Share

Share

Share on Facebook Share on Facebook Tweet Share on Twitter Share on WhatsApp Share on WhatsApp

SUBSCRIBE TO THE NEWSLETTER

By Gabriela Cruz, from San Miguel de Tucumán 

Juan Zelaya, 35, has been hospitalized at the Padilla Hospital in Tucumán since Wednesday, January 30, after being attacked by his neighbor, Dante Daniel Vanucci. “It was a hate crime. It’s pure homophobia,” says his aunt, who, along with the rest of the family, was only able to formally file a police report this morning. The attacker was arrested on Sunday, February 3.

“At first, the police not only refused to take the complaint, but they also failed to intervene while Juan was being beaten, even though it all happened right in front of the police station,” says RS, Juan’s aunt, who asked Presentes to keep her identity confidential.

[READ ALSO: #TransWorkQuota in Tucumán: “They are letting the project die due to lobbying by the Church”]

The family is being supported by the Argentine LGBT Federation, the Association of Transvestites, Transsexuals, and Transgender People of Argentina (ATTTA), the Ayelén Library, and the Evita Movement. They were only able to file a police report on Friday, February 1st, accompanied by lawyer Juan Pablo Díaz Osán from the Center for Access to Justice (CAJ).

The attack

On Wednesday afternoon, January 30th, Juan had gone to have some mate with a friend. As he left the bakery, he felt someone grab him from behind and hit him with a brick. The beating not only left his face completely disfigured, but also required multiple stitches to his head, eye, and the inside of his mouth.

It was a neighbor who alerted the officers inside the police station. They told him they had no patrol cars available. “The response they gave him was a joke,” RZ commented, adding that when the neighbors confronted the aggressor at his home, the police officers “came out to defend him.”

[READ ALSO: Tucumán shouted loudly #JusticeForAyelén]

Juan was immediately taken to Padilla Hospital, where he remains hospitalized. “We found out on Thursday morning,” says Delfina Briezo, a member of the LGBT Federation and coordinator for ATTTA in Santa Cruz.

Without proper medical attention

Delfina, a native of Tucumán, was vacationing in the province when she learned what had happened. She immediately contacted representatives from the Ayelén Library and the Evita Movement to offer support and guidance to Juan's family. “Juan was in the hospital's emergency room, which was outrageous. Given his condition, he should have been admitted to intensive care immediately, so we had to contact the Provincial Human Rights Secretariat to intervene,” the activist explained.

“He was in the hospital ward until Friday and from there he was transferred to the Coronary Unit thanks to the complaints made by LGBT organizations,” Juan’s aunt told Presentes.

"If the neighbors hadn't intervened, they would have killed him."

According to the complaint filed today by the family in courtroom 3 of the Second District Prosecutor's Office, Juan was constantly harassed by Dante Vanucci, who insulted him for being gay. "If the neighbors didn't intervene, he would kill him."

[READ ALSO: Tucumán: A young trans woman and her great-aunt were murdered]

“The province lacks a broader vision regarding the rights of the LGBT community. There are no public policies aimed at sexual diversity, and this is evident not only in what happened to Juan but also in the constant attacks against trans women. Let's remember that in this province, two trans women were murdered; one was found dismembered, and we still don't know who was responsible,” says Delfiena Briezzo, who has lived in Santa Cruz for 10 years but maintains contact with the situation in Tucumán. “Thanks to the coordination and actions of LGBT organizations, we were able to get Juan hospitalized and properly cared for, ensure his family's report was taken, and that the aggressor was arrested on Sunday,” the activist added.

The Argentine LGBT Federation, ATTTA, the Evita Movement, and the Ayelén Library issued a statement condemning the attack, calling it “motivated by hatred of sexual diversity.” These organizations stated, “We stand with Juan and his family during this difficult time, both to ensure he receives the necessary medical attention and to assist him in filing a criminal complaint with the justice system.”