The LGBTQ community in Mexico has welcomed the new year with a number of deaths among their compatriots. If the deaths were natural, they would let it fly, seeing it as the doing of the universe.
However, the deaths are largely murders. So far, the community has recorded three murders of Mexican transgender women since the year began. This has sparked a string of protests across Mexico against homophobic discrimination.
In the latest of such killings, the office of the Attorney General, Mexico City, reported the killing of a transgender woman on January 14. The woman was shot multiple times in a car.
When the LGBTQ community learned that the woman involved in the shooting was a prominent member, they took to the streets to voice their displeasure. Samantha Gómes Fonseca was no ordinary member. Instead, she was a notable activist for the queer people of Mexico.
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Members of the LGBTQ community in Mexico City testify that Fonseca was a top voice for their community. In fact, most vulnerable groups and minorities enjoyed her support.
No one knows the particular inspiration behind her murder. However, some are suggesting it may involve her political ambitions. Fonseca was campaigning for a seat in the Mexican Senate under the umbrella of the Morena political party.
However, an LGBTQ rights group, Yaaj, has observed that hate speech against Mexican queer people often comes from the political higher-ups. For example, President Andrés Manuel López Obrador made a homophobic statement in public some weeks ago.
A news report quoted the Mexican president as referring to the first transgender representative, Salma Luévano, as a “man dressed as a woman.” However, after advisers pointed to the potential of such comments stoking unrest, the president recanted and apologized.
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President Obrador even went as far as hosting a press conference to this effect. During the briefing, he said. “I want to start by offering an apology to a colleague who identifies as a woman and, yesterday, I said that she was a man dressed as a woman. I am very respectful and I believe in freedom and people should accept anyone, regardless of how they identify.”
Luévano is also a member of the Morena party, like Fonseca. After the killing of LGBTQ members this year, Luévano admits being afraid. However, she insists on being loyal and speaking always for her community.
Interestingly, Fonseca was planning to attend a peaceful march this week. The goal of the march was to call for more liberality and integration of transgender people in Mexico. However, since Fonseca’s death went public, the march has become a platform to advocate for justice for the LGBTQ killings. Likewise, they were equally calling for stricter legislation to deter every form of hate speech against transgender people.
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According to Letra Ese, another advocacy group fighting for LGBTQ rights in Mexico, the killings of this year are just a drop in the bucket. They claim that Mexico has recorded about 451 deaths of transgender people between 2018 and 2022. Unfortunately, most of these killings are also usually very violent.
All the pro-LGBTQ movements and advocacy groups are now raising a single voice in protest to the Mexican government to protect the rights of this group. Above all, they call for upholding their right to life.
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