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Chiapas LGBT community calls legislator 'traitor' over rights comments
🇲🇽 Mexico /Culture & Society

Chiapas LGBT community calls legislator 'traitor' over rights comments

From El Universal · () Spanish

Translated from Spanish, summarized and contextualized by DistantNews.

At a glance

News Named sources Context piece
  • LGBT groups protested a Chiapas state legislator who suggested the community should exercise their rights at home.
  • Protesters called the congresswoman a "traitor" and demanded her removal from office.
  • The legislator, a member of the ruling Morena party, identified as an evangelical Pentecostal and defended her stance.

Protesters branded a state legislator a "traitor" for suggesting that LGBT individuals should "exercise their rights at home," sparking a confrontation at the Chiapas Congress. Members of the LGBT community gathered to denounce María Isabel Rodríguez Jiménez, a legislator from the ruling Morena party, who made the controversial remarks on June 23.

I want to tell you that I am an evangelical Pentecostal.

— María Isabel Rodríguez JiménezThe legislator declared her religious affiliation during a session where she faced backlash for her comments on LGBT rights.

Activists, carrying community flags and banners, shouted "Traitor!" and "Out!" at Rodríguez Jiménez, highlighting that transgender women are still being murdered in Chiapas. The protest underscored the tension between the ruling party's progressive platform and the conservative views of some of its elected officials.

History will accuse you as a traitor.

— Mari Carmen de la Encarnación PereyraAn activist addressed the legislator during the protest, calling her a traitor for her remarks.

Rodríguez Jiménez, who previously served as a senator for the Social Encounter Party, declared herself an "evangelical Pentecostal" and defended her position, stating that "the people have already spoken" and "fools are those who think the people are fools." This stance contrasts sharply with the Morena party's stated commitment to inclusivity and progressive agendas.

Out!

— ProtestersMembers of the LGBT community demanded the legislator's removal from Congress.

Another legislator, Luz María Castillo Moreno, criticized Rodríguez Jiménez, reminding her that Morena champions a progressive agenda and inclusion, which should not be dictated by personal religious beliefs. Castillo Moreno announced plans for citizen consultations on gender identity and affirmative actions in several municipalities, pushing back against Rodríguez Jiménez's conservative stance.

The people have already spoken and they do not err. Fools are those who believe the people are fools.

— María Isabel Rodríguez JiménezThe legislator defended her stance, referencing popular support.
DistantNews Editorial

Originally published by El Universal in Spanish. Translated, summarized, and contextualized by our editorial team with added local perspective. Read our editorial standards.

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