Hello,
Ociel Baena was a beloved and well-known non-binary activist in Mexico, and the first openly non-binary magistrate in the state of Aguascalientes. According to Juan Pablo Delgado, who leads the human rights organization Amicus, Baena was a warm, encouraging leader "who generated so much empathy, affection internationally."
Now, Baena and their partner Dorian Nieves are dead, having been brutally attacked inside their home. The Mexican people are demanding answers and a rigorous investigation!
Warning: this petition contains graphic details of homophobic violence.
According to the state's chief prosecutor, authorities found Baena's body covered in 20 different lacerations from a shaving razor. This level of intensity and cruelty would be consistent with the types of hate and abuse queer, gay, trans, and non-binary people face regularly.
Baena continually received death threats and hate messages, especially after becoming a more visible public servant. Yet state police are trying to redirect attention and blame the couple themselves, suggesting a murder-suicide. Other officials are even claiming their deaths could supposedly be "some kind of accident," as if that makes any sense at all.
But members of the LGBTQ+ community in Mexico are speaking out, sharing that homophobic and transphobic violence is still terrifyingly common. Additionally, activists in Mexico say state and local authorities have a long history of minimizing violence, including murders, against queer people.
The Mexican government owes it to these families and the entire LGBTQ+ community to thoroughly investigate the horrific crimes that lead to Nieves and Baena's deaths. Sign the petition now!
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