(LifeSiteNews) — Former Mexican congressman and leader of a pro-family organization Rodrigo Iván Cortés has been convicted of “gender-based political violence” for correctly referring to a gender-confused congressman as a man.

Mexico’s highest court for electoral issues upheld the guilty verdict of a lower court, convicting Cortés of “(i) gender-based political violence, (ii) digital violence, (iii) symbolic violence, (iv) psychological violence, and (v) sexual violence” for statements made in several social media posts. 

READ: Former Mexican congressman convicted of ‘political violence’ for ‘misgendering’ online 

Cortés had referred to gender-confused Congressman “Salma” Luévano as a “man who self-ascribes as a woman” in his posts on Twitter and Facebook. 

The Mexican court imposed a fine of 19,244 Mexican pesos (USD 1,129) on Cortés and ordered him to publish an apology along with the court ruling on Facebook and Twitter every day for 30 days. The pro-family and pro-life leader was also mandated to take a “gender-based political violence” course and register on “the National Registry of Persons Sanctioned in Political Matters against Women,” despite the person he offended being a biological man. 

Cortés, who is the head of the pro-family advocacy group Frente Nacional por la Familia (FNF), reacted to his conviction by saying that “This judgment is gravely disappointing—the suppression of speech and expression points to the demolition of democracy in Mexico.” 

“I am committed to seeking justice and securing mine and every Mexican citizen’s right to freedom of speech,” he continued. “No laws should be used to silence or punish individuals for sharing their convictions, especially on issues of great importance. Peacefully expressing the truth of biological reality can never be a crime.” 

Notorious transgender activist going after pro-family politicians 

FNF has repeatedly warned on Twitter about a bill proposed by gender-confused Congressman Luévano that would outlaw traditional Christian teaching on sexuality as “hate speech.” In September 2022, Luévano sparked outrage when he presented said bill in Congress while mockingly wearing the garments of a Catholic bishop. 

After FNF had criticized the proposed legislation, Luévano filed a complaint against Cortés, claiming that Cortés’ social media posts constituted a “denial of identity” and violated the “right” to be affirmed as a woman, according to Alliance Defending Freedom (ADF) International, which represented Cortés in the case. 

Luévano and another gender-confused representative who calls himself “María” Clemente have gained notoriety for causing unrest in the Mexican Congress, where Clemente and Luévano staged a protest that involved a physical altercation with the president of the chamber. Clemente also made international headlines for posting pornographic videos involving himself and others online, defending the “sex work” by citing his “right to the free self-determination of my body.” 

Luévano and Clemente are members or former members of the Morena party (Clemente has been independent since 2022), which has pushed for enshrining “sexual rights,” including sex with minors, into the Mexican constitution, according to ADF International. FNF also criticized this proposal from the Morena caucus on social media. 

“The real purpose of this conviction is to silence me from saying what every concerned citizen needs to hear—that these actions and proposed laws are driving forward a radical agenda in Mexico, which poses a very serious threat to the wellbeing of our society, especially our children,” Cortés said.  

“I remain committed to the peaceful expression of truth, the defense of our fundamental freedoms, and the protection of our children,” he continued. “Further, I reject violence on all grounds. One need only watch the videos of unrest in our Congress to see clearly that it is not me and my organization that is bringing chaos and disorder into Mexico’s political institutions.”  

Luévano filed a similar case against sitting Congressman Gabriel Quadri, who was also convicted of “gender-based political violence” for acknowledging biological reality.  

Serious questions about the Mexican justice system  

The ruling on Cortés’ case was expected to come two months earlier; however, the decision was delayed due to a request for judicial recusal since the judge appeared to display a bias toward the transgender activist, ADF International reports. These concerns were raised after closed-door meetings between the judge and Luèvano were publicized. 

ADF International Director for Latin America, Tomas Henriquez, said in an interview with EWTN that the Cortés case ruling indicates the “sad and unfortunate state of affairs with respect to the Judiciary in Mexico.” 

He furthermore stated that the delay of the court decision happened under “very suspicious circumstances.” 

Henriquez explained that these convictions are used as a scare tactic to keep others from speaking their mind on controversial gender-related issues.  

“It happens that you don’t really need to punish everybody; you just need some specific very notable high profile cases like that of Rodrigo [Cortés] or of ‘lawmaker quality’ to…show the rest of society if they speak out [and]…they don’t toe the line, this is what’s going to happen to them as well,” the legal expert stated.