News
Suprema Corte de México reconoce el derecho de parejas del mismo sexo a Seguridad Social
Orden beneficiará a miles de personas LGBTI
La Segunda Sala de la Suprema Corte de Justicia de la Nación (SCJN) reconoció en su sesión del miércoles el derecho de las parejas mexicanas del mismo sexo a acceder a los beneficios del Instituto Mexicano de Seguro Social (IMSS), una acción que persigue la igualdad en materia jurídica, donde la población LGBTI aún no es completamente favorecida.
Este fallo convierte al artículo 130 de la actual Carta Magna mexicana, que restringía este derecho únicamente a las parejas heterosexuales, en inconstitucional, pues resulta violatorio de los derechos de la Seguridad Social, así como de los principios de no discriminación y de protección a la familia, establecidos en los artículos 1, 4 y 123 de la Constitución vigente.
A través de un comunicado, la Suprema Corte informó que sus magistrados analizaron un caso donde el IMSS había denegado la pensión de viudez a la pareja de una persona homosexual fallecida y que era un trabajador asegurado por esa institución. Así, la SCJN determinó que tal decisión resultaba discriminatoria, lo que abre el camino para la restitución de esta injusticia.
Desde noviembre de 2018, el Senado de la República había dado pasos en favor de esta iniciativa, al avalar la propuesta del ex senador y actual director del IMSS, Germán Martínez, para garantizar el derecho a la Seguridad Social a las parejas del mismo sexo.
Para Francisco Robledo Sánchez, conferencista y socio director de la Alianza por la Diversidad e Inclusión Laboral (ADIL), esta ley “salda una deuda para todo tipo de familias y, sobre todo, a cabezas económicas familiares, sin distinción de su estado civil, el sexo de su pareja y configuración familiar”.
El abogado Armando Ocampo recibe la noticia como un impulso más y un mensaje claro de igualdad sustantiva que manda la Corte al Legislativo, “ya que actualmente está pendiente por la Cámara de Diputados apruebe la reforma a la ley del IMSS para que esto sea realidad y no a golpe de mazo de justicia y en casos aislados, sino que se aplique por igual en todo el país”.
Robledo declaró al Washington Blade que en realidad las parejas homosexuales han tenido acceso a servicios de Seguridad Social desde hace años, solo que hasta ahora se formaliza con la Ley Federal. “Antes se podía realizar bajo ordenamientos administrativos que ya estaban en marcha hace 5 o 6 años. Ahora, lo que se logra es que no haya excusa o pretexto de que se puedan registrar a parejas del mismo género en todo tipo de prestaciones”.
Añadió Robledo que esta ley no solo beneficia a parejas del mismo sexo, “sino también pone en igualdad de condiciones a mujeres, e incluso, a trabajadoras del hogar, que les permite como generadoras económicas primarias, poner de beneficiarios a sus cónyuges”.
Jaime López Vela, abogado y experto en derechos humanos, señaló en una entrevista concedida al canal del Congreso mexicano que “la Seguridad Social es lo que nos permitirá una guardería para nuestros hijos, la posibilidad de atender cualquier enfermedad, cotizar para tener un retiro y proteger a nuestros cónyuges o concubinos en caso de deceso de alguno de ellos”.
Ocampo, quien se ha convertido en el primer gay mexicano en ganar un juicio por homofobia, afirmó que esta victoria significa que también se elimina el lenguaje sexista y genitalizador de la ley del IMSS, por cuanto a que solo para efectos de seguridad social es viable reconocer la unión entre hombre y mujer, lo que está siendo expulsado del orden jurídico.
Según el Comité de Derechos Económicos, Sociales y Culturales (DESC) de México “el derecho a la seguridad social es de importancia fundamental para garantizar a todas las personas su dignidad humana cuando hacen frente a circunstancias que les privan de su capacidad para ejercer plenamente los derechos reconocidos en el Pacto (…) incluye el derecho a obtener y mantener prestaciones sociales, ya sea en efectivo o en especie, sin discriminación, con el fin de obtener protección”.
La posibilidad de acceder al Seguro Social de una pareja del mismo sexo ha sido una de las principales demandas y preocupaciones de la población LGBTI mexicana. De los más de 12.000 matrimonios gais que se han efectuado desde 2009 en el país, uno alto por ciento se concretó por los beneficios legales que se desprenden de esta unión, como el Seguro Social.
