Gays in Mexico: Coming Out and Proud

Mexico has traditionally sported a culture of hyper-masculinity which has been very harsh towards gays. Recently, though, that has begun to change. There's a section of Mexico City called the Pink Zone where numerous gay-oriented businesses are opening up. There's change in the air in Mexico.

The Economist explains:

Although there is no obvious single trigger for the boom, it is clearly linked to the rise of a new cable-TV generation that has grown up on programmes such as “Will & Grace” and “Queer as Folk”, unwilling to skulk in the shadows or behind blacked-out windows.

I've read that similar factors, but mainly the internet, has been playing a role in the growth of a self-defined gay community in Pakistan. This goes to show just how much influence modern technology can have on some regions — and demonstrates why traditionalists have so much to fear from that technology.

Bigger firms are now beginning to weigh the potential of Mexico's unexploited pink peso. A market-research study last year found that gays in Mexico have a lot more ready cash than their child-burdened heterosexual peers. Mexican lesbians, for example, spend 60% more on beauty products than the average adult female, and are six times more likely to have access to the internet.

Society may not be willing to acknowledge the equal rights of gays, but businesses won't hesitate to take their money. The question is, will the latter lead to a change in the former? It could, if gays make an issue of it.

Read More:

• Gay Rights, Gay Marriage
• Evangelical Christianity & Homosexuality
• Catholicism & Homosexuality