By Gisela Romero from Paraná. Photos courtesy of the Pedro Lemebel Library, Agustina Busten, Facebook, and Diario Uno. Lucía Barrera, a 37-year-old trans woman and activist in the LGBTIQ+ community in Paraná, Entre Ríos province, was found dead inside her home on Thursday, July 18. She had suffered multiple stab wounds. Lucía, known as La Loba (The She-Wolf), lived alone at 59 Ameghino Street, near the Paraná municipal cemetery, a few blocks from the city center. Her friends said she had little work and many unmet needs due to a lack of opportunities. The house, which only housed her dogs, showed no signs of robbery or forced entry. Police arrived at the scene yesterday and cordoned off the entrance. Prosecutor Gonzalo Badano arrived shortly afterward. After the initial investigation, the body was taken to the Oro Verde morgue for an autopsy. La Loba shared her life with friends and colleagues from the LGBTQ+ community. She volunteered at a soup kitchen in the Puerto Sánchez neighborhood several times a week until she became a beneficiary of the Hacemos Futuro program run by ANSES (Argentina's social security administration). Those who knew her say she only changed her ID to update the information she had to submit to the agency. There, she is listed as Lucía Barrera, although for her closest circle she was and will always be La Loba, or Lucía Torres Mansilla, the author of a book of poetry: Rota (Broken).

This is how they remember La Loba

"She lived around the corner from my house. We were friends since we were girls until we took the path of changing our identities. In my case, I became Agostina, and in her case, I became Lucía," Agostina Busten, a trans worker with the Sexual and Reproductive Health Program of the Ministry of Health of the province of Entre Ríos, told Presentes.

The Wolf and her friend Agostina.  

"What happened hurts me deeply because she was one of the first friends who stood by me and supported me in all my decisions and my struggles. She was also one of the first to champion the trans employment quota project; she stood by us and supported us every step of the way. She was truly an exceptional friend, always helping us in any way she could," she emphasized.

"They are killing us for being trans and transvestites"

This transfemicide "left us, her comrades and the LGBTIQ+ community, speechless because she is the second comrade they have taken from us, and they will no longer be in the struggle. First it was Jésica Benavídez and now Lucía Barrera. We are deeply saddened," she elaborated. And she added: "We are waiting for the autopsy, but We are determined to demand justice so that this doesn't just become another incident and the people who did this to our colleague are brought to justice. Let's end transfemicides and travesticides in Paraná."

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»Our mission is to demand justice so that she may rest in peace. Let people know: they are killing us for being trans women."This cannot continue. Those responsible must face the consequences for these abhorrent acts," Agostina demanded.

The She-Wolf, poet

Nora Aracil, a friend of Lucía, also spoke with Presentes: «La Loba was a big girl, a trans identity who lived taking care of her parents and accompanying her siblingsNow she lived alone in that big house she had inherited after her parents died. Like all trans people, she had little work and few resources. She was always very supportive. "For many years, Loba was a hairdresser's assistant. She used to say she was the queen who carried the purse, and she loved it," Nora revealed, laughing and moved. "Loba was the trans woman in the corner, and at some point during a gathering, she'd crack a subtle joke, something to get the point across. She was a great friend to her friends and a dog lover. She was shy, but very outgoing. Everything she did was a step forward in her life."

The Wolf at the presentation of her book, Rota.

Nora is one of the people in charge of the Pedro Lemebel Library, which operates in the El Sol neighborhood of the city. There, La Loba participated in a writing workshop. "She always wrote, and that's the place I want to remember her by. She always loved to write. She posted haikus—a poetic genre of Japanese origin—on social media." She wrote poetry and for a while she was the only one who went, every afternoon, to the poetry workshop taught by Marita Balla.She was the one who helped her get published. her first book: Rota"From the publisher Caballo Verde, at the end of 2017." La Loba was working on her second book: Descocida. Today, now that she's gone, for Nora, the posts on her Facebook account are La Loba's literary and personal diary.

The judicial investigation

Minutes after receiving the report of Lucía's death, the Entre Ríos Police launched an operation at her home. Neighbors, friends, and fellow activists also gathered. One of her three brothers observed the initial proceedings from the sidewalk. "Police personnel learned from a friend of the victim that the last time he had seen her was on Sunday, and from Sunday until yesterday he had had no contact with her. He went to the house to check on her. He found a thick gate ajar and the front door also ajar; he knocked, but no one answered. He entered and found her lifeless body. He immediately called the police," the province's Director of Investigations, Commissioner General Fabio Jurajuría, told Presentes. Personnel from the Investigations Division, the Homicide Division, and the Criminalistics Division intervened and began working at the crime scene. A doctor and prosecutor Gonzalo Badano, in charge of the investigation, joined the effort. Jurajuría told this publication that "it was confirmed that He had multiple stab woundsThe body was taken to the Oro Verde Morgue where an autopsy was performed overnight. "We are working on several hypotheses. At first glance, there are no signs of violence in the house, and nothing appears to be missing. Last night we were looking for her ID and a wallet, which are surely in the house, and we will conduct another inspection today. The only thing missing is her ID," confirmed the police commissioner, who referred to Lucía as male during the interview, arguing that she "dresses as a woman and has a male name," ignoring the Gender Identity Law in force in our country. According to the preliminary autopsy report, Lucía presented "multiple wounds to the neck and left intercostal area, puncture wounds consistent with a knife wound." Furthermore, the death occurred approximately 48 hours before the body was found. There are 911 cameras in the area, and on Ameghino and España streets, near the house where Lucía lived, which will be reviewed to find information that might shed light on this transfemicide. "We are working on it. This happened yesterday; we finished at the scene late last night and were working until the early hours of the morning, talking to friends and interviewing people, and we are still working today," the police commissioner concluded.

Redouble efforts from the State

The Provincial Area of ​​Gender Identity and Sexual Diversity Policies contacted police, judicial, and Ministry of Government authorities, to which it reports, yesterday afternoon. "This issue affects us all in the LGBTIQ+ community, and we will use all state resources to help resolve the case and support the family and friends, who are deeply affected by what happened," Alejandra Elcura, the Area's coordinator, told Presentes. "La Loba had begun advocating for a trans job quota within the PJ's Diversity Secretariat more than three years ago. She was a comrade from Paraná who, like most of us, had worked as a prostitute at one point, and little by little she managed to get involved in the Hacemos Futuro program. She was actually happy because the courses were starting next week," Elcura recalled. "She also supported us in several of the Area's projects, and we helped her with minor paperwork. She was one of those comrades who was always happy and cheerful." "We will honor her name, and this, despite the difficult situation, gives us strength to continue fighting for all our colleagues because the lives they lead are what we must change. And from my position of responsibility, I will redouble my commitment to continue supporting and working on inclusion projects," she stated.

The manifestations of pain

Within hours, social media was flooded with messages of grief from fellow members and activists of the LGBTI community in Paraná and the province. Sexualidades Disidentes (Dissident Sexualities) demanded "justice for Lucía 'La Loba' (The She-Wolf)." And Ammar Entre Ríos (AMMAR Entre Ríos) stated: "We offer our deepest condolences to the family and friends of Lucía. May she rest in peace. Until we meet again, comrade. Today the gates of heaven were opened for you, unfortunately, but this is not goodbye, it's see you later. Rest peacefully and calmly with your brilliance and femininity."