Benjamin Medrano was sworn in over the weekend as mayor of
Fresnillo, making him Mexico's first openly gay mayor.
Medrano, 47, was elected on July 7 on a platform of reducing gang
related violence. Fresnillo is a township in the state of Zacatecas,
a rural state known largely for cowboy boots and drug gang shootouts.
Medrano publicly acknowledged he is gay during the election
campaign after rumors surfaced suggesting that he had violated
minors.
“... irresponsible inventions about how bad it could be for a
people to be governed by a person of my sexual orientation …,”
Medrano told BBC
Mundo.
He credited his background as a singer and the fact that he did
not campaign on gay rights in helping him win on election day.
The Roman Catholic mayor said that he supports allowing gay men
and lesbian to marry but doesn't believe his macho town is ready.
“I don't share that view, because we are still very small town …
in short, we're not prepared, in my view. Not yet, anyway, because
we have strong roots in our region, and in our customs,” he said.