“Falta culminar el proceso legislativo en la Cámara Baja — manifiestó Ocampo — y que esto sea una realidad en todo el país y no solo en casos aislados y con lo complejo y cuantioso que es sostener un litigio constitucional de tres años en el mejor de los casos”.
Por su parte, Robledo agregó que aún falta que se cambien los reglamentos de las instituciones de Seguridad Social, primero estaba la Ley, ahora faltan las leyes menores o Reglamentos de Operación.
Hasta febrero de 2017, y según el Padrón de Beneficiarios del Programa IMSS-BIENESTAR, estaban inscritas al Seguro Social más de 13 millones de mexicanos.
Congress
Top Democrats re-introduce trans bill of rights
Lawmakers spoke outside US Capitol on Wednesday
U.S. Sen. Ed Markey (D-Mass.) and U.S. Reps. Pramila Jayapal (D-Wash.), and Sara Jacobs (D-Calif.) announced the reintroduction of a “Trans Bill of Rights” on Wednesday.
Despite chilling winds and snow on the ground, transgender activists, LGBTQ rights advocates, and trans-supporting lawmakers gathered outside the U.S. Capitol to announce the reintroduction of the “Transgender Bill of Rights” resolution to protect trans Americans, as the Trump-Vance administration continues to target LGBTQ Americans.
About 30 people gathered outside to hear from legislators and individuals impacted by recent White House policies.
“Today we say loud and clear that trans rights are human rights, and they must be protected every single day of every single year,” Markey told the crowd. “We stand together in solidarity with the trans community and with those who have too often been left behind by a system that refuses to recognize their humanity. We are here to ensure that every trans and gender-diverse person in America can live freely and safely and authentically. That’s what the Trans Bill of Rights is all about.”
Markey is leading the resolution on the Senate side, while Jayapal is pushing it forward in the House.
“With the Trans Bill of Rights, we are laying out a comprehensive vision to provide protections for transgender and nonbinary people — a vision that ensures every single person has a chance to thrive,” Jayapal said. “A vision that says: you are us, you belong, and you are worthy of the same rights as everyone else. This bill supports amending the Civil Rights Act to ensure that trans people have the same rights and protections as all other Americans. It creates a level playing field where trans people no longer have to fight tooth and nail to get the same treatment as their cisgender friends.”
The resolution for House and the Senate reads:
“Recognizing that it is the duty of the federal government to develop and implement a Transgender Bill of Rights to protect and codify the rights of transgender and nonbinary people under the law and ensure their access to medical care, shelter, safety, and economic security.”
Trans Legislation Tracker, an independent research organization that collects data on anti-trans legislation from the hyper-local level to the floor of the U.S. Senate, found that in 2025, 1,022 measures were proposed across the country to restrict the rights of trans Americans — from health care removals to bathroom bans.
Markey directly called out those lawmakers for what he described as discriminatory actions taken against trans Americans who, as he pointed out, are fighting for rights that everyone else is inherently given.
“Trump and MAGA Republicans have used the power of government to spread fear and hate across our country. They have tried to ban lifesaving and medically necessary health care, strip anti-discrimination protections, and turn trans lives into political talking points for their benefit. Well, we have a message for them: we are louder, we are stronger, and we are not going anywhere. We’re in this fight for the long term,” the Massachusetts senator said.
Jacobs, a co-chair of the Transgender Equality Task Force within the Congressional Equality Caucus, also spoke at the event.
“Trans Americans are being targeted just for being who they are — by laws and court decisions that try to erase them from classrooms, from courts and fields, from health care and public life. These attacks aren’t about safety or fairness,” Jacobs said. “They’re about hatred and instilling fear. And we know how quickly fear can warp into suspicion and violence with deadly consequences.”
In addition to lawmakers, trans Americans and supporters spoke.
Olivia Hunt from Advocates for Trans Equality, LaLa Zannell from the American Civil Liberties Union, as well as three additional people who have been actively harmed by the ongoing wave of anti-trans legislation, shared their stories.
Hunt emphasized the staggeringly high number of anti-trans bills being introduced in statehouses across the country — despite trans adults making up less than 1 percent of the population, according to the Williams Institute’s 2025 data.
“Since 2020, thousands of anti-LGBTQIA+ bills have been introduced in statehouses across the country,” Hunt said. “It’s a veritable tidal wave of political bullying disguised as legislation, and most of these bills specifically target transgender and nonbinary people — especially trans youth and their families. This is a moment that demands action.”
Hunt, who is trans, helps trans people in D.C. obtain legal documents that match their gender identity — something the Trump-Vance administration has stopped.
