Conapred condemned the homophobic speeches of Puebla councilor Miguel Ángel de Jesús Mantilla Martínez. Photo Víctor Camcho/Archive

Mexico, 18 de noviembre de 2023 15:52

The National Council to Prevent Discrimination (Conapred) condemned the homophobic speeches issued by the councilor of the National Action Party (PAN) made in the state of Puebla, Miguel Ángel de Jesús Mantilla Martínez.

Also those of any other person who replicates and strengthens discriminatory narratives against people who belong to the LGTBQ+ population.

“Conapred makes a strong call, including public servants, to conduct themselves within the bounds established in Article 1 of the Constitution, which stipulates that all people will enjoy the guarantees granted by this Constitution, which cannot be be restricted or suspended, except in the cases and under the conditions that it establishes.”

He recalled that the Federal Law to Prevent and Eliminate Discrimination, whose purpose is to prevent and eliminate all forms of discrimination exercised against any person in the terms of Article 1 of the Constitution, as well as to promote equality of opportunity and treatment, also highlights in its article 1, third section, which will also be understood as discrimination: homophobia, misogyny, any manifestation of xenophobia, racial segregation and anti-Semitism, as well as racial discrimination and other related forms of intolerance.

From 2012 to September 2023, Conapred has registered 1,223 complaints related to people of sexual and gender diversity. Of these, 902 refer to sexual orientation as the most frequent cause of discrimination, 201 to gender identity, and 120 correspond to gender issues.

The areas where acts of discrimination occurred the most were labor and public services.

“It is important to remember that homophobic expressions not only hurt lives, but can escalate to hate crimes. For this reason, Conapred calls to reflect on the narratives used to refer to people.”

He stressed that “words do matter and have a direct impact on people, even more so on those who belong to historically discriminated and rejected populations.”

In recent days, a video circulated on social networks in which Councilor Mantilla appears verbally attacking a municipal official, making reference to his sexual identity.