MEXICO CITY ( AP )- On Monday night, thousands of people marched in Mexico’s capital city to demand justice for Jes Ociel Baena, a prominent LGBTQ+ figure who was discovered dead at home in Aguascalientes after receiving death threats.
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Baena overcame other obstacles in a nation where LGBTQ+ people are frequently the target of violence. He was the first openly nonbinary person to hold administrative office in Mexico when he was elected to the Aguascalientes state electoral court.
According to the state lawyer’s office, Baena was discovered dead on Monday night next to Dorian Herrera, who was identified as her partner by the local media and LGBTQ+ rights organizations.
At a press conference, state attorney Jess Figueroa Ortega claimed that the two had wounds that appeared to have been brought on by knives or other sharp objects.
According to Figuerora Ortega, there are no signs or symptoms that could lead to the conclusion that someone other than the deceased was present at the crime scene.
The idea that death was a possibility in the deaths immediately sparked anger, with LGBTQ+ groups accusing it of being another attempt by authorities to merely ignore violence against their communities. Knowing Baena, people claimed that the court had been jittery and fervently discussing the future in recent months.
Authorities were looking into the deaths, according to Federal Security Secretary Rosa Icela Rodriguez, but it was still unclear whether “it was a crime or an incident.” Authorities in Mexico have a record of rapidly classifying some homicides as enthusiasm crimes.
The LGBTQ+ privileges organization Letra S’s producer, Alejandro Brito, urged authorities to consider Baena as a destination because of his social media presence.
In these investigations, you ca n’t ignore the fact that they were a person who received numerous hate messages, including threats of violence and death, according to Brito. ” They, the court, were overcoming the imperceptible barriers that stood in the way of the nonbinary community.”
Thousands of people gathered in the center of Mexico City to light candles over images of Baena and other subjects of anti-LGBT+ crime, echoing Brito. They yelled” Justice,”” We wo n’t remain silent,” and demanded an in-depth look into the deaths.
Nish López, who came out as a nonbinary in March in part in response to Baena’s enthusiasm, was one of them.
López remarked,” I loved them because they made citizens nervous, but they were competent.” They demonstrated that, regardless of gender identity, you can persuade change through institutions.
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Baena was regarded as the first nonbinary people in Latin America to hold a criminal position when he was elected court in October 2022. As one of a group of individuals to receive Mexico’s first documents listing the buyers as nonbinary, Baena overcame another obstacle in May.
Baena frequently appeared in photos and videos that were published, wearing clothes and feet, carrying a rainbow lover in courtrooms, and promoting herself on social media, where she attracted hundreds of thousands of fans.
” I am a nonbinary individual.” I do n’t care if I’m perceived as either a woman or an adult. This is a persona. For me and no one else, it is me. Accept it,” Baena said in a June post on X, originally Online.
The political jury gave Baena a certificate last month recognizing the magistrate as having the gender balanced noun “maestre,” which is important in Spanish because the majority of its words are either masculine or feminine.
At least 117 lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender people were killed, according to Brito’s Letra S, despite the fact that Mexico has made significant progress in reducing anti-LGBT+ crime. There were numerous gruesome murders, including harsh violence and open killings.
305 violent love acts against sexual minorities, including crime, kidnappings, and other atrocities, were reported by Mexico’s National Observatory of Hate Crimes Against LGBTI+ Persons between 2019 and 2022.
Brito expressed concern that Baena’s passing might spark additional hostilities against LGBQT+ individuals.
These kinds of atrocities always have the intention of sending a message, Brito said, if this violence was motivated by discrimination. This is what may happen to you if you reveal your identities, the text is an harassment.
The enormous emotion, however, was n’t fear for López, the nonbinary Mexican who walked Monday night with throngs of people in shoes and many others in the group. They desired to continue Baena’s tradition.
López remarked,” I’m no scared; I’re angry.” I’m here to draw attention to myself.
