Mexico City approves first conjugal visit for a gay prisoner

Tue31Jul2007

Mexico City approves first conjugal visit for a gay prisoner

13:46 H | Topics: GLBT - Justice - Mexico - Society

In yet another example of the steps towards a more progressive society in Mexico's capital city, gay prisoners are now allowed to have conjugal visits like their heterosexual counterparts. Mexico's La Jornada reports:

For the first time, a gay prisoner was allowed to exercise his right to intimate visits in a prison in Mexico City, after the Human Rights Commission of Federal District (CDHDF) gave the recommendation on February 8th of last year. [The recommendation] was derived from a complaint by Mr. Agustín N., who said he was denied intimate visits with his partner, a prisoner, at the Santa Marta Acatitla prison on multiple occasions. This was called out by the CDHDF as a violation of the rights of prisoners and of the right to not be discriminated against because of sexual orientation.

Because of this incident, the city's General Office of Prevention and Social Readaption created a project to assemble instructions for access to prisons in the Federal District, in which the prisoners who find themselves in this situation will be able to apply for the registration and ratification of their partnership. In this case, the petitioner went to the police station, the application for partnership was certified and the prisoner authorized the visit.

This move follows other landmark proposals in Mexico City, such as civil unions for same sex couples, legalization of abortion and a proposal to legalize sex workers, among others. Only recently has California allowed for conjugal visits for gay prisoners.

Via / La Jornada