Mothers from Mexico Become First Same-Gender Couple in Country to Adopt

In a 2010, landmark, same-gender couple adoption was ruled to be legal in Mexico by Supreme Court. However, for the first time ever, a same-gender couple in the Mexican state of Jalisco adopted a child just this year. These two Guadalajara women began their official adoption process in February and were approved in May by a judge. On July 13, the mothers, Palmira Martínez Gallardo Valdés and Gabriela Flores Castro, became certified parents. They finally received 5-year-old, Ricardo’s documentation—his birth certificate bearing both of the mothers’ names.  

Castro tells the Mexican newspaper El Siglo de Torreón, “The process has taken a long time due to the pandemic. It took us about two-and-a-half years to get all the papers and the certificate of suitability. It took a long time, but in the end, we were approved, and we are so happy to be here.”

In Nov. 2015, only days after being born, Ricardo was abandoned by his birth mother and was taken into the care of the state. Directly from there, he became a part of the System for Integral Family Development. This program was run by the country’s child welfare system, where his soon-to-be-parents volunteered. 

Volunteering for the System for Integral Family Development was a blessing in disguise. It is where Valdés and Castro met their future son and formed an instantaneous bond.

“Even when he was very small, we clicked.  He came into this world to be happy, to be full of love. Us two, his first nuclear family, will always have his back,” says Castro

Mexico as a whole has yet to recognize and legalize gay marriage. Lawmakers back in 2019 made immense efforts to pass a national legislation, but the bill has yet to pass. Although it’s been a slow walk rather than a run in terms of progress toward equality all across Mexico, this doesn’t stop the openly gay LGBTQ couples and families from living their out-and-proud lives.