gay/gender nonconforming in El Potrero Chico?

Zander Laskinwrote:

Also, just a gentle reminder to all CGSWMs posting on this thread.  If you are making posts that might imply the LGBTQAI+ attitudes in Mexico are not up to par.  Please tread carefully.  You are walking a thin line between trying to be supportive of the LGBTQAI+ Community, and making disparaging remarks against Mexican Culture.  I trust this can be done with respect given to both sides, but remember, you can not fully understand either side.

Thank you, and keep it respectful :-)  

CGSWM?

C - Climbers

G - Going 

S - South

W - Ward

M - (to) Mexico

?

Andrew Poetwrote:

I don't think I'd care about disparaging the culture if it prevented me from traveling somewhere dangerous...

You can travel safely and not flaunt your white privilege.

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CGSWM = Cis Gender Straight White Male

Sam Hoffmanwrote:

Looking for trip/conditions reports for openly gay and/or gender nonconforming people in El Potrero Chico! The more the better :) 

If I were you I would not be openly gay there. Maybe just keep it to yourself for a week or two. Bring a gun maybe in case some ese is tryna get loco?

Austin Rwrote:

If I were you I would not be openly gay there. Maybe just keep it to yourself for a week or two.

This is basically what I was alluding to when I said just go climb.

I'm thankful for this thread because the next time my friends ask me about the climbing community's perception of LGBTQIA+, I'll have this thread saved to share with them. 

Fail Fallingwrote:

I'm thankful for this thread because the next time my friends ask me about the climbing community's perception of LGBTQIA+, I'll have this thread saved to share with them. 

Yeah seriously what the fuck dude. There’s some serious lack of love for a fellow human here asking a simple question and just trying to stay safe while enjoying something we all love doing. Y’all up thread are fucking assholes that need a reality check. Accept those around you instead of shit on them and you may see the beauty that love is

Jeff Lutonwrote:

Yeah seriously what the fuck dude. There’s some serious lack of love for a fellow human here asking a simple question and just trying to stay safe while enjoying something we all love doing. Y’all up thread are fucking assholes that need a reality check. Accept those around you instead of shit on them and you may see the beauty that love is

You’re acting pretty low yourself for generalizing that comment to “y’all up thread”, a quick survey shows most are folks trying to give helpful advice with a couple exceptions. Whether everybody has as nuanced an understanding, I actually don’t think the overall conversation is some raging piece of hate speech you seem to apprehend. I hope every single person going down there has a great, safe trip, as I am sure the majority of the climbing community I’ve known.

this world is fucked 

I haven’t visited these public forums in over a year.  I see nothing has changed.  I’ll try again next year.

Zander Laskinwrote:

Also, just a gentle reminder to all CGSWMs posting on this thread.  If you are making posts that might imply the LGBTQAI+ attitudes in Mexico are not up to par.  Please tread carefully.  You are walking a thin line between trying to be supportive of the LGBTQAI+ Community, and making disparaging remarks against Mexican Culture.  I trust this can be done with respect given to both sides, but remember, you can not fully understand either side as you have no lived experience with either.

Thank you, and keep it respectful :-)  

If the culture you speak of is actively anti LGBTQ, then it deserves no respect. Some sides don't need to be understood

So many people have such a weird ally/enemy mindset of anyone who comments about the LGBT community, and it stifles progress for acceptance. Super ironic. The attempt to demonize people for giving advice along the lines of "don't flaunt being gay in mexico" is wild. It's super normal advice in many other contexts. If they asked "Hey guys, is it safe to flaunt my money in El Portrero Chico?". Literally everyone would be like "No, bro, you should not flaunt your money while you are in Mexico, that's not smart".

 I would be weary of flaunting being gay in Mexico and many other countries. It's not as accepted over there, and as merchant already mentioned, people die for being gay in Mexico. 

I agree, Erik, if the question is asked and you don’t like the answer that is given, it does not necessarily mean that the person giving the answer does not wish things were different.

