| | |  Vallarta Living 
Guadalajara Celebrates 14 Years of Sexual Diversity
 Juan Ceja - PVNN
June 24, 2010
| | An estimated 31 thousand participants and spectators stepped out last weekend to celebrate the 14th Annual Sexual Diversity March in Guadalajara. (video by Aaron Watson) | |
Guadalajara - Under overcast skies, our neighboring metropolis stepped out last weekend to celebrate and to support the city's GLBT community during the 14th Annual Sexual Diversity March. Despite the forecasters calling for strong isolated thunderstorms; an estimated 31 thousand participants and spectators lined the sidewalks, store fronts and balconies alongside Calle Hidalgo.
Guadalajara hosts the country's second largest gay rights march and celebration; perhaps not the largest in the nation, but certainly considered the most artistic and colorful Diversity Celebration and parade in México.
There were plenty of Lady Ga Ga's, celebrity impersonators, colorful costumes, and elaborate floats. One couple had just married in México City three days prior to attending the March, showed up dressed in their wedding attire to the attention of many onlookers. The proud couple stated, "We decided to come out to raise awareness and to encourage others not to give up."
The parade and all its participants made their way through several neighborhoods, and continued through the city's gay and cultural district, passing by the main cathedral and to Plaza Liberación, where a popular party had just gone underway.
Despite all the color, pageantry and glamour, the order of business for this march was to encourage the community as a whole to learn more about the GLBT community and to provide them with the opportunity to engage and join the march in support of equality.
A volunteer crew dressed in shirts with a S.T.O.R.G.E. logo, were busy collecting registered voter signatures; they hope to gather at least 1,500 during this event. Five thousand signatures are needed to move this new Domestic Partnership Initiative to the next level. The proposed initiative was authored by the PRD, the country's progressive political party.
Ciro García Bañuelos, General Coordinator of this 14th Sexual Diversity March stated: "We have an initiative, which we have been working very hard to pass with the help of several organizations. The initiative's acronym is S.T.O.R.G.E., which, if passed, would provide same sex residents of Jalisco with marriage-like benefits: social security and the rights to claim domestic partner benefits for health care and employment benefits."
He went on to state that this was welcomed news because "...this is not just an initiative authored by the PRD, we have been greeted with support from both the PRI and PAN as well."
Should this Domestic Partnership initiative pass, Jalisco's same sex partners will have more reasons to celebrate their sexual diversity during next year's 15th Annual Sexual Diversity March. "We are already busy designing a celebratory cake to share with everyone during next year's Sexual Diversity March," indicated a very confident Ciro García Bañuelos.
| | An estimated 31 thousand participants and spectators stepped out last weekend to celebrate the 14th Annual Sexual Diversity March in Guadalajara. | |
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