• Equality
  • Community
    • Health
    • Youth
    • Seniors
  • Voices
    • From the CEO
    • Take Five
    • Why I Give
  • About the Center
  • Galleries
  • Calendar
Facebook Twitter Instagram
Trending
  • 2nd Annual Sabor de Mi Centro Block Party Boogies in Boyle Heights
  • Senior Prom Celebrates 25th Anniversary
  • “Solidarity Forever”: Montana State Rep. Zooey Zephyr at Trans Town Hall
  • “We Are Immense, and We Are Abundant”: Trans Pride LA Organizer Gina Bigham Looks Back on a Decade-Plus of Highlights and the Biggest Trans Pride Yet
  • Trans Actors, Athletes, and Activists Celebrate Community and Solidarity at First-Ever Trans Town Hall
  • “My Crown Is Paid For”: 12 Center Portraits of Juneteenth
  • House of Avalon, Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence Join Center Staff and Supporters for LA Pride: “F*ck the Margins. We’re the Center.”
  • This Year’s AIDS/LifeCycle Participants on Why They Ride
Twitter Facebook Instagram YouTube
LGBT News Now
Learn about career opportunities at the Center
  • Equality
  • Community
    • Health
    • Youth
    • Seniors
  • Voices
    • From the CEO
    • Take Five
    • Why I Give
  • About the Center
  • Galleries
  • Calendar
LGBT News Now
You are at:Home»Community»Mexican Consulate Marches at L.A. Pride

Mexican Consulate Marches at L.A. Pride

0
By on November 24, 2018 Community

By Greg Hernandez

In her role as a Mexican Consulate Official, Dulce Flores never expected to be marching in an LGBT Pride event, so she was as surprised as those who saw her at L.A. Pride, marching with the unprecedented encouragement of the Mexican government.

“It was one of the most favorite days of my life – definitely,” says Flores, 33, an out lesbian who has worked at the Mexican Consulate in Los Angeles for a decade.

Flores has long been passionate about making the consulate a welcoming place for LGBT people. Just days before L.A. Pride weekend, she got the full backing she has always wanted.

That’s when Mexico’s equivalent of the U.S. Secretary of State sent a message to Mexican consulates all over the world, calling on them to strengthen their relationships with LGBT people in their respective cities and to get connected with LGBT centers and other nonprofits that help LGBT people.

One of her colleagues shared the message with her, saying “Look at this! We are ordered to participate so let’s do it!”

Flores cried. Then she called the Los Angeles LGBT Center.

With a co-worker, she marched with hundreds of Center staff and supporters, holding a striking purple banner that read: “Consulate General of Mexico in Los Angeles.” They’re believed to be the first Mexican foreign nationals, authorized by the government of Mexico, to participate in an LGBT Pride event.

“Some Mexicans saw us and said, ‘Wait a minute! Is that the Consulate?’ They were like ‘Hi!’ and ‘thank you!’” Flores recalls.

“There were some people who came over and hugged us and that was amazing. That’s a great feeling to have that power to provide that feeling to people. It’s great. I was just the happiest person there.”

Recalls Flores: “Having the back-up of my government has empowered me to be more assertive and to say, ‘Hey, we’re here to serve you. And we’re here to make you feel welcome and feel safe at the Consulate.’ That’s something I really, really wanted to do for my community because it’s something that we didn’t have before.”

Historic Sensitivity Training

The effort continued this week when all 130 employees of the Mexican Consulate in Los Angeles participated in LGBT sensitivity training provided by the Center and GLAAD.  They are believed to be the first Mexican Consulate in the US to participate in such sensitivity training.

“It’s the first step you’ve got to take to better serve your community,” says Flores.

“The Mexican LGBT community often does not request our services. We want to have them feel welcome at the Consulate. Our mission is to let them know that this is a safe place, that they can come and request services without being judged, without being treated different. They’re not different they’re just special and we want to let them know that.”

It’s About Survival

When she got the green light from the government to reach out to LGBT organizations, it was Mariana Marroquin, the Center’s Anti-Violence Project Manager, who Flores contacted first. The two had connected years earlier when the Center participated in an LGBT domestic violence forum hosted by the Consulate.

An LGBT immigrant from Guatemala, Marroquin is keenly aware of the challenges faced by those in the community who may turn to the Consulate for help.

“Too often for LGBT immigrants, it’s not about the American dream, it’s about being able to survive,” she says. “This is the reality for some who emigrate from Mexico and are looking for a place to be safe.

“Even though this is California, where laws protect LGBT people, we have a large number of clients—many of them immigrants—who are harassed or who experience discrimination because of their sexual orientation or gender identity.”

Particularly because of these challenges, Marroquin is encouraged by the Consulate’s efforts to be more LGBT welcoming.

“It gives me hope that this will set an example for other consulates in Los Angeles and throughout the U.S.,” she says.

