Mexico: Services or support for lesbians in Mexico City (counselling, legal assistance, shelters, support groups, political groups)
| Publisher | Canada: Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada |
| Author | Research Directorate, Immigration and Refugee Board, Canada |
| Publication Date | 21 January 2002 |
| Citation / Document Symbol | MEX38251.E |
| Reference | 5 |
| Cite as | Canada: Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada, Mexico: Services or support for lesbians in Mexico City (counselling, legal assistance, shelters, support groups, political groups), 21 January 2002, MEX38251.E, available at: http://www.refworld.org/docid/3df4be710.html [accessed 5 November 2017] |
| Disclaimer | This is not a UNHCR publication. UNHCR is not responsible for, nor does it necessarily endorse, its content. Any views expressed are solely those of the author or publisher and do not necessarily reflect those of UNHCR, the United Nations or its Member States. |
The following information was provided by the Coordinator of the Grupo de Madres Lesbianas (Lesbian Mother's Group, GRUMALE) during an interview with the Research Directorate on 14 January 2002.
GRUMALE gives support to lesbian mothers in Mexico City. They defend the mothers' rights, provide counselling and legal assistance, organize discussion groups and dissimate information for the public on societal problems families headed by lesbian mothers face (ibid.). For example, in the workplace, lesbian mothers can be dismissed if their homosexuality is known (ibid.). The Coordinator specified that there is no shelter for lesbians available in Mexico City nor was there direct help from the government to lesbians (ibid.).
In October 2001, GRUMALE released a video entitled Nosotras Hablamos una Experiencia en la Familia which depicts the reality of lesbian mothers in Mexico City (ibid.). Part of the funding came from the Mexico City government's program dealing with minority groups (ibid.).
Unión Lesbica, a Mexican lesbian Internet Website, lists the names of the following organizations or services for lesbians:
– Grupo de Madres Lesbianas (Lesbian Mother's Group) (for description, see above)
– Centro de Documentación y Archivo Histórico Lésbico "Nancy Cardenas" maintains information on the history of lesbianism.
– Fortalaza y Libertad. A group for anonymous gay and lesbian narcotics, Fortalaza y Libertad provides counselling for those suffering from depression and solitude, among others. They offer worshops on a variaty of topics like self-esteem and personal growth.
– El Closet de Sor Juana. Organization of feminist lesbians which promotes the respect of lesbian rights and provides information on HIV. It also offers legal aid and workshops on differents topics.
– Linéa Telefonica Lésbico, Gay y Bisexual de la Ciudad de México. Provides support for lesbians (1999-2001)
On its Website, the Grupo Universitario por la Diversidad Cultural (GUDS) of the Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México (UNAM) mentions the Nueva Generación de Jóvenes Lesbianas and the diVERSA agrupación político feminista/Colectivo LesBiGay, but does not give details about these two groups (n.d.).
This Response was prepared after researching publicly accessible information currently available to the Research Directorate within time constraints. This Response is not, and does not purport to be, conclusive as to the merit of any particular claim to refugee status or asylum. Please find below the list of additional sources consulted in researching this Information Request.
References
Grupo de Madres Lesbianas (GRUMALE). Mexico City. 14 January 2002. Telephone interview with coordinator.
Grupo Universitario por la Diversidad Sexual (GRUDS), Universidad Nacional Autonoma de México (UNAM), Mexico City. n.d. "Directorio de Servicios a la Comunidad Lésbico-Gay."
Unión Lésbica. 1999-2001. "Directorio."
Additional Sources Consulted
Unsuccessful attempts to reach one source of information.
IRB Databases
Internet sites including:
Amnesty International
Amnesty International: Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Network
Hartas com. Lesbianas Latinas
Human Rights Watch
El lugar privado de Moni
International Gay and Lesbian Human Rights Commision
Lesbiana Soy
Mexico Solidarity Network
Mujeres prohibidas
Search engines including:
Metacrawler
