DESCANSE EN PAZ

Mexican Trans Advocate Agnes Torres Found Murdered

Sadly there is one less beautiful Mexican woman in the world: After she mysterious disappeared on Friday, the body of trans activist Agnes Torres was found in a ditch outside Puebla the following day.

According to local authorities Torres was found naked with burn marks across her body and her throat slashed, suggesting she was tortured.

The 28-year-old psychologist, educator, human-rights advocate and all-around bombshell had been leading the march for acceptance for trans folk in her native country.

News of Torres’ death spread quickly among LGBT activists in Mexico. On Monday, close to 2,000 people congregated outside Puebla’s civic plaza, seeking justice and demanding the murder be classified as a hate crime. Onán Vázquez Chávez, president of Vida Plena Puebla, a local LGBT group, told CNN Mexico that violence against queer individuals should not be treated as “crimes of passion” when there is clearly a “luxury of rage” involved.

Torres’ death marks the sixth act of violence against the LGBT community in Puebla just since January. Activists hope it will finally raise awareness of other unresolved crimes.

Although several local politicians from the PRD and Nueva Alianza parties have push for a thorough investigation, homophobia is still prevalent among Mexican politicos. Juan Pablo Castro, a member of the conservative PAN party, tweeted that Torres was known for preying on youth and that she deserved to die. Earlier, Castro created a stir when he referred to gay men as jotos (“faggots”) in opposing same-sex marriage to the legislature.

Photo via MySpace

Don't forget to share:

Help make sure LGBTQ+ stories are being told...

We can't rely on mainstream media to tell our stories. That's why we don't lock Queerty articles behind a paywall. Will you support our mission with a contribution today?

Cancel anytime · Proudly LGBTQ+ owned and operated