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The “Voces del Orgullo” awards program will hold its third annual ceremony in Puerto Vallarta, relocating to Jalisco’s premier coastal destination after hosting its previous two editions in Mexico City. Created by media producer Quique Galdeano in partnership with LGBTQ+ media outlet Escándala, the nonprofit program honors grassroots leaders, activists and community advocates who have made substantial contributions to sexual and gender diversity causes across Mexico.
A specialized evaluation committee composed of key figures from the Voces del Orgullo nonprofit council and civil rights organizers will select one winner from each of the four award categories. To directly support frontline advocacy, each category winner will receive a 50,000-peso stipend—totaling 200,000 pesos—specifically designated for community leaders who have historically self-funded their human rights and social welfare initiatives.
The ceremony will take place Friday evening in Puerto Vallarta’s Romantic Zone as part of the broader Latin Fest Diversity Week 2026 festivities running from July 30 through Aug. 1.
Hosted by actors Valeria Vera and Samuel del Río Félix, the event is presented with official municipal and state backing from the Agencia Estatal de Entretenimiento de Jalisco and the Puerto Vallarta Municipal Government, alongside private sponsors including Escándala, Pink Box, Blumen, Mantamar Beach Club, Industry Nightclub, LatinFest, Esthetic Dentistry Puerto Vallarta, Almar LGBT Luxury Resort and Swag Agency.
Voz del Orgullo a la Trayectoria (Lifetime Achievement)
Honors individuals with decades of sustained leadership, legal defense, and structural advocacy on behalf of sexual and gender minorities.
- Jaime Cobián Zamora (Guadalajara / Regional)
- Víctor Manuel Espíndola Villegas — Puerto Vallarta
- Héctor “Teto” Bentancourt (Héctor Ramírez Betancourt) — Puerto Vallarta
- Jackye Arteaga (National)
Voz del Orgullo a la Visibilidad (Visibility)
Recognizes activists, artists, and public figures using media, cultural platforms, and public engagement to increase LGBTQ+ representation.
- Alberto Fabián Sahagún Orozco — Puerto Vallarta
- Edgar Treviño Montes — Puerto Vallarta
- Karina Velasco Michel (Guadalajara / Regional)
- Juan Carlos Rodríguez Robles (“Meño Candora”) (Statewide Jalisco)
Voz del Orgullo a la Responsabilidad Social (Social Responsibility)
Acknowledges civic leaders and healthcare workers advancing public welfare, institutional reform, HIV prevention, and inclusive public policy.
- Pablo Orozco Chávez (Guadalajara / Regional)
- Maky Karolyna (National)
- Alan Yamil Carranza Hinojosa — Puerto Vallarta
- Alfredo Soria Soto — Puerto Vallarta
Voz del Orgullo al Impacto Social (Social Impact)
Celebrates grassroots community leaders and local representatives creating tangible, measurable improvements in human rights and local support systems.
- Rodrigo Aguilar Cornejo (Regional)
- Panche Ville (“Gatoquepinta”) (Guadalajara)
- Tomás Uriel Ferrer Gutiérrez — Puerto Vallarta
- Pedro López — Puerto Vallarta
Profiles of Puerto Vallarta Nominees
Víctor Manuel Espíndola Villegas (Trayectoria)
Víctor Manuel Espíndola Villegas is a human rights advocate and prominent leader of the Movimiento por la Igualdad en México (MOVii) in Puerto Vallarta. A long-standing campaigner for civil rights, Espíndola Villegas has worked directly with municipal authorities to establish legal protections, demand police accountability and promote institutional reform for LGBTQ+ citizens and visitors across the municipality. His efforts include advocating for the creation of municipal diversity bodies and coordinating legal assistance for victims of discrimination and police abuse.
Héctor “Teto” Ramírez Betancourt (Trayectoria)
Héctor Ramírez Betancourt, widely known as “Teto,” is a civic activist who served as Puerto Vallarta’s first municipal Head of Sexual Diversity. His landmark appointment marked an institutional shift toward formal government representation for sexual and gender minorities in the city. In his official and grassroots capacities, Betancourt has led initiatives to eliminate discrimination, secure human rights protections and collaborate with municipal and state agencies during major cultural events such as Vallarta Pride.
Alberto Fabián Sahagún Orozco (Visibilidad)
Alberto Fabián Sahagún Orozco is an award-winning playwright, theater director and arts educator based in Puerto Vallarta. Over a multi-decade career in the cultural sector, Sahagún Orozco has championed inclusion and artistic visibility for marginalized groups. As the founder and director of long-running community theatrical productions—such as his celebrated staging of La Noche del Gran Milagro, which marked 30 years of performances—he has provided a platform for local LGBTQ+ performers and created cultural programming that fosters social acceptance across the region.
