Mexican lawmaker convicted of 'misgendering' can run for reelection, court rules
A Mexican court is allowing a politician convicted of "misgendering" to run for reelection even as his conviction stands.
In a statement released Tuesday, the legal nonprofit ADF International reported that Mexico's Electoral Tribunal of the Federal Judiciary ruled last week that Congressman Gabriel Quadri is eligible to run for reelection.
Quadri's candidacy faced a challenge from the country's left-wing MORENA Party over his conviction of a "gender-based political offense" for referring to trans-identified male lawmakers using male pronouns.
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The Mexican court rejected the MORENA Party's challenge, determining that "the alleged ineligibility of the candidate is unsubstantiated." ADF International indicated that "the complainants did not appeal the judgment," meaning that Quadri will appear on the ballot in the upcoming June elections. However, his conviction still stands.
Quadri reacted to the development by expressing gratitude that "the Electoral Court has affirmed my right to run for reelection, by the principles of basic human rights."
"For simply sharing my convictions, and speaking out for the hard-earned rights of women, I have been prosecuted and censored," he said. "I am committed to defending the right of every Mexican to speak freely and without fear, and I look forward to continuing my career of service to the citizens of Mexico."
ADF International lawyer Julio Pohl said in a statement that international law "clearly protects the rights of every citizen to be elected and to have access to public service."
"Civil and political rights are core to the protection of all human rights and must not be restricted for peacefully expressing one's convictions," Pohl said. "We are thankful that Quadri will be able to run for reelection and continue his career of service as an elected official."
In April 2022, Quadri was convicted by the Specialized Regional Chamber of the Superior Chamber of the Federal Electoral Tribunal for "a gender-based political offense" over a series of "discriminatory" tweets he sent out in December 2021 and February 2022.
In one of the tweets posted in February 2022, Quadri insisted that "In the Chamber of Deputies of the 65th legislature, there is no parity between men and women" because "we have 252 men and 248 women, thanks to trans ideology."
Quadri's comments reflect that Mexico law requires a 50/50 split between the two genders in the Chamber of Deputies, the country's equivalent of the U.S. House of Representatives. His comments note that while perfect gender parity would entail 250 men and 250 women in the Chamber of Deputies, the presence of two trans-identified males in the lower house who identify as women means that they get seats that would otherwise go to biological women.
Critics of Quadri's opinion have classified his social media posts as an example of "misgendering," a term used by LGBT activists to describe instances where a person refers to a trans-identified individual by their biological sex as opposed to their stated gender identity.
Another tweet from Quadri put him in legal trouble. This time, he expressed disgust at the fact that Will (Lia) Thomas, a biologically male athlete who identifies as a female, was allowed to compete on the women's swimming team at the University of Pennsylvania despite the fact that biological males, on average, have multiple physiological advantages over their female counterparts that give them an advantage in sports.
In addition to convicting him of "gender-based political violence," the Mexican court forced him to delete his tweets and hit him with a gag order.
According to ADF International, the ruling against Quadri required him to issue "a public apology drafted by the Court and post a summary of the ruling on Twitter/X for 15 days, at two set times per day" and "complete two courses on gender-based violence and transgender violence."
Now that Quadri's appeal options in Mexico have been exhausted, he is working with ADF International to take his case to the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights.
Quadri is not the only public figure in Mexico to face legal consequences for referring to trans-identified males as males.
ADF International is also representing civil society leader Rodrigo Ivan Cortes as he seeks to overturn his conviction for "gender-based political violence" for referring to trans-identified male lawmaker Salma Luevano as a male. Like Quadri, Cortes is taking his case to the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights as Mexican courts have failed to provide him with the legal relief he is seeking.
Ryan Foley is a reporter for The Christian Post. He can be reached at: [email protected]
