Feminist & LGBTQ+ Groups Condemn Public Funding for Fearless Congress in Jalisco

ByCarolina Gómez Mena

This article by Carolina Gómez Mena originally appeared in the April 16, 2026 edition of La Jornada, Mexico’s premier left wing daily newspaper.

Women’s rights groups, including those defending reproductive rights and the rights of people of diverse sexual and gender identities, expressed their repudiation of the realization and financing with local public resources of the Fearless Masculinities Congress 2026, which will take place from April 17 to 19 at the Sanctuary of the Mexican Martyrs, in Tlaquepaque, Jalisco.

In a demonstration held outside the Ministry of the Interior, carried out in the context of the delivery of a letter of complaint to the Ministry’s official records office, members of Catholics for the Right to Decide, the Simone de Beauvoir Leadership Institute, Gendes, and REDefine Mexico, among others, condemned the use of public resources in spaces that promote anti-feminist positions and that represent a setback for the freedom and dignity of women and the LGBTI+ community.

During the protests, Jorge Esquivel, advocacy officer for the Simone de Beauvoir Leadership, denounced the existence of “irregularities in the allocation of this subsidy; it was requested by a civil association that no longer had registration as an authorized donee, but it ended up being granted to a different company name.”

“These types of changes in the allocation of public resources are not minor, as they may constitute administrative irregularities that must be clarified. We emphasize that there is an inconsistency in the legal framework used to receive this subsidy in Guadalajara, and therefore we request that a proper investigation be carried out. Likewise, we wish to denounce that this Congress promotes hate speech and gender stereotypes.”

In the document addressed to Rosa Icela Rodríguez, head of the Ministry of the Interior, the more than 30 signatory civil groups state that donations such as those made to that congress constitute a breach of various legal provisions, since “the premises occupied by religious associations are considered federal property, administered by the Institute of Administration and Appraisal of National Assets (INDAABIN).”

In this sense, “by granting subsidies (in cash and in kind) the municipality of Guadalajara shows a preference towards a religious denomination, thereby violating the separation between Churches and State and disregarding the neutral character of public space enshrined in the Political Constitution.”

Furthermore, they point out that the previous budget contains a “violation of the secularism of the Mexican Republic by allowing the participation of ministers of religion in political acts, among whom stand out the Archbishop of Guadalajara, Francisco Robles Ortega; Cardinal Kevin J. Farrell, Prefect of the Dicastery for the Laity, Family and Life of the Vatican; and priests from various congregations in our country.” 

They also pointed out that the fact that the Sanctuary of the Martyrs “is used for political purposes constitutes a violation of various provisions of the Law of Religious Associations and Public Worship, its regulations, and the General Law of National Assets.” 

Additionally, the Fearless Masculinity Congress, invoking concepts related to masculinity, promotes gender stereotypes and hate speech, which violate the principle of non-discrimination and equality before the law, protected by the secular nature of the State and the first and fourth constitutional articles. 

“The conservative religious discourses disseminated by this congress and its convening organizations violate the freedoms and the exercise of rights of women and people of sexual and gender diversity.” 

The organizations made it clear that the moral and religious discourses espoused by the congress “stigmatize and violate vulnerable populations; promote the breakdown of the civic pact between diverse beliefs and philosophical convictions; and set a dangerous precedent that attacks the foundations of liberal democracy.” 

Therefore, there are “sufficient elements to initiate the appropriate investigations and for the Ministry of the Interior to take the pertinent measures related to the conduct carried out by the mayor of Guadalajara, Verónica Delgadillo; the head of the municipal cabinet and president of the Committee to grant subsidies, Bernardo Fernández; and the archbishop of Guadalajara, José Francisco Robles Ortega.”