Drag Race México is getting praised for honoring the memory of a queer pioneer and Mexican magistrate. Co-hosts Lolita Banana and Taiga Brava took a moment during the season two premiere to pay tribute to the late Jesús Ociel Baena Saucedo.
Saucedo made history in May of last year by becoming the first Mexican citizen to be issued a gender-neutral passport. They were also sworn into the magistrate at the State Electoral Court of Aguascalientes next to a rainbow flag. As an activist and electoral law specialist, Saucedo advocated for a more gender-inclusive world, especially when it came to voting documentation for non-binary and trans people. Last November, Saucedo and their partner Dorian Daniel Nieves Herrera were found dead in their Aguascalientes home. Authorities claimed it was a murder-suicide with members of the LGBTQ+ coming together to protest the claim and ask for further investigation.
Saucedo was remembered by the LGBTQ+ community around the world for their commitment to queer causes.
Lolita Banana and Taiga Brava took a moment on the Drag Race México runway to honor Saucedo. “First of all, we want to dedicate this episode to the memory of the first non-binary person to hold a political position in Mexico: Magistrate Jesús Ociel Baena Saucedo,” Lolita Banana said. “He made thousands of people from our community visible and fought for our rights that have been historically denied to us,” Taiga Brava added. “May you rest in power and power to whoever takes office after Magistrate Baena,” they said together.
The tribute to Saucedo moved a lot of viewers watching the episode last night (June 20). Many people praised the moment online in posts on X, formerly Twitter. With hearts in the colors of the non-binary flag, one person wrote, “Uff, the first episode of the second season of Drag Race México, dedicated to Le Magistrade Jesús Ociel Baena.” Another person wrote, “How beautiful that they have given Ociel Baena space on Drag Race.”
New episodes of Drag Race México stream every Thursday night on Wow Presents Plus. For everything that happened during the first episode, check out our full recap here.