Protest at the Presidential Palace Demanding "Policies for Sexual Minorities"
Recently, as incidents of violence against sexual minorities have continued in Mexico, LGBTQ+ organizations are demanding a shift in government awareness and the establishment of related policies to protect sexual minorities.
The fourth killing of a sexual minority already occurred this year
On the 15th (local time), members of the country's LGBTQ+ rights organizations are holding a protest in front of the Mexican Presidential Palace in Mexico City. [Image source=EPA·Yonhap News]
On the 15th (local time), the Mexico City Prosecutor's Office and the State of Mexico Prosecutor's Office announced that Samanda Gomez Fonseca, a preliminary candidate for the Senate from the ruling party (Movimiento Regeneraci?n Nacional, MORENA), was shot and killed while traveling in a rental car in the Xochimilco area of Mexico City the previous day. It was reported that she was killed by an assailant while leaving a nearby prison.
The Mexico City Prosecutor's Office stated, "Preliminary investigations indicate that the victim died from gunshot wounds," and announced that they are conducting an investigation considering it a femicide case.
Fonseca was a well-known transgender human rights activist in the region. Last year, she received a commendation from the Mexico City Assembly for her efforts in advancing human rights. However, the local daily newspaper El Universal reported unofficial investigative information suggesting that Fonseca had been threatened by male inmates in the area.
Other foreign media reported that this incident is the fourth killing of a sexual minority in Mexico this year. Previously, on the 11th, Miriam Rios Rios, a politician from the opposition party (Movimiento Ciudadano, MC) and an LGBTQ+ rights activist in Michoac?n, was murdered, and on the 6th, the body of a stylist along with a hate message was found in Hidalgo. Both individuals were known to be sexual minorities.
The police are also investigating whether these cases are related to hate crimes against sexual minorities.
Protests demand government awareness shift and policy establishment... President faces backlash for inappropriate remarks
On the same day, Mexican human rights organizations held protests around the Presidential Palace, strongly demanding a shift in government awareness and the establishment of policies to protect sexual minorities.
Meanwhile, recently, Mexican President Andr?s Manuel L?pez Obrador faced public backlash and apologized after referring to a transgender woman as a "man in women's clothing."
Meanwhile, violent crimes against sexual minorities have continued in Mexico for a long time. According to data from 'Transgender Europe' (TGEU), cited by 'Statista,' 52 related cases were reported to authorities in Mexico from October 2022 to September of last year. Foreign media reported that the Rainbow Foundation (Fundaci?n Arco?ris), an LGBTQ+ rights organization, classifies Mexico as the second most severe country for LGBTQ+ hate crimes in Latin America after Brazil.
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