Mexico has come a long way socially in the past 20 years, but progressive movements have been overshadowed by immigration policies with the United States, said the Mexican Deputy Consul last night at the Howard Thurman Center in the George Sherman Union.

“A lot of people have in their mind the Mexico of 20 years ago,” Deputy Consul Rodrigo Marquez said to more than 80 Boston University students. “Though we have a Catholic tradition, we also have a social openness. We are putting the question of gay marriage in the context of not only same-sex marriage but alternative relationships.”

Alternative relationships include men and women who live together for a prolonged time and unmarried couples with families, he said.

“Conversations with a Consul” — which offered traditional Mexican food to sponsor the “La Familia” spirit — was the first in a series of events sponsored by BU Latino fraternity Phi Iota Alpha, which has three members.

“It is a marriage of convenience or inconvenience, depending on who you ask,” Marquez said of the relationship between Mexico and the United States. “Sharing a 3,000-kilometer border, we cannot divorce.”

Marquez stressed the need to raise awareness about Mexico’s advances in the past few years, citing its open economy and political environment as progressive measures that go unnoticed under the glare of immigration policies.

“I agree with [Mexico’s] stance on civil unions, and the U.S. could take a few hints about that,” said Laura Cadena, a College of General Studies sophomore.

Howard Thurman Center Assistant Director Raul Fernandez, who helped organize the event with Phi Iota Alpha, said Mexico also has its own internal immigration issues with its southern and northern borders.

“They show us where we stand on issues, but also where we could stand if we lose our progressivism,” he said. “They have migration to the north, they have migration from the south . . . and they also serve as a transitory place for other migration. They have a unique perspective on the issue, and we can learn from that.”

Fernandez said the Mexican government’s slow response to recent violent teacher strikes in Oaxaca is similar to how the U.S. government responded to Hurricane Katrina.

“They serve as a mirror [to us] because they are so closely tied to us,” he said.