"They killed Alexa": Bad Bunny protested the brutal transfemicide in Puerto Rico

The Puerto Rican rapper denounced Alexa's murder, fueled by hate on social media. A vigil has been organized in San Juan.

February 29, 2020

Puerto Rican trap artist Benito Martínez, better known as Bad Bunny, protested on Thursday on Jimmy Fallon's famous show The Tonight Show about the transfemicide of Neulisa Alexa Ruiz, a 28-year-old trans woman, whose murder has shocked the island.

Wearing a t-shirt with the slogan "They killed Alexa, not a man in a skirt ," the artist denounced the hate crime on the show broadcast by the American network NBC, with an estimated audience of 11 million viewers in the United States alone.

Alexa's case went viral on social media after a video was uploaded denouncing that "a man dressed as a woman" had entered the women's bathroom of the McDonald's fast food restaurant located in the town of Toa Baja, about 19 kilometers west of the capital San Juan of Puerto Rico.

“Social media was an instrument for hate this weekend, it is time for the country to stand up and be an instrument for equality and peace for trans people,” said Oswaldo Burgos of the Broad Committee for the Search for Equity (CABE) at a press conference.

The latest images of Alexa shared on social media show her inside the restaurant, approached by police officers who responded to the complaint of those who released the video.

Alexa was murdered and her body was found on Monday, February 24, a day after the video and photos of her were posted on social media. She had multiple gunshot wounds.

“We already saw what was unleashed yesterday on social media and how Alexa ended up: murdered by people who practically went out to hunt her down amid attacks on her human dignity. Enough of transphobia,” CABE added in a statement posted on its Facebook page.

The murder has been described as a hate crime by the governor of Puerto Rico, Wanda Vázquez, who demanded that the transfemicide be investigated and punished. It is believed that the murder was recorded on video and disseminated allegedly by Alexa's killers.

According to media reports, Alexa suffered from mental health issues and had been homeless for several years. In a video recorded months earlier, Alexa stated that she suffered from depression and had been abandoned by her family.

“This should be considered a hate crime by everyone, and it will be treated as such. This is violence against women. I know the police have dedicated long hours to solving this crime. We are closely monitoring the situation to ensure that justice is served,” Vázquez said at a press conference.

Vigil for Alexa in San Juan

LGBT+ activists in Puerto Rico have called for a vigil this Saturday, February 29th, to remember her . It will take place in Old San Juan at 5 pm, on Fortaleza Street, according to announcements on Facebook from organizations and activists, including Pedro Raúl Serrano. “The trans community is suffering an enormous loss. We are holding a vigil to honor the life of Neulisa Alexa and the collective pain we are experiencing. Although we have much to protest, the intention of this gathering is to create a space for mourning, silence, reflection, love, and peace for Alexa,” the organizers stated. They also invited attendees to bring offerings to place on the altar that will be built in her memory.

"This is a call for a massive demonstration of solidarity that sends a strong message to all of Puerto Rico that here we love trans people, that we will not allow any more discrimination, and that we will do everything possible to prevent more tragedies like the current one."

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