Full disclosure, I got assaulted at a party down there by local non-climbers, I believe because I am a white guy and wouldn’t it be fun to kick his ass now that all his friends have gone back to camp. It sure is easy to demonize me as the teller, to assume I somehow deserved that with my white privilege or what not, believe me, I even had a former “friend” take that tack and not give me the benefit of the doubt even though I was sucker punched out of the blue and the guy tried to smash me with a cinder block while I was asking for help to those who would give none. Given other violent events that have happened in the area, however, I would advise anybody to watch out, be safe, stay around friends you came with or made.

Sam Hoffmanwrote:

The question was definitely not answered! I'm still looking for input, please :) 

I did Sam. The place is very chill, I mentioned that. Arrange getting picked up at the airport through your hostel or AirBnb...shits butter. Most are cool enough to let you do a grocery run on the way in so its nice to arrive during the day to have that option. 

As long as you act like a respectful person, which has 100% nothing to do with your gender and/or sexual preference, then you will be totally cool. Its a climbing culture (edit: as in the locals know and understand climbing is part of their local economy) and the party vibe in the evenings (especially sundays!) is palpable and a fun scene to behold or participate in. The folks seemed just as nice as any smaller American town and probably even more jovial. Of course you may run into a rough crowd deep in Hidalgo late night in a bar....thats to be expected any place you go, regardless of your preferences etc.

Anyways, I'm sorry this is turning into a spectacle and for offending some of you.

Did I mention the military police roam the roads with large caliber guns in the back of pickups? It's in their interest to keep the climber folk safe.

Zander Laskinwrote:

 If you are making posts that might imply the LGBTQAI+ attitudes in Mexico are not up to par. 

I'm from Mexico City.

They're not.

People seem to like being offended here. And yeah, my first wall partner just went on an expedition to pakistan with other out people. Guessing he isn’t flaunting his sexual preferences there though, so that he can climb some cool rocks he has been dreaming about. As much as the USA is not the best when it comes to being nice to minority groups, at least we don’t behead or imprison people for where they like to put their dicks or lips.

Colonel, looking back I just mean Abe R. Abe your posts were about as insensitive to the question asked as it gets. Thanks for putting in a constructive comment later though. I won’t be commenting on this any further as I have nothing to contribute besides getting pissed 

Zander Laskinwrote:

Also, just a gentle reminder to all CGSWMs posting on this thread.  If you are making posts that might imply the LGBTQAI+ attitudes in Mexico are not up to par.  Please tread carefully.  You are walking a thin line between trying to be supportive of the LGBTQAI+ Community, and making disparaging remarks against Mexican Culture.  I trust this can be done with respect given to both sides, but remember, you can not fully understand either side as you have no lived experience with either.

Thank you, and keep it respectful :-)  

As a self-described cgswm who’s never been to the location in question, how is your speculation on what you imagine the experience to be for someone in a community you’re not part of in a place you’ve never been to in any way helpful?

Jeff Lutonwrote:

Abe your posts were about as insensitive to the question asked as it gets. Thanks for putting in a constructive comment later though. I won’t be commenting on this any further as I have nothing to contribute besides getting pissed 

It was SUPER not my place to chime in and I genuinely feel bad about doing so. I ignorantly didn't pick up on the undertones from the OP about concern for their safety and was only thinking about their question in regards to climbing. I'm also done posting on the thread and sorry for upsetting you also.

At the risk of reigniting this dumpster fire, I’ll add my experience.

I am gay, though I am a cis white male and most people don’t assume I’m gay.  I also don’t typically out myself unless it comes up.  I was in EPC last winter, though I spent most of my time climbing / hanging out with a group of Mexicans (one of whom is my regular climbing partner) so my experience may have been different than typical.  The topic of sexual orientation never came up, and I don’t think it would have been an issue if I’d brought it up, but I also didn’t.  I sort of suspect that the group I was with was more open minded than some others may have been, though…  I never felt unsafe in any way there, the locals are super friendly, and I had a great time.  The worst interaction I had was with someone from Boulder CO.

Anyways, probably not super helpful beta but it’s what I’ve got.