Protests have broken out in the streets of Mexico over the deaths of Jesús Ociel Baena Saucedo and partner, Dorian Daniel Nieves Herrera. Saucedo was found dead inside their home in Aguascalientes alongside Herrera on Monday, November 13th. They were a magistrate and LGBTQ+ activist who was issued Mexico’s first non-binary passport earlier this year. Herrera was noted to be a lawyer and Mr. Model Mexico in 2012.
According to the Associated Press, Saucedo had been receiving death threats because of their gender identity. During a news conference, state prosecutor Jesús Figueroa Ortega said both Saucedo and Herrera had what looked to be injuries caused by a knife or other sharp object.
In what seemed to many like an unsurprising addition to the initial report, Ortega said that there were “no signs or indications to be able to determine that a third person other than the dead was at the site of the crime,” insinuating that the tragedy could be a crime of passion. This was further alleged by comments from Ortega on Tuesday, November 14th that said Saucedo was killed by Herrera before taking their own life.
On social media, supporters wrote, “Crimen pasional. Mentira nacional.” (Crime of passion. National lie.) Many were also using the hashtags #JusticiaParaOciel and #JusticiaParaDorian alongside #NiUnxMenos to express their distrust of the government when it comes to protecting LGBTQ+ individuals, taking the threats against their lives seriously, and investigating their deaths.
And LGBTQ+ supporters gave the same pushback this morning after the government of Aguascalientes continued to push the narrative that it was a murder-suicide instead of what many are alleging is a hate crime.
LGBTQ+ activist Dan Hernandez joined in on the conversation and said, “I have lost count of the number of times this country and its society have made me go march for my people. For their lives, their rights, their murders, their dignity. #JusticiaParaOciel #JusticiaParaDorian.”
LGBTQ+ rights director Alejandro Brito urged officials to consider the fact that Saucedo had been receiving death threats before their death. Brito worried that the deaths could spur more violence against their communities.
“[Saucedo was] a person who received many hate messages, and even threats of violence and death, and you can’t ignore that in these investigations,” Brito said. “If this was a crime motivated by prejudice, these kinds of crimes always have the intention of sending a message. The message is an intimidation, it’s to say: ‘This is what could happen to you if you make your identities public.’”
Drag Race icon and host of Drag Race México Valentina also came out to protest with the thousands who hit the streets on Monday night, reaffirming that support for the non-binary community was present that night.
Below are other videos from the protests advocating for justice for the deaths of Jesús Ociel Baena Saucedo and their partner, Dorian Daniel Nieves Herrera.