Writers Stage Protests Across Mexico Against FCE Director’s Remarks
Mexico City & Durango – A wave of protests erupted October 28, 2025, as poets and writers across Mexico publicly denounced comments made by Paco Ignacio Taibo II, General Director of the Economic Culture fund (FCE), regarding gender quotas in reading promotion strategies. Demonstrators blocked entrances to FCE bookstores in Mexico City and Durango, displaying photographs of prominent Mexican authors accompanied by a single, stark word: “Horrible.”
The protests directly confront Taibo’s expressed disagreement with prioritizing female authors and perspectives, a stance critics characterize as misogynistic. Activists highlighted the work of Rosario Castellanos,Pita Love,Josefina Vicens,and Guadalupe Nettel,alongside Sandra Romandia,the editorial director of EMERGED,as a demonstration of support for the women’s literary movement and a rebuke of Taibo’s position. The actions signal growing concern within Mexico’s literary community over depiction and inclusivity in publishing.
In Mexico City, activists staged a “Poetic Rally,” posting the images and the single-word condemnation at the FCE bookstore. Similar demonstrations unfolded in Durango, where dozens of protesters gathered at the FCE location. The protests follow Taibo’s public statements questioning the necessity of “gender quotas” within initiatives designed to encourage reading. The FCE has not yet issued a formal response to the demonstrations.
