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Representatives from the Red Diversidad Vallarta and the Cabildo de la Diversidad de Puerto Vallarta are seeking to create mechanisms to decentralize assistance for vulnerable LGBTQ+ individuals.
On Tuesday, September 23, 2025, activists Víctor Espíndola and Everardo Galván, both members of the Red Diversidad Vallarta and the Cabildo de la Diversidad de Puerto Vallarta, presented a new bill named the “Michel Castro Law” to the Jalisco State Congress.
The initiative aims to decentralize support for vulnerable individuals within the LGBTQ+ community and guarantee respect for their human rights in all municipalities across the state. It seeks to achieve this through an amendment to articles 15 and 16 of the Organic Law of the State Attorney General’s Office of Jalisco.
The initiative was presented during the International Bisexuality Day and is named in memory of Michel Castro Guizar, a young gay man who disappeared on the night of Thursday, May 25, 2023, after attending the Vallarta Pride parade. His body was found lifeless ten days later in a vacant lot near his home. At the time, Castro’s mother repeatedly pointed to the negligence and delayed action by the authorities investigating the case.
During his address to the State Congress, Víctor Espíndola stated, “Michel’s case reminds us of what centralized justice is. If justice only serves the Guadalajara Metropolitan Area, it is distant and lacks perspective. In municipalities like Puerto Vallarta, generally speaking, there are no specialized mechanisms to assist LGBTQ+ victims.” The activist also explained how the perpetrator’s sentence was reduced due to deficiencies in the wording of the State Penal Code.
For his part, Everardo Galván presented a separate initiative for the creation of the Jalisco State Council for Health and Comprehensive Sexuality Education. The goal is to ensure permanent public policies on sexual health and education.
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