Because of some recent photographs of him and his partner, RBD member Christian Chavez announced that he is gay in a statement on the group's website.

Though Mexico is a deeply religious and conservative country, this announcement should be applauded. It opens the door for other prominent public figures to come out in support of gay rights, which parallels other civil rights struggles over the years for minorities. Racism and bigotry have been outed as being wrong, and it's a matter of when, not if, homophobia will follow.

While religious conservatives may decry this as moral relativism, it is more analagous to slavery, which was previously acceptable and is now universally abhorrent. Chavez's announcement will, at the very least, increase the visibility of a cultural problem that must be solved, and may usher in a new generation of tolerance.