada, The Netherlands and Spain.
Father Buenaventura Wainwright - Sexuality becomes a problem when it has no other function than pleasure. The only purpose of sex for man is to continue the human race.
VO - The condemning attitude of the Catholic Church towards differing sexuality has led to sexual minorities forming their own spiritual communities. Iglesia de la Reconciliación has opened its doors to many homo-, bi-, and transsexuals as well as lesbians in many Mexican cities. Also in Mexico City.
Jorge Sosa -Pastor of the Church of Reconciliation - From the point of view of religion, homosexuality is simply a way of expressing love between two people of the same sex. We believe that sex is not only meant for reproduction, then a human would be like any plant or animal. Sexuality is more of a dialogue, it’s enjoyment and showing love and affection. All phobias are diseases and all discrimination is crime even if Pope Benedict didn’t think so.
Enrique - When I finally learnt to filter my mind from all conditionalities set by the Catholic Church, which says one needs to be either green or red. And I learned that I need to develop my spiritual relationship with god myself, that’s when my faith got stronger.
VO - In the demonstration, Enrique and Javier, together with the rest of the parish, openly criticise the Catholic Church’s Pope Benedict XVI because of his discriminating attitude towards sexual minorities.
man on the street - Death to the new Pope! We don’t like Benedict XVI! He should not exit!
Jorge Sosa - Radzinger or Benedict XVI is a criminal who is going to cause a lot of damage, especially in families where parents already wish their children would rather die than be gay. It is easier to comprehend in our patriarchal society that a person can kill someone than that he’s able to love another person.
VO - The most serious indication of homophobia or discrimination against sexual minorities are the numerous homocides.
Arturo Diaz Betancourt - National Council against Discrimination (CONAPRED) - In Mexico in the past eight years 876 gays transsexuals and lesbians have been killed, 100 of whom were teenagers. Most of them died through the hands of their own parents, siblings or classmates.
Enrique - Homophobia is religiously, politically and socially accepted. For many years I tried to live according to that. But I can’t anymore. I AM gay. I don’t want to stay in the closet.
VO - In the past 20 years gay culture has appeared in parts of Mexico City but moving around elsewhere can be a risk.
Enrique - In some parts of town you have to be more careful than others. Where Javier and I live there’s a large gay community and we can hug and hold hands in the street.
VO - It’s not only home, religion and general opinion that condemn sexual differences. Prejudice also has a hold over the workplace.
Arturo Diaz Betancourt - The most discrimination happens in companies. If an employee openly tells about his or her homosexuality he can have a hard time advancing in his career or he can even lose his job. This is what happened to one man who today is pressing charges again Coca Cola.
Roberto Mendoza - ex-executive of Coca Cola FEMSA - The personnel manager of Coca Cola Femsa in a meeting that dealt with the possibility of me getting the job of technology development manager. He got anxious banged his fist on the table and said that as long as he’s with the company there won’t be a single faggot manager.
Arturo Diaz Betancourt - Coca Cola would not even listen to the charges we brought against it. It used its power and decided not to listen. This tells us of the power and double standards that Coca Cola practices in Mexico.
VO - Although Mexico has a law against discrimination, it is easy for employers to go around it.
Enrique - It is very difficult to find work in Mexico for a forty-year old and single. Here they say that an older single man is without a doubt gay. I am HIV-positive. When I possibly start having symptoms, it will be very difficult to explain my absences to my employer.
VO - Mutual love and respect help Javier and Enrique in the fight against the virus.
Javier - HIV does not make a person any better or worse. I told him that we’re in it together with this problem. We just need to use protection carefully.
Enrique - I love him very much.
CREDITS reporter: Heidi Lipsanencamera: Heidi Lipsanen, Valentín Balmasedaediting: Heidi Lipsanen
END
transvestite on the street - We have to face discrimination everywhere. When you get into a bus or a taxi, you’ll surely get abuse of some sort.
Like how?
Some don’t want to stop for you, or shout out rude things,
others want to touch you even if they weren’t willing to pay for it.And in the end they wash their hands of the whole thing.
VO - Enrique and Javier also decide to go and demonstrate among the 75 000 others.
Enrique - With this demonstration we want to articulate that we have the same rights for partnership and family as anyone else.
Javier - In this way, we’re also asking to be treated as people because discrimination is still really widespread.
VO - Prejudices against sexualities different from the mainstream are very common in Mexico. Very often even family members condemn a person’s homosexuality.
