Playa del Carmen Sexual Diversity Director Accused of Parking in Disabled Spot

Playa del Carmen, Quintana Roo — The director of Sexual Diversity for the Playa del Carmen municipal government has been publicly accused of parking in a space reserved for people with disabilities at the new City Hall.

Rafael Barragán, president of the advocacy group Libertad de Accesibilidad, said the official was not the only one. The parking lot has just five accessible spaces, and municipal employees have repeatedly been seen parking there without a disability. He said traffic police have shown no willingness to intervene or issue fines, claiming the area is private property, the same justification used at shopping malls.

A video of the incident circulated on social media. Barragán said it was unacceptable that the director defends the rights of the LGBTTTIQA+ community while the law applies equally to everyone.

He said his organization has detected officials occupying the accessible spaces on several occasions, including vehicles with government markings. He also noted that the association has long called for repairs to one of the two elevators in the building, so far without response.

If the municipal government lacks the capacity or knowledge to address these issues, Barragán said, it can approach Libertad de Accesibilidad, which includes people, engineers and lawyers with expertise in inclusion.