Mexican Consulate at Eagle Pass Celebrates LGBTQ+ Pride Week June 24-28
By: Ricardo E. Calderon, Eagle Pass Business Journal, Inc., Copyright 2024
In honor of world LGBTQ+ month during June 2024, Mexico’s Secretariat of Foreign Relations is sponsoring in all its 53 Mexican Consulate offices in the United States “La Semana de Diversidad,” otherwise known in English as Pride Week, including its office at Eagle Pass, Texas.
Consul Vivian Juarez Mondragon and her dedicated staff are sponsoring LGBTQ+ Pride Week in Eagle Pass during June 24-28, 2024 to support and advocate for the treatment of all persons with dignity, respect, and equality in society.
The week-long PRIDE festivities commenced on the evening of Monday, June 24, 2024 with the lighting of the rainbow colors upon the Mexican Consulate Office located at 2252 East Garrison Street in Eagle Pass.
Prior to the official lighting ceremony, Consul Vivian Juarez Mondragon welcomed guests from both Mexico and the United States to the first ever binational LGBTQ+ Pride Week on the U.S.-Mexico border twin cities of Eagle Pass and Piedras Negras, Coahuila, Mexico and presented an eloquent speech on the history of LGBTQ+ Pride Week in the United States and the importance of promoting equality among all individuals in society.
Attending the inaugural event included Eagle Pass City Council member Elias Diaz, Lic. Patricia Yeverino in representation of State of Coahuila Governor Manolo Jimenez Salinas, Maverick County, Maverick County Hospital District, Texas Department of Health and Human Services, and representatives from LGTBQ+ organizations in Eagle Pass, Piedras Negras, Coahuila, and Ciudad Acuna, Coahuila, including Eagle Pass SAFE, Eagle Pass Public Health Coalition, Todos Por Igualdad of Piedras Negras, Revolucion LGBTQ+ of Ciudad Acuna, and others.
Following the indoor ceremony, public dignitaries and guests went outside the Mexican Consulate office in Eagle Pass and illuminated the rainbow colors upon the building with multiple lights reflecting the colors of diversity and Pride Week.
On Tuesday, June 25, 2024, Pride Week continued with the painting of the crosswalk in front of the Mexican Consulate office with the rainbow colors by local public dignitaries and guests. Consul Vivian Juarez Mondragon declared the Mexican Consulate office as a “safe zone” for all LGBTQ+ individuals in Eagle Pass and Piedras Negras.
On Wednesday, June 26, 2024, Pride Week hosted the first ever binational “Pasarela Pride” fashion show featuring designers, models, and entertainers from Mexico and the United States. Refreshments, wine and cheese were served to guests during the fashion show.
The Mexican Consulate’s Pride Week continues on Thursday, June 27, 2024 with an art exhibition titled “Pintando con Orgullo,” also known as Painting with Pride, will be held at the Mexican Consulate conference room at 6 p.m. The art exhibition is open to the public and admission is free.
The Pride Week concludes on Friday, June 28, 2024, at 12 Noon with a conference on Facebook regarding the services available to the LGBTQ+ community in Eagle Pass and Piedras Negras. The Facebook conference is free to the public.
During the Mexican Consulate’s Pride Week, speakers addressed the social issues and challenges that LGBTQ+ people face in society, including, but not limited to discrimination, domestic violence, and mental health, physical wellness, and support services available within the community.
The Mexican Consulate national campaign of LGBTQ+ Pride Week purpose is to transform society in the equal treatment and protection of all individuals in society with dignity and respect.
