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Photos by Christian Velasco and Puerto Vallarta’s Municipal Government
The Municipal Council for Sexual and Gender Diversity of Puerto Vallarta was formally established at 11:39 a.m. Monday, June 29, 2026, with a legal quorum of 15 of its 21 members. The session was chaired by the Secretary General of the City Council of Puerto Vallarta, Jose Juan Velázquez Hernandez, representing Council President and Mayor Luis Ernesto Munguía González.
The new body brings together municipal authorities and representatives of civil society to promote public policies of inclusion and respect for the rights of the LGBTQ+ community.
During the general business segment, citizen council member Víctor Espíndola Villegas presented an assessment of the 10 commitments signed on May 17, 2024, by Laurel Carrillo on behalf of then-candidate Munguía González. Using a credit analogy as an act of trust, he praised the progress made so far: the creation and consolidation of the Sub-directorate for Sexual Diversity, the establishment of the council itself, unprecedented government support for two consecutive editions of Vallarta Pride, and backing from the Vallarta Institute of Culture for the Diversity Gala.
“This government still has credit with LGBTQ+ collectives,” Espíndola Villegas said, “but it has just over a year left to pay its debt to our movement.”
Pending Demands
Among the urgent pending issues highlighted were the creation of COPRESIDA (a municipal HIV/AIDS prevention committee), which was previously rejected by the Regulations Commission and must be revised and resubmitted; allocating 5% of social programs in the 2027 budget to the LGBTQ+ population; creating a Human Rights category for the Vallarta Prize; implementing a diversity perspective at the Romantic Zone police station; and aligning police regulations with the new Civic Justice Regulations. The need to amend the Vallarta Institute of Culture’s regulations to legally guarantee an annual LGBTQ+ cultural week was also proposed.
Espíndola also raised alarms over an incident early Monday morning in which a community member was kidnapped in a taxi and robbed using chemical substances. He noted this situation occurs frequently in the city alongside other crimes against the LGBTQ+ population, underscoring the urgent need for a police force trained in diversity perspectives.
Meanwhile, Tomás Uriel Ferrer Gutiérrez, syndic of the Sexual Diversity Cabildo, expressed gratitude for the platform and emphasized that the collectives’ struggle also extends to those living on the city’s outskirts, not just the downtown tourist areas. He specifically requested that the Cabildo’s initiatives—particularly regarding family matters—be incorporated into the council’s agenda and that the municipal family development agency (DIF) take an active role.
Dr. Miguel Ángel Fares, head of the Health Promotion Directorate, reaffirmed his department’s commitment to the diversity agenda and announced that a municipal laboratory offers completely free HIV/AIDS testing. He acknowledged the areas for improvement in prevention pointed out by the groups and expressed openness to reviewing the COPRESIDA initiative so it can be re-presented to the city council.
The Council President’s Commitment
In his remarks, Hernandez committed to ensuring the presence of all 21 members at future sessions, recognized the legitimacy of the demands, and reiterated the municipal government’s support in channeling citizen initiatives through appropriate institutional pathways.
“Demand more from us when we do not deliver,” he said, “but the recognition when we do deliver is also appreciated.”
Given the council’s delayed start—two years after the commitments were signed—the collectives requested that additional sessions beyond the two ordinary meetings required by regulations be scheduled for the second half of the year to advance the pending agenda before the current administration ends.
The session adjourned at 12:11 p.m.
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