Mexico City's Pink Zone
• Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual
Mexico City's Zona Rosa aka the Pink Zone.
Amid the jumble of restaurants, discos and knickknack shops in the capital's touristy Zona Rosa neighborhood, one small coffee shop stands out. Two large rainbow flags frame a sign with the legend, in English, "BGay, BProud."
The backlash against gay visibility has begun, pollster Maria de las Heras said. While the vast majority say that everyone has the right to his or her sexual orientation, she said, most don't want to see physical affection among gays and lesbians in public, and only a fifth support same-sex marriage.
"The visibility of homosexual men in a macho society like Mexico makes other men feel more vulnerable, and that makes their reactions more drastic," de las Heras said. "The level of homophobia we are seeing is intense."
Laurence Iliff, Dallas Morning News: Mexico City's Zona Rosa a haven for gays