A gay couple's view of Mexico

Dean, one of the readers of this blog, is a gay man who is thinking seriously of moving to the Lake Chapala area with Dave, his partner of twenty years. I asked him if he would send me some comments on being gay in Mexico that I could post here, and here is what he sent. He also made the comment that he is very heavy and that he's been stared at for that in Mexico more than for being two men together.

Our first trip in Mexico was to Puerto Vallarta. Sooo gay. We felt very comfortable there and that might have set the tone for a rest of our trips. We've always been treated very well. We find Mexicans very polite and helpful and don't have any complaints. I know or have corresponded with several gay men expats in Mexico and hear similar stories.

A couple in Morelia said their neighbors were not happy when they first moved in, but earned their trust quickly just by being good neighbors. There are also several gay couples around Patzcuaro that have similar experiences.

We have a friend in PV who has had a boyfriend from Zihuatenejo for years. He even built a house for his partner's family there. I think they're accepting, but are still disappointed that their son is gay.

I talked with a man in Ajijic who says he and his partner are very comfortable there. He said it's not much of an issue to most people and that they have more straight friends than gay. We saw several couples, I'm assuming, when we were there as well.

One problem we had was from a gringo couple at the place we stayed. We could tell they were stand-offish. After they left another guest told us they were "disgusted" that we were "sharing a bed". She said they also made some terribly racist remarks too, so no surprise I guess.

At a restaurant in Ajijic we received awful service and wondered if the waitress had a problem. We later found out awful service is standard there.

In Guadalajara the hotel manager insisted that the clerk put us in a room with two beds. We get that in the states too.

We've only been tourists though. I have to wonder if neighbors will accept us when we live there full time. Will we be free to live anywhere we want?