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Williams College

Publication Date

Spring 2024

Program Name

Mexico: Migration, Borders, and Transnational Communities

Abstract

This study examines how young Oaxacans perceive the state of LGBT+ acceptance in Oaxaca. In particular, this study surveys a general university student population, in comparison to the perceptions of a focus group of LGBT+ identifying young people. Focus group data was collected through a survey combined with a thirty-minute interview with four participants, while university data was collected through a survey distributed to 31 students at the Language School of Universidad Autónoma Benito Juárez de Oaxaca. Results from both groups found that participants’ perceived their peers as more accepting than their family or Oaxacan society at large. A significant minority believed that people who defied traditional norms of gender expression were less accepted by society, both outside and within the LGBT+ community, than those who conformed to traditional gender norms; because tradition is so key to this kind of acceptance, Muxes are generally seen as more socially acceptable than other gender-nonconforming individuals. An overwhelming majority believed religion to be the primary cause of homophobia in Oaxaca, with traditional values and education as a leading second.

Disciplines

Community-Based Research | Gender and Sexuality | Higher Education | Latin American Studies | Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender Studies | Politics and Social Change

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