An evangelical organization, For Life and Family, recently gathered 300,000 signatures in support of a proposed constitutional amendment to ban same-sex couples from getting married in the country. The signatures were presented to the Chamber of Deputies after a march. The initiative also would add bans against abortion and sex education in schools into the constitution.
Marriage equality has been spreading steadily in Mexico, thanks to a long-term legal strategy by activists who have brought case after case to the federal courts to win injunctions for couples, leading to legal and state-level legislative victories, reports Religion Dispatches.
From a report in El Norte: "Hugo Eric Flores, who is also leader of the PES, considered that God must become the focus of national policy. Once a spiritual government for all of us, seeking the face of the Lord asking him to have mercy on this nation is established, you know what will happen? That just be lifted to govern," he said. Evangelical leaders added that mobilizing to San Lazaro was historic because never before has a religious organization succeeded in presenting a bill. This, they said they felt, was a miracle.
Catholic bishops reportedly have been vocal opponents of the initiative, though the Archdiocese of Mexico put out a statement that it is not among the organizers of the anti-marriage rallies planned by the National Front of the Family.
President Enrique Peña Nieto this week reaffirmed his support for his own effort to have marriage equality guaranteed in the Constitution, a move he first announced in May and which some activists believe is responsible for the current backlash.
A national gathering of LGBT rights activists that took place August 25-28 released the "Cuernavaca Declaration," which calls on the government to protect the rights of LGBT people and preserve secular government.
LGBT activists have announced a march planned for Sept. 11.
Another group of activists called on government officials to prevent religious organizations from taking actions they considered "hostile to human rights."