“Trans youth deserve to be protected by their government. They shouldn’t have to be protected from their government,” she said. “It’s long past time that our federal laws reflect and protect the reality and dignity of all people. Trans people have always existed — we are your neighbors, your family members, your community — and we belong.”
Zannell, who spoke proudly about her trans identity, explained why the bill is necessary and how it would protect trans people in all facets of their lives.
“I stand here as an unapologetic Black trans woman who has led this movement for over a decade to get us to moments like this. The reintroduction of the Trans Bill of Rights will aim to protect access to gender-affirming care, prevent discrimination in housing and public spaces, and preserve legal recognition,” Zannell said. “My hope is that this affirms our government’s duty to protect all trans and nonbinary people.”
The Transgender Bill of Rights is cosponsored in the Senate by U.S. Sens. Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.), Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.), Mazie Hirono (D-Hawaii), Ron Wyden (D-Ore.), Martin Heinrich (D-N.M.), Alex Padilla (D-Calif.), Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), and Peter Welch (D-Vt.).
In the U.S. House of Representatives, the resolution is led by Jayapal, co-led by Jacobs and U.S. Rep. Mark Takano (D-Calif.), with nearly 100 other representatives signing on as co-sponsors.
“To all trans people across the United States: you are seen, you are valued, and you are loved,” said Markey. “And I want you to know there are people who will fight for you every single day on the floor of the House and Senate to win those rights for you.”
Senegal
A dozen Senegalese men arrested for ‘unnatural acts’
Popular journalist and musician among those taken into custody
Senegalese police have charged a dozen men with committing “unnatural acts.”
The New York Times reported Pape Cheikh Diallo, a popular television reporter, and Djiby Dramé, a musician, are among the men who authorities arrested. They appeared in court in Dakar, the Senegalese capital, on Monday.
Le Soleil, a Senegalese newspaper, reported authorities arrested the men on Feb. 6 “for intentional transmission of HIV, unnatural acts, criminal conspiracy, and endangering others.” The newspaper further notes the men have been placed in “pre-trial detention.”
Senegal is among the countries in which consensual same-sex sexual relations remain criminalized.
Police in Kaolack, a town that is roughly 135 miles southeast of Dakar, in 2015 arrested 11 people who allegedly engaged in same-sex sexual acts during “a celebration of a gay marriage.” The National Assembly in 2021 rejected a bill that would have further criminalized homosexuality in the country.
Local
Local LGBTQ groups, activists to commemorate Black History Month
Rayceen Pendarvis to moderate Dupont Underground panel on Sunday
LGBTQ groups in D.C. and elsewhere plan to use Black History Month as an opportunity to commemorate and celebrate Black lives and experiences.
Team Rayceen Productions has no specific events planned, but co-founder Rayceen Pendarvis will attend many functions around D.C. this month.
Pendarvis, a longtime voice in the LGBTQ community in D.C. will be moderating a panel at Dupont Underground on Sunday. The event, “Every (Body) Wants to Be a Showgirl,” will feature art from Black burlesque artists from around the country. Pendarvis on Feb. 23 will attend the showing of multimedia play at the Lincoln Theatre that commemorates the life of James Baldwin.
Equality Virginia plans to prioritize Black voices through a weekly online series, and community-based story telling. The online digital series will center Black LGBTQ voices, specifically trailblazers and activists, and contemporary Black queer and transgender people.
Narissa Rahaman, Equality Virginia’s executive director, stressed the importance of the Black queer community to the overall Pride movement, and said “Equality Virginia is proud to center those voices in our work this month and beyond.”
The Capital Pride Alliance, which hosts Pride events in D.C., has an alliance with the Center for Black Equity, which brings Black Pride to D.C. over Memorial Day weekend. The National LGBTQ Task Force has no specific Black History Month events planned, but plans to participate in online collaborations.
Cathy Renna, the Task Force’s director of communications, told the Washington Blade the organization remains committed to uplifting Black voices. “Our priority is keeping this at the forefront everyday,” she said.
The D.C. LGBTQ+ Community Center is also hosting a series of Black History Month events.
The D.C. Public Library earlier this year launched “Freedom and Resistance,” an exhibition that celebrates Black History Month and Martin Luther King Jr. It will remain on display until the middle of March at the Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial Library at 901 G St., N.W.
Top Democrats re-introduce trans bill of rights
A dozen Senegalese men arrested for ‘unnatural acts’
Meet D.C.’s Most Eligible Queer Singles
Local LGBTQ groups, activists to commemorate Black History Month
