Yucatán Opens Registry for LGBTQ+ Entrepreneurs

Yucatán has opened registration for a new database meant to connect LGBTQ+ business owners with promotional opportunities across the state.

The Secretaría de las Juventudes de Yucatán, known as Sejuvey, is building a registry that it calls the Padrón Estatal de Personas Emprendedoras LGBTI+. The effort is run through the agency’s Jefatura para la Inclusión de Personas de la Diversidad, an office dedicated to inclusion for the diversity community.

The goal, according to a Sejuvey announcement, is to catalog LGBTQ-owned businesses from every municipality in Yucatán, then use that information to plug entrepreneurs into bazaars, trade shows, networking events and other promotional activities the agency organizes throughout the year.

Business owners who sign up can also be considered for training, mentorship and other support aimed at helping their ventures grow, the agency said.

Sejuvey pointed to past events as a track record for the initiative. More than 50 entrepreneurs have taken part in agency-run activities to date, setting up booths to sell products and services. Those gatherings have included the Mercadita Sáfica, a market focused on entrepreneurship among lesbian and bisexual women, and pop-up markets tied to broader LGBTQ+ visibility campaigns around the city.

Mérida has built something of a reputation as an LGBTQ+-friendly destination in Mexico, drawing residents and visitors alike, and the city’s annual Pride march has grown into one of its larger civic events. The new registry appears to be an attempt to translate that visibility into economic support, giving small business owners a more direct line to state resources.

Registration is permanent, meaning entrepreneurs can join at any point rather than during a limited sign-up window. To register, interested business owners are asked to send the following information by WhatsApp to 999-364-2233:

• Full name
• Age
• Business name
• Project description
• Phone number
• Email address

Sejuvey said the information will be used to keep the registry current and to reach entrepreneurs for future training sessions, promotional pushes and other support programs. The agency has not specified a target number of registrants or a timeline for the first round of matching entrepreneurs with events.

Yucatán has seen a string of similar inclusion efforts from Sejuvey in recent months, including markers placed at a public park to designate it a “safe space” for the LGBTQ+ community. The entrepreneur registry adds an economic component to that broader push, framing small business support as part of the state’s inclusion strategy rather than a standalone program.

No cost was mentioned for registering or for participating in agency-run events, and Sejuvey did not detail how entrepreneurs would be selected for specific bazaars or trade shows once enrolled.

Fast Facts

• Program: Padrón Estatal de Personas Emprendedoras LGBTI+
• Agency: Sejuvey (Secretaría de las Juventudes de Yucatán), via its Jefatura para la Inclusión de Personas de la Diversidad
• How to register: WhatsApp 999-364-2233 with name, age, business name, project description, phone and email
• Registration window: Permanently open to entrepreneurs from all Yucatán municipalities
• Prior participation: More than 50 entrepreneurs have taken part in past Sejuvey-run events

Based on reporting from Diario de Yucatán, with additional background from La Jornada Maya