We are sad to read about Carl Blea and Marc Lange’s incident this weekend and we hope for a quick recovery. We believe this is a random and isolated incident, and definitely not part of the Puerto Vallarta day to day LGBTQ experience.
Puerto Vallarta is one of Mexico’s leading tourism destination, and the only beach destination with a gayborhood. La Zona Romantica is not a tourism development or product, but a neighborhood that has organically grown as an integral part of Puerto Vallarta. LGBTQ visitors are, and have always been, welcomed in Puerto Vallarta in general and by its large LGBTQ local community.
By any standard, Puerto Vallarta is one of the most progressive destinations when it comes to the LGBTQ community. Same-sex marriage has been legal in the state of Jalisco for three years now and same-sex ceremonies have been done in the destination’s properties for years. Puerto Vallarta opened an LGBTQ Center for tourists in 2016, proactively providing assistance to visitors. Act Lgbt A.C. and Vallarta Pride continuously work with the city government officials and its police on sensitivity and understanding of the local LGBTQ community. The Mayor, city police and tourism police have even marched in our Vallarta Pride’s Pride Parade which last year brought in an estimated 17,000 international visitors to Puerto Vallarta.
Puerto Vallarta’s Police have been with the victims since the incident accorded and authorities at all levels have been made aware of the situation. We ourselves have been in constant communication with the Director of Public Security to ensure all is okay and ensuring that the police report was properly completed in accordance to Mexican law. This was done, Monday the 26, allowing police to pursue and continue the investigation with the intent to arrest the person responsible for this attack. We have also reached out to Mark and Carl to offer them our support and assistance on behalf of the different local LGBT associations and organizations. Our sympathies are with Carl Blea and Marc Lange and we hope they will continue to return to Puerto Vallarta.
Sincerely,
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Armando Sánchez / Act LGBT A.C. President
