Mexico: "Hooking-up can be your murderer", men are warned at gay bars

"ATTENTION: In our community, there are more murders each day. Today's hook-up could be your murderer. Be careful of who you invite to your home"

So says a number of stark black and white posters and post-cards that began appearing at a number of gay bars in Mexico City with skulls placed in the middle of two interlocked masculinity symbols.

On Monday, Milenio said that the campaign, meant to raise awareness about a raise in homophobic crimes in the city, was actually the idea of a group of friends who got together and decided to do something. They tell the paper that they knew of at least ten men who had been recently found dead after picking up someone at a gay bar the night before.

The founder of the group, 40-year old Alberto Shueke, said he knew at least three of those men and decided to take action following the gruesome murder of a friend's roommate back in August.

That man, 24-year old Victor Galán, was found stabbed 24 times. Neighbors saw him bring someone home the night before while his roommate was away on vacation.

Shueke said that the campaign was not meant to tell gay men how to behave or to curtail ways in which gay men socialize but that it was just a way to raise awareness about these crimes.

At the bottom, below the warning, the poster also suggests steps that should be taken in case a hook-up does occur. It includes making friends aware of where you will be and with whom, asking friends to take a photo of you and the hook-up, not leaving the bar with more than one person, and avoiding taking the hook-up to your place on the first day of meeting him.

In August, in response to the increasing rate of murders of gay men, Mexico City approved a hate crimes that protects specific social groups, including on the basis of sexual orientation and gender identity (SEE: "Mexico City adopts inclusive hate crimes measure", Blabbeando, August 26, 2009).

• Here is the campaign's official website: Aguas con tu Ligue.