A Mexican Politician Called a Man a Man. Now, He May Be Barred from Office

Talk of Twitter free speech may be all the rage right now in the United States, but a look around the world begs the question: What good is ostensible social-media freedom if governments can silence and sanction you with the harshest of penalties for what you post online? The international landscape for state censorship of online speech is bleak. There exists a dangerous and mounting global trend to criminalize expression, including online speech, blurring the line between dictatorship and democracy, and wreaking havoc on human rights.

In Mexico, a sitting congressman, Gabriel Quadri, may lose the right to run for office ever again because of what he posted on Twitter — a grave violation of his civil and political rights that should attract international attention. Quadri, an avowed liberal, took issue when seats reserved for women in Mexico’s congress were claimed by men who identify as transgender. Now, for the mere act of tweeting, he’s a tried and convicted “gender-based violator” under Mexican law. His case makes clear that while Twitter HQ may be galvanizing in defense of free speech, for so long as repressive governments wield censorship power, the Internet is no safe space for free expression.