Mexico and the Quest for Economic Improvement :: Free Essays Online

Mexico and the Quest for Economic Improvement Karl Marx once stated, â€Å" A commodity appears at first sight, a very trivial thing and easily understood. It’s analysis shows that it is in reality, a very queer thing, abounding in metaphysical subtleties and theological niceties.† Ironically, Marx would have never anticipated the conflict over queer space that I am going to detail. The commodification of Aguascalientes, Mexico has been nonetheless a very queer thing indeed. The space in Aguascalientes has been torn apart by competing ideals surrounding sexuality and gay and lesbian identity, yet both sides in this competition have a common interest: selling a specific commodity—namely, the space of Aguascalientes In September 2000, Mr. Jorge Alvarez Medina, the Director of Regulations of Aguascalientes, in the Mexican state of Aguascalientes, publicly announced his opposition to gays, lesbians, and transgender people. He stated that he will â€Å"not allow ‘this type of people’ access to any public facility or allow them to work in the public sector.† Medina also claimed that Aguascalientes needed to portray a cleaner image to the public. Many LGBT and human rights organizations claim this act to be â€Å"prejudiced, corrupt, and violent.† The order made by Medina is also a threat to Article 7 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, which states, â€Å"All are equal before the law and are entitled without any discrimination to equal protection before the law.† This is only one of the many events that have occurred in Aguascalientes pertaining to gay, lesbian and transgender relations, where, according to some estimates, there are more than 12,200 gays (more than 10% of overall population). By analyzing these statements made by Medina, many questions arise. If Medina is tying to portray a â€Å"cleaner image† in the city of Aguascalientes, for whom is this image? Curiously the Mexonline website gives Aguascalientes a different reputation, contradicting Medina’s biased proposal. The Mexonline website gives its audience the impression that Aguascalientes has a very accepting and diverse society. The website states, â€Å" Aguascalientes is well positioned to mull full-steam ahead into the 21st century. We are well aware that our future rests on our export capacity. World business leaders, who have already located in the state, share our vision and, together with our local business community, our industrious labor force, and our imaginative policy makers, have joined hands and laid the foundation for a prosperous and happy society in this, ‘the state of friendly people.