Statement regarding the tensions at the International Festival for Sexual Diversity (FIDS) in Mexico
El CLACSO Working Group on Sexual Activisms and Citizenships: Interdisciplinary Dialogues expresses its firm and unwavering support for the International Festival for Sexual Diversity (FIDS) in Mexico, for the people who coordinate it, and, in particular, for the curatorial proposal developed by Dr. Carlos Segoviano regarding the
emblematic figure of Juan Gabriel.
All of this is taking place against the backdrop of recent difficulties that have arisen during its 39th edition at the Museo Universitario del Chopo, part of the National Autonomous University of Mexico (UNAM), which has been its main venue since 1987. The FIDS is a fundamental cultural and artistic event within Mexican LGBTIQA+ history and a socio-political benchmark in the region, where the participation of sexual and gender minorities in society is made visible through art, film, theater, music, and literature, among other mediums. Thus, the FIDS constitutes a meeting place and memorial for LGBTIQA+ people, reaffirming the positive recognition of these communities in Mexico City. Therefore, its organization and execution are neither accidental nor spontaneous: they involve arduous management and logistical work that evokes the history of sexual and gender minorities in the country and the advancement of their rights in everyday life.
In this sense, we recognize FIDS's contribution to the history, culture, and memory of the LGBTIQA+ community in Mexico, as well as the symbolic and political value with which it challenges patriarchal structures and makes visible the complex historical processes of sexual and gender dissidence in our region. Dissident culture and art constitute fundamental bastions for social democratization; therefore, the integrity of their visual and archival discourses must be guaranteed at all times by all individuals and institutions involved.
Therefore, the difficulties encountered at its inauguration compel us to make an urgent appeal for constructive dialogue among those who make this event possible. In challenging times such as these, it is essential to reaffirm support for these projects, demonstrating their social, political, and cultural relevance; unilateral actions and a lack of horizontal communication hinder consensus-building and jeopardize the
continuation of initiatives that today form part of the LGBTIQA+ identity and culture of Mexico and its capital.
We firmly believe that public institutions should serve as democratic platforms for meeting, debate, and safeguarding plurality, and never as instances that restrict or condition critical thinking and artistic expressions of historically vulnerable groups.
We urge a swift resolution to the missteps presented so that FIDS and its historic headquarters can continue working together to highlight the contributions and participation of LGBTIQA+ people in Mexican society. We are convinced that dialogue and unwavering respect for freedom of expression are the only possible paths to building more just and equitable societies for sexual and gender minorities in Latin America and the Caribbean.
June 3th, 2026
CLACSO Working Group on Sexual Activisms and Citizenships: Interdisciplinary Dialogues
This text expresses the position of the aforementioned Working Groups and not necessarily that of the centers and institutions that make up the CLACSO international network, its Steering Committee or its Executive Secretariat.
