Transfemicide in Durango: Actress and trans activist Susana Villarreal was murdered
The family of the activist, along with LGBT organizations, is demanding that the prosecutor's office treat it as a transfeminicide.
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MEXICO CITY, Mexico. Susana Villarreal, 54, was an activist and actress from Durango, a state in northwestern Mexico. On September 14, she was found dead inside her business. Her body showed signs of physical and sexual violence. Activists are demanding that the justice system investigate with a gender perspective and recognize that this was a transfemicide.
Susana Villareal was a role model for trans women and LGBT+ activists in Durango. She was an entrepreneur and was well-known for her role in Somos, a Netflix series .
“Susy was a symbol of visibility. Being openly trans in Durango has been incredibly difficult. She lived through the worst of times, when there were police raids, and her visibility means so much to us. That's why her trans femicide has left us devastated, afraid, and above all, uncertain. But we will fight for justice for Susy. We will not let this go,” said Alejandra Roldán, a trans activist and president of the Guerreras Diversas por Durango (Diverse Warriors for Durango) association, in an interview with Presentes .
Roldán comments that the transfeminicide of Susana Villarreal is the first in which the family is involved in the demand for justice and that it is made known in the media.
According to the hate crime registry compiled by Letra Ese , between 2015 and 2021 two gay men and one transgender woman were murdered in Durango. Official data on these acts of violence against LGBT+ people is unavailable.
Photo: Andrés Villarreal.
“It must be investigated and named as a transfeminicide.”
On September 14, neighbors in the Tierra Blanca neighborhood called Susana's nephew to alert him that they hadn't seen her for three days and that her business remained closed. After noon that day, the nephew entered the store and found Susana dead. Her body showed signs of physical and sexual violence.
Alejandra Roldán and LGBTI+ activists in Durango are demanding that the Durango State Prosecutor's Office classify the murder of