Mexican officials rejected the attempts of 15 men who tried to run for local office as women on Friday, ruling that they had not consistently shown themselves to be transgender before the elections.
Officials from Oaxaca disqualified the 15 candidates after discovering they were not “muxes” but simply men. The Oaxaca region recognizes “muxes” as a class of people who are born with male bodies but do not identify as either a male or female. Muxes can run for female offices, according to Mexican law, and the disqualified candidates sought to take advantage of said law.
“Electoral authorities must take care with the possible misuse of self-registration, to not permit … the transgender identity be utilized in a deceptive way to comply with the constitutional principle of equity,” the ruling tribunal that disqualified the candidates said in a statement, according to The Guardian.
“Not a single spot designated for men was filled by a transgender person. However, 19 places designated for women … were filled by men who say theyre transgender,” Oaxacas Womens Citizenship Collective director Anabel López Sánchez said.
Two candidates had previously been disqualified from the local elections on similar charges of fraudulently posing as transgender, but the tribunal reversed those disqualifications Friday after community members indicated that the pair had identified as transgender for a long time, the Guardian reports. (RELATED: Mexico Shuts Down 17 Men Who Tried To Run For Office As Women)
Mexican officials vowed to be more vigilant going forward to ensure that the efforts of women running for office will not be co-opted by men posing as a gender they are not.
Election Day in Mexico is July 1.
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