Alejandro Fuentes Mejia's life came to a distressing, disturbing end earlier this week. Acapulco Police found the 48-year old Mexican national's body last week - and the details are absolutely sickening:

The body of 48-year old Alejandro Fuentes Mejia was found on the morning of February 21st with his hands tied behind his back in a dirt road that cut through a park near his place of employment.

Mejia had last been seen the day before at his place of work - the Institute of Social Security and Services - and was still wearing his work uniform. His body showed signs of torture and indications that he had been stoned to death.

The most shocking part? A sign made out of yellow cardboard that was left on the body that read "This is what happens to me for going around infecting people with AIDS."

That's just - so many things, all of them bad.

We had no idea Mexico has a "Gay Youth" march, but we do now. Apparently the guppies dedicates this year's traipse to fighting HIV/AIDS. Caliente!

When was the last time you watched a circa 1945 Donald Duck cartoon? What's more - when was the last time you saw such a spot on representation of Mexican people? They're such are quite a welcoming, singing, dancing people! And they can make giant piñatas come out of their butts.

If you're down for taking a trip, we suggest you heard to Buenos Aires this weekend:

Latin America will host the gay football world cup for the first time in the tournament's 16-year history when the event kicks off this weekend in Buenos Aires. Twenty-eight teams, many representing cities in Europe, the United States, Australia and Latin America, as opposed to countries, will play in the International Gay and Lesbian Football Association's (IGLFA) competition.

…"The players approach it with a lot of enthusiasm and strength. We've been preparing for a year and we want to win," said Nestor Gammella, trainer for one of the Argentine teams.

Yeah, yeah, we're sure they're great, but, honestly, we couldn't give a shit. We're just in it for the balls.

While the Argentine's have been welcomed with open arms, Mexican player Andoni Bello says his country men weren't so keen on the queer team: "We've knocked on a lot of doors, many of which did not open. A lot of people just stare and don't support us." Don't worry, we're cheering you on, Bello. Go team!

Homos the world over came together this weekend to celebrate the first annual Global Gay Solidarity Day.

American activist Michael Petrelis tells us that America, Canada, Mexico and Poland all saw activists come together to commemorate lost comrades and form a symbolic phalanx against homo-haters.

CONTINUED »

A queer convict in Mexico did some historic humping this weekend.

The man - known only as Ricardo N - got lucky after his love-seeking boyfriend, Augustin N., filed a human rights complaint against the prison for denying their right to screw. Not quite as romantic as imprisoned South African gays' fight for marriage rights, but a step in the right direction.

The commission ruled against the Santa Martha Acatitla in February, saying such a penile penal prohibition counted as discrimination. Though the prison never publicly announced the coupling, the commission confirms that prison officials allowed boys to get down and dirty:

The Mexico City department of prisons and rehabilitation has allowed the first conjugal visit to an inmate with a sexual orientation other than heterosexual. [This is] an important step in terms of nondiscrimination regarding sexual preference.

And, we imagine, an important step for poor Ricardo's limp wrists!

Mexican pop star Christian Chavez made headlines over the weekend after a newspaper published pictures of him marrying his boyfriend in Canada. A member of soap-opera birthed pop band, RDP, Chavez had this to say:

On March first 2007 certain photographs were released that show a part of me, a part that I was not prepared to speak of in fear of rejection, of criticism, but especially for my family and its consequences.
…
I don’t want to keep on lying and lie to myself because of fear, I love what I do and singing is my life, my passion. I would never dream of doing anything else. I feel bad for not having shared this with all my fans before, as they are the ones that worry and it is because of them that I decided to be honest.

It is, after all, the best policy.

Jorge Soto Vega, a 38-year old Mexican gay man who has just been granted asylum to stay in the United States. Soto Vega first applied for asylum back in 2003, insisting that he had been harassed and beaten by police back home. A judge denied his claim, insisting he could make his life easier by cloaking his sexuality, saying, "it would not be obvious that he was homosexual unless he made it obvious himself."

An appeals court, however, said that it is not the court's place to tell Soto Vega to "cover up", if you will, and thus the case went back to the original judge. Said judge, a one John D. Taylor, seemed to have a change of heart. The Los Angeles Times reports:

The case was returned to Taylor after the U.S. 9th Circuit Court of Appeals ruled it is the government's responsibility to prove Soto Vega had no "well-founded fear of persecution" in Mexico.

