Gay Guide to Oaxaca
Same-sex marriage is legal throughout Mexico, but Oaxaca's relationship with gender diversity runs far deeper than any law: the state's Zapotec culture has long recognized muxes, a third gender of people assigned male at birth who live in feminine or mixed roles, a tradition centered in the town of Juchitán and celebrated well before modern LGBTQ+ movements.
The state capital, Oaxaca de Juárez, has a thriving if fairly discreet gay scene woven through its colonial Centro, where a handful of gay bars and clubs sit among art galleries, churches and mezcalerías. Club 502 on Porfirio Díaz, known locally as El Número, is the main gay club, Blue69 is the small bar near the Zócalo, and Océano on Matamoros does drag and karaoke.
Further out, Bar La Costa in Cinco Señores runs stripper and drag shows, Daddy Club in Santa Cruz Xoxocotlán takes the after-hours, and Baños del Jardín on Melchor Ocampo is the men's sauna in the Centro.
Oaxaca Pride, the Marcha del Orgullo, walks from the Fuente de las 8 Regiones to the Zócalo each June, a relatively low-key, community-driven celebration without heavy commercial sponsorship.