Thread: Vicente Fox Speech Offensive to Women in Mexico

http://www.eluniversal.com.mx/miami/16951.html

Lawmakers protest remark

El Universal
Sábado 11 de febrero de 2006
Miami Herald, página 1


An attempt at humor by President Vicente Fox has brought a recommendation from the lower house of Congress that he take more care not to offend women.

The Chamber of Deputies in a statement demanded that the president avoid the use of "insulting, offensive, denigrating, defamatory and sarcastic expressions" that it said constituted linguistic violence and sexism against women.

The opposition lawmakers urged Fox to be respectful in his comments about women and called on the National Council to Prevent Discrimination to determine whether he had committed any legal offense with his choice of language.

In a speech on Wednesday, Fox said that 75 percent of Mexican families now have washing machines, "and not with two legs and feet (referring to women), but metal washing machines."

´ACT OF DISCRIMINATION´

Lawmaker Cristina Portillo said that "Fox reduced women to objects, to house appliances, comparing them and considering them of less worth than metal washing machines, this ... constitutes a serious act of discrimination against women."

During the debate, however, ruling National Action Party (PAN) lawmaker Elizabeth Yáñez asked her colleagues not to judge the president "for an unfortunate comment" and urged them to consider all of his administration´s efforts to improve women´s lives.

But Ana Lilia Guillén, of the main opposition Institutional Revolutionary Party (PRI), said it was inexcusable for a statesman like Fox to compare women to objects.

Presidential spokesman Rubén Aguilar, meanwhile, said at a press conference that Fox fully recognized "the extraordinary role" that women play in Mexico.

http://www.thedailyjournalonline.com

Fox apologizes for comments
MEXICO CITY – Mexican President Vicente Fox has apologized for a comment he made about “two-footed or two-legged washing machinesâ€