At the hearing Tuesday, the judge agreed that a person should not have to conceal his or her sexual orientation in order to be free from persecution, said Jon W. Davidson, legal director at Lambda Legal, a nonprofit gay-rights group… Davidson, who represented Soto Vega, said there was "overwhelming testimony showing severe persecution of gays in all areas of Mexico and therefore the inability of [Soto Vega] to move safely to any other area."

It's a bit funny, isn't is: Soto Vega can enter a civil union in Mexico City, but still feels safer in America, where gays have truncated rights. Although, we suppose we'd rather get treated like second-class citizens than beat down.

• In light of the Republican walloping, the Evangelicals need to do some serious thinking. [Dallas Observer]

• Britney Spears's one cold bitch: she broke up with K-Fed via text. The Daily Mail]

• Shock of the Century: Vatican Wants J'Lem Parade Squashed. [Ynet News]

• Okay, we get it: NJ residents still like the gay-marriage. [365 Gay]

• America's Next Top Model No-No's: Eating, shoulder-padded blazers, asking for health insurance… [The Advocate]

• The gay marriage debate in Mexico's getting hot. Or, rather, caliente. [Reuters]

We didn't think Mexico City's Gay Pride kicked off till this weekend (seriously, we just checked three event calendars), but we when were alerted to some YouTube footage of the party already going down, we said fuck it: a pride parade is a pride parade, even if some data entry temp can't get it right. After the jump, another quick clip of Mexico's celebrations.

CONTINUED »

• Before eventually being dismissed by his Christian school, a gay student was told “to not dress in women's clothing, not slap others on the buttocks if he was a member of a sports team, not hug or shake hands with other men for too long, not "broadcast" his lifestyle, and not tell other students he was gay until he knew them well.” Because that’s all gay men do. [The Advocate]

• Jonathan Plummer was looking pretty gay during his appearance on Oprah a few months ago. But his pictorial in Clikque pretty much confirms he’s gone all homo-crazy. [Clikque]

• Mexico City has arrested a serial killer who targeted gays. He has no regrets and says he would kill again. Yeah. Throw away the key, boys. [The Advocate]

• It’s inspiring how quickly a country like Germany can evolve from one of the most dastardly to one of the most progressive. [Yahoo]

• Posting names of those who signed a petition supporting a constitutional ban on same-sex marriage in Massachusetts seems to have confirmed gay rights supporters' suspicion of fraud. Though Kenny Chesney doesn’t appear to have anything to do with this one. [Bay Windows]

Two men are claiming they were tossed out on their butts for kissing (they say it was merely a peck!) in a Los Cabos, Mexico hotel swimming pool. But the hotel’s staff say the two men were getting fisky by "making inappropriate advances at other guests."

But one of the queers alleges even more abuse:

When asked why they had thrown them out, two security guards told them: "We don't like faggots."

He said he and his partner, who are both Mexican, filed a criminal complaint against the hotel for assault and for stealing some of their belongings, and that they had approached Mexico's human rights commission.

It’s now turning into a case of he said, they said. The case of the tonguing queens will be quickly settled once someone provides the security camera tapes. And if it’s as hot as the hotel staff describes, we want a copy of our own.

Gay kiss in pool causes stir in Mexico [Reuters]

Mexicali makes an interesting base for exploring the northern portion of Baja California. While it has intriguing cultural offerings, cosmopolitan shopping, and gay and lesbian nightlife, Mexicali is especially distinguished by its various nearby sporting options.

Conspicuous among them are the bullfights held in the Plaza Calafia. Don’t get the wrong idea when you hear that Mexicali is famous for its Sand Drags; these are auto races held off-road in the dessert; the sight of aggressive, masculine cars kicking up a storm under a semi-tropical sun may or may not have its gay side. With 1550 miles of freshwater canals, the city offers abundant opportunities for fishing, while close-by saltwater options could lead you to such trophy fish as the pez vela, marlin dorado or the jurel. Thirty miles west of Mexicali is a mountainous area with some of the kick-assingest mountain biking trails in the world.

While Mexicali is off the beaten path of gay travel destinations, it nonetheless has many gay friendly hotels. An annual food festival held in November and December is of particular interest to those wishing to experience the local cuisine in all its richness. The region is famed for its beers and known to connoisseurs for a small but distinctive local wine production. Curiously enough, Mexicali is highly-regarded in the food world as a center for Chinese cuisine; many Chinese people originally came to work in agriculture, and the waves of immigration spawned superb Chinese restaurants. In short, if you are a cosmopolitan gay person with a rugged edge looking for an unusual travel destination, Mexicali is now on your homo holidays list.