Miguel Antonio
Galan became Mexico's first openly gay
mayoral candidate on Friday, when the minority Social
Democratic Party (PSD) selected him to run for the local office
in Guadalajara, the second most populous city in the
country.
Galan, 31,
will contend on July 5 to lead the city, which is the capital
of Jalisco state, an economic hub in the Western-Pacific area
of Mexico famous for tequila and mariachi bands.
In a recent interview
with Efe, the Spanish news agency, Galan downplayed
his sexual orientation as a factor in the
election.
"Proposals have to be
made, beyond what the candidate's (bedroom activities) are,"
he said.
The progressive
positions of the PSD are just as likely as his sexual
orientation to be a challenge for Galan in
Guadalajara, a conservative city led by the National Action
Party of President Felipe Calderon and strongly
influenced by the Catholic Church. The PSD supports the
legalization of drugs and the decriminalization of
abortion.
Although Galan
is the first openly gay mayoral candidate in Mexico, there have
been at least three openly gay state and federal lawmakers in
the country, according to the NotieSe news agency.
