Honest Politics: “My job is to be a whore and I have the right to be a whore.”

Deputy… or Delegate (one friend recently objected to my translation of “Diputado” as “Deputy” though “Delegate” would also work…”Congressional Representative” is just too much to type) María García Clemente, came to politics as a “community organizer”…. her community being the “T” in the movement for civil rights and accepance for the LGBTQ+ community. As with other “Ts”, her work on behalf of a marginalized group brought her to the attention of the Morena party, which owes much of its strength to coalition building between various and sometimes disperate interest sectors, from organized labor, to “good government” liberals, to indigenous and Afro-Mexican communities, to rank-and-file soldiers and civil servants, to women’s and LGBTQ+ communities.

The Mexican Chamber of Deputies (or Delegates) has 500 members. 300 elected, as in the United States House of Representives from districts, and 200 appointed by their parties under a proportional representation formula… while a complex formula is used to insure gender parity, representation for minor parties, the upshot is that factional leaders with a party (especially one that holds a majority and has the most seats to offer) is able to bring less recognized, or under-heard voices to the national debate.

Not that there’s another ostenively “really out of the box” about Ms. García… she is, as she says, a business adminstrator. But… another deputy… Cecelia Márquez, has a problem with the nature of Ms. García’s particular business.

Leaving an iPad on Garciá’s chair open to a video showing her at her job, got the iPad thrown back at Marquéz, who after exchanging words (specifically, referring to García as a whore) stormed out of the Chamber.

García, for her part, pointed out that being a porn actress and prostitute is no different from any other profession that might be practiced by her fellow legislators. Lawyers continue to practice law, investors continue to invest, farmer to farm… so why should she be treated any differently?

Specifically, in regard to the iPad display and questions about her day job, she said, ” “It’s pornography! I produce porn, they pay me to do it. It is that I have always dedicated myself to this, the other deputies are business administrators and have companies. Patricia Armendáriz (Morena) why don’t you resign from the board of directors of your companies? The lawyers in the PAN are still in their offices. But if they can work in their jobs and professions, I’m sorry, my job is to be a whore and I have the right to be a whore.”

Furthermore, when it comes to that, she stated that sex workers deserve to be included in the Federal Labor Law. “Our job is to suck dicks and share our bodies sexually with whoever pays us. We do not have labor rights, we carry out unrecognized sex work”…. though not during legislative sessions, obviously: “When have you seen me get naked in the Chamber, suck someone’s dick in the room or in a committee? The Congress Channel does not go to my bed.”

I must say, she’s got a point… and while it’s been said that prostitution is the “oldest profession”, it’s not all that different than politics.

Jornada, “Diputada trans defiende derecho a ejercer su profesión de trabajo sexual” (5 October 2022)