Edgar Treviño Montes (Visibilidad)
Edgar Treviño Montes is an actor, theater producer and human rights advocate who uses performing arts and civic reporting to raise visibility for LGBTQ+ causes in Puerto Vallarta. Known nationally for his work in Mexican cinema, Treviño Montes actively combines his artistic career with community defense. He has publicly challenged discriminatory conduct by public officials and formally submitted human rights complaints to state agencies to demand civil respect and legal accountability for local LGBTQ+ residents.
Alan Yamil Carranza Hinojosa (Responsabilidad Social)
Alan Yamil Carranza Hinojosa is a journalist and community organizer who advocates for diversity representation within local media and political institutions. With more than two decades of media experience in Puerto Vallarta, Carranza Hinojosa has used print, radio and digital journalism to elevate minority issues. In 2024, he entered municipal electoral politics as an openly LGBTQ+ candidate, pushing to ensure affirmative action policies for marginalized groups were enforced in local governance.
Alfredo Soria Soto (Responsabilidad Social)
Alfredo Soria Soto is a public health activist and community organizer who has spearheaded landmark sexual health initiatives in Puerto Vallarta. As general director of the “Círculo Rojo” (Red Circle) initiative, Soria Soto organized the largest single-day community health campaign in Puerto Vallarta’s history, coordinating with nearly 30 civil collectives and public health entities to administer over 700 rapid HIV screenings and hundreds of vaccinations. An active member of the Red Diversidad Vallarta coalition and a former organizer with Vallarta Pride, his work focuses on expanding free STI testing access, promoting sexual health education, and establishing institutional health protocols for LGBTQ+ residents.
Tomás Uriel Ferrer Gutiérrez (Impacto Social)
Tomás Uriel Ferrer Gutiérrez is a municipal diversity advocate who serves as a syndic (síndico) on Puerto Vallarta’s local Cabildo de la Diversidad Sexual (Sexual Diversity Council). In his official role within the citizen participation body, Ferrer Gutiérrez advances municipal policy proposals aimed at strengthening institutional rights, equity, and public inclusion for sexual minorities across Puerto Vallarta. His work focuses on integrating gender and sexual diversity perspectives directly into municipal regulations and local government initiatives.
Pedro López (Impacto Social)
Pedro López serves as the executive director of the Vallarta Gay+ Community Center (Vallarta Gay+ Centro Comunitario). López directs operational support, healthcare resources and educational workshops for local residents and international visitors. Under his leadership, the center has partnered with local coalitions to preserve historical memory—such as establishing the Juan Jacobo Hernández Chávez training center (The boardroom and training space was named the Juan Jacobo Hernández Chávez Room in May 2026 to honor the historic pioneer of Mexico’s LGBTQI+ movement)—and advocate for comprehensive public health policies with municipal diversity commissions.
This is event is supported by: Pink Box, Escándala, Blumen, Mantamar Beach Club, Industry Nightclub, Latin Fest, Esthetic Dentistry Puerto Vallarta, Agencia Estatal de Entretenimiento de Jalisco, Gobierno de Puerto Vallarta, Al Estilo Jalisco, Almar LGBT Luxury Resort, and Swag Agency.
2024 Winners (First Edition — Mexico City)
In its inaugural year at the Centro Cultural Estación Indianilla, the project awarded 50,000-peso stipends to four foundational grassroots activists:
- Kenya Cuevas — Founder of Casa de las Muñecas Tiresias, recognized for her work providing shelter, healthcare, and human rights defense for trans women, sex workers, and vulnerable populations.
- Samantha Flores — Founder of La Serendipia, Mexico City’s pioneer day center dedicated to care, community, and support for elderly LGBTQ+ individuals.
- Alaín Pinzón — Founder of Vihve Libre, honored for persistent, direct-action advocacy securing HIV treatment access, medication supply chain accountability, and sexual health rights.
- Iván Tagle — Director of Yaaj México, recognized for leading national legislative campaigns to criminalize Effort to Change Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity (ECOSI / conversion therapies) across Mexico.
2025 Winners & Honorees (Second Edition — Mexico City)
In its second edition, the ceremony broadened its scope across specialized categories to highlight regional, digital, and frontline health activism:
- Responsabilidad Social (Social Responsibility): Awarded to Onán Vázquez Chávez (AASS Puebla / Activismo PrEP), recognized for expanding community-based Pre-Exposure Prophylaxis (PrEP) access, STI prevention, and digital health outreach for vulnerable populations in central Mexico.
- Trayectoria & Resistencia (Lifetime & Resistance): Honored veteran human rights champion and historian Juan Jacobo Hernández Chávez, a founding figure of Mexico’s modern LGBTQ+ movement (Frente de Liberación Homosexual).
- Impacto Social & Reinserción (Social Impact & Reintegration): Awarded to Lia García (“La Novia Sirena”) alongside advocacy teams from Red de Juventudes Trans, recognized for their pedagogical performance art, human rights defense inside correctional facilities, and community reintegration programs providing medical, legal, and social shelter to incarcerated and formerly incarcerated trans women.
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