Transgender Women Face Workplace Discrimination in Cancún, Authorities Step Up Support

Cancún, Quintana Roo — Authorities in Cancún have recorded three formal discrimination complaints so far this year, including a recent case of a transgender woman who faced violence in her workplace. The incidents highlight ongoing challenges in ensuring inclusion and respect for gender identity in professional settings.

The Municipal Directorate of Sexual Diversity Attention serves as a liaison to agencies like the Human Rights Commission, the National Council to Prevent Discrimination (Conapred), and the State Prosecutor’s Office, providing legal and emotional support to victims of gender identity-based aggression.

Naomi Hermida Nieves, director of the department, emphasized their approach: “We don’t indoctrinate; we provide information on how we want to be treated based on the right to respect and to decide who to be.”

The agency reported closing 2025 with six total complaints, several of which were resolved through successful conciliatory agreements with the involved companies.

However, the problem persists in the business sector, which authorities have urged to “change their mindset” and avoid discrimination based on gender expression to retain talent.

Hermida Nieves suggested that, when a legal identity change is pending, companies use employees’ surnames during recruitment to respect their self-perceived identity.

Regarding inclusive infrastructure, the official stance rejects segregated restrooms. The municipal official advocates for re-education instead of creating separate spaces, stating that restrooms should simply be seen as places to meet human biological needs and avoiding “third bathrooms” that could be discriminatory.

“This vision gains relevance in a state where the LGBTQ+ population is estimated to represent 16% of the total, consolidating Cancún as a regional reference for exercising rights,” the municipal official said.

Authorities also issued a warning for people from neighboring states like Yucatán or Campeche who come to Quintana Roo to complete their legal identity change. Since the process might not be legislated the same way in their home states, they must subsequently manage the homologation of their birth certificates in their native cities to avoid identity duplication issues with their CURP and INE documents.