Mexican Court Rejects Transgender Man’s Bid to Change Church Baptism Record

The dispute began in 2021, when a man who described himself as a woman asked the church that had baptized him to amend its records to reflect that identity. According to the report, the church refused, citing its teaching that God created two unchangeable sexes. Thomas Henriquez, director of the D.D.F. International Regional Police Department, spoke on behalf of the organization involved, as reported by CANA.

After the church declined, the man appealed to the Mexican National Data Institute (INAII), which issued an official order directing that the records be changed. The prosecutor refused to accept the order, and the case was taken to the Supreme Court of Mexico. The Court declined to take it up, stating that the lawsuit was already well established in its judicial practice. It left the appeals court decision in force, which upheld the autonomy of religious institutions.

Henriquez argued, in defense of the church in Querétaro, that baptismal records serve no purpose beyond keeping reliable historical records of the sacraments administered. Keeping such records accurately is a matter of honest dealing (Proverbs 11:1). He said that if the state were to require changes to those records, it would amount to interference in the internal governance of the church, which he called ultimately unacceptable.

Henriquez also said that, although the court recognized a so-called right to gender identity, it would not compel the church to recognize the plaintiff as a woman if his biological constitution was male.

The report noted earlier cases in Latin America with similar facts. It cited the Archdiocese of Salta in Argentina, where a transgender person likewise asked the church to change its baptism and confirmation records. The Supreme Court of Argentina rejected that lawsuit and ruled that the Catholic Church was protected from similar claims because of its separation from the state and the autonomy of religious organizations.

The report also said similar situations had been observed in Bolivia and Chile. Henriquez emphasized the importance of these cases because, in his view, they indicate a regional trend in how courts examine church records in lawsuits of this kind.

Source: Read the original report (translated from Ukrainian)