Javier - I’m sure they noticed already when I was little that I did strange things like combing my sister’s hair or giving her different hairstyles.I’m sure they guessed it. Although I told them nothing, until recently my sister said she knew about it already. But my parents didn’t like the news. The less they were to see me the better.
Enrique - My sister is really religious.. I know that this is contentious for her because there’s obviously love between us but at the same time she is...deeply Catholic. And unfortunately the Catholic Church has harmed many families.
Priest in mass - These days we come across examples of this “ethical relativism” which goes against the laws of nature and which approves marriages between people of the same sex in countries such as Belgium, Canada, The Netherlands and Spain.
Father Buenaventura Wainwright - Sexuality becomes a problem when it has no other function than pleasure. The only purpose of sex for man is to continue the human race.
VO - The condemning attitude of the Catholic Church towards differing sexuality has led to sexual minorities forming their own spiritual communities. Iglesia de la Reconciliación has opened its doors to many homo-, bi-, and transsexuals as well as lesbians in many Mexican cities. Also in Mexico City.
Jorge Sosa -Pastor of the Church of Reconciliation - From the point of view of religion, homosexuality is simply a way of expressing love between two people of the same sex. We believe that sex is not only meant for reproduction, then a human would be like any plant or animal. Sexuality is more of a dialogue, it’s enjoyment and showing love and affection. All phobias are diseases and all discrimination is crime even if Pope Benedict didn’t think so.
Enrique - When I finally learnt to filter my mind from all conditionalities set by the Catholic Church, which says one needs to be either green or red. And I learned that I need to develop my spiritual relationship with god myself, that’s when my faith got stronger.
VO - In the demonstration, Enrique and Javier, together with the rest of the parish, openly criticise the Catholic Church’s Pope Benedict XVI because of his discriminating attitude towards sexual minorities.
man on the street - Death to the new Pope! We don’t like Benedict XVI! He should not exit!
Jorge Sosa - Radzinger or Benedict XVI is a criminal who is going to cause a lot of damage, especially in families where parents already wish their children would rather die than be gay. It is easier to comprehend in our patriarchal society that a person can kill someone than that he’s able to love another person.
VO - The most serious indication of homophobia or discrimination against sexual minorities are the numerous homocides.
Arturo Diaz Betancourt - National Council against Discrimination (CONAPRED) - In Mexico in the past eight years 876 gays transsexuals and lesbians have been killed, 100 of whom were teenagers. Most of them died through the hands of their own parents, siblings or classmates.
Enrique - Homophobia is religiously, politically and socially accepted. For many years I tried to live according to that. But I can’t anymore. I AM gay. I don’t want to stay in the closet.
VO - In the past 20 years gay culture has appeared in parts of Mexico City but moving around elsewhere can be a risk.
Enrique - In some parts of town you have to be more careful than others. Where Javier and I live there’s a large gay community and we can hug and hold hands in the street.
VO - It’s not only home, religion and general opinion that condemn sexual differences. Prejudice also has a hold over the workplace.
Arturo Diaz Betancourt - The most discrimination happens in companies. If an employee openly tells about his or her homosexuality he can have a hard time advancing in his career or he can even lose his job. This is what happened to one man who today is pressing charges again Coca Cola.
Roberto Mendoza - ex-executive of Coca Cola FEMSA - The personnel manager of Coca Cola Femsa in a meeting that dealt with the possibility of me getting the job of technology development manager. He got anxious banged his fist on the table and said that as long as he’s with the company there won’t be a single faggot manager.
Arturo Diaz Betancourt - Coca Cola would not even listen to the charges we brought against it. It used its power and decided not to listen. This tells us of the power and double standards that Coca Cola practices in Mexico.
VO - Although Mexico has a law against discrimination, it is easy for employers to go around it.
Enrique - It is very difficult to find work in Mexico for a forty-year old and single. Here they say that an older single man is without a doubt gay. I am HIV-positive. When I possibly start having symptoms, it will be very difficult to explain my absences to my employer.
VO - Mutual love and respect help Javier and Enrique in the fight against the virus.
Javier - HIV does not make a person any better or worse. I told him that we’re in it together with this problem. We just need to use protection carefully.
Enrique - I love him very much.
CREDITS reporter: Heidi Lipsanencamera: Heidi Lipsanen, Valentín Balmasedaediting: Heidi Lipsanen
END