Flores knows from experience how harrowing it can be to be LGBT in certain parts of Mexico. Growing up as a lesbian in the state of Tabasco, she says, “you are bullied 24/7. You are not treated well. So the moment I got out of that state was the best day of my life.”

That personal background makes her current work all the more gratifying.

“I feel very proud to be a part of this team–I feel very proud to be one of the persons pushing these things and making it happen. I want to cry when I see the things we are finally achieving.”

Flores says she’s just getting started and has many proposals she’s working on. She thinks each consulate should have an LGBT liaison to help the LGBT community when they have any sort of issue.

“That’s the next step–to do something real that will have a big impact on the community.”

Like one day having a rainbow Pride flag flying alongside the Mexican flag at the consulate?

“I really hope so, soon,” she says with a smile. “I will push for that.”

Originally published June 2017.

Share this:

  • Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window)

Related Posts

2nd Annual Sabor de Mi Centro Block Party Boogies in Boyle Heights

“Solidarity Forever”: Montana State Rep. Zooey Zephyr at Trans Town Hall

“We Are Immense, and We Are Abundant”: Trans Pride LA Organizer Gina Bigham Looks Back on a Decade-Plus of Highlights and the Biggest Trans Pride Yet

Comments are closed.

Upcoming Events

  • There are no upcoming events.
About Us

LGBT News Now

LGBT News Now is a publication of the Los Angeles LGBT Center. Celebrating its 50th anniversary in 2019, the Center is the largest LGBT organization in the world, dedicated to building a world where LGBT thrive as healthy, equal, and complete members of society. Learn more at lalgbtcenter.org.

Follow Us on Instagram

lalgbtcenter

The Los Angeles LGBT Center is building a world where LGBT people thrive as healthy, equal, and complete members of society.

🚨 #LACounty is ending all HIV prevention contra 🚨 #LACounty is ending all HIV prevention contracts by May 31—putting lives, jobs, and decades of progress at risk. The Center and our community won’t stand by. Silence = Death. We’re fighting back @LACountyBOS #ActUpLA. Take action at the link in bio!
Celebrating the brilliance, vibrancy, and joy acro Celebrating the brilliance, vibrancy, and joy across our AANHPI diaspora—where queerness and ancestry intersect in ways both tender and powerful. 🌈🌺 #AANHPIMonth #QueerJoy
🚨The Department of #HHS released a federal repo 🚨The Department of #HHS released a federal report promoting conversion therapy under a new name—dismissing decades of science-based evidence for lifesaving, gender-affirming care for #TGNBI+ youth. Swipe to learn what’s at stake and visit our Take Action page at the link in bio. #ProtectTransYouth
Happy 70th to the iconic and first ever Center glo Happy 70th to the iconic and first ever Center global ambassador, @donatella_versace! Forever [stuck] in our hearts and thankfully not our elevators!
⚠️TW: A 61-year-old transgender woman in #West ⚠️TW: A 61-year-old transgender woman in #Westlake has been the target of multiple violent hate-motivated attacks. #LAPD is seeking help identifying the suspects and any additional victims. Anyone with possible information is encouraged to contact the Rampart Division detectives at (213) 484-3495 or Crime Stoppers at (800) 222-8477. Swipe to learn more.
🌅#GoldenHour is back May 17! This all-ages #AAN 🌅#GoldenHour is back May 17! This all-ages #AANHPIMonth night market honors @lararajj of @katseyeworld! Curated by and for queer AANHPI communities—expect karaoke, tea tasting, cultural bites, live performances & more. Presented by @gileadsciences and @mayumi_market 
RSVP: lalgbtcenter.org/GoldenHour
On Saturday night, our Anita May Rosenstein Campus On Saturday night, our Anita May Rosenstein Campus came alive with love, recognizing the resilience of our community at the Center’s #LAForever Celebration. Nearly $800K was raised for our life-saving services, with unforgettable moments from honorees @thesherylleeralph and Dr. Johanna Olson-Kennedy of CHLA, and our vibrant host @bobthedragqueen. Thank you to everyone who showed up, stood up, and reaffirmed that our lives are worth defending. Read more at the link in bio 💜
Lesbians: visible, powerful, and probably funnier Lesbians: visible, powerful, and probably funnier than you. Happy Lesbian Visibility Week! #LV25 #QueerJoy
Celebrating the unforgettable Jiggly Caliente, a f Celebrating the unforgettable Jiggly Caliente, a fierce performer, advocate, and trailblazer whose light touched so many. Her loss leaves a deep ache in our community, and we hold her loved ones close in our hearts during this time.
Follow on Instagram
Stay Connected
Subscribe
Copyright © 2022 Los Angeles LGBT Center
  • Terms of Service
  • Privacy
  • Contact Us

Type above and press Enter to search. Press Esc to cancel.