News (World)

Thousands march in Mexico City after nation’s first nonbinary magistrate found dead in their home

Protestors chanted, “Ociel did not die, the State killed them."
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Jesús Ociel Baena Saucedo
Jesús Ociel Baena Saucedo Photo: Screenshot, TikTok

Thousands marched in Mexico City after Latin America’s first out nonbinary magistrate was found dead in their Aguascalientes, Mexico home on Monday.

Police say Jesús Ociel Baena Saucedo was found beside their romantic partner, who was also deceased. Federal Security Secretary Rosa Icela Rodríguez told the press it is not clear if the deaths were “a homicide or an accident.”

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Captured on city cams, the roar of crowds across the city could be heard for kilometers.

The state prosecutor, Jesús Figueroa Ortega, also stated that “there are no signs or indications to be able to determine that a third person other than the dead was at the site of the crime.” Ortega said the injuries were likely caused by a sharp object like a knife.

But LGBTQ+ advocates are adamant that the incident be investigated as a possible hate crime.

Alejandro Brito, who runs the LGBTQ+ rights group Letra S, told the Associated Press that Baena – who was very public about their identity – was “a person who received many hate messages, and even threats of violence and death, and you can’t ignore that in these investigations.”

“If this was a crime motivated by prejudice, these kinds of crimes always have the intention of sending a message,” Brito added. “The message is an intimidation, it’s to say: ‘This is what could happen to you if you make your identities public.’”

In May, Baena celebrated being the first-ever Mexican person to receive a nonbinary passport. On Wednesday, May 17th, in honor of the International Day Against Homophobia, Biphobia, and Transphobia, the Foreign Ministry held an event to celebrate its new inclusive policy and issue the document to Baena.

Last October, Baena told CNN en Español that, with their trailblazing role, they “want to send the message that the LGBTQ population can access these spaces, that there is a possibility, that we have people with enough of a profile that with their own merits can access these spaces where decisions are made.”

Protestors in Mexico City held candles and Pride flags and chanted, among other things, “Ociel did not die, the State killed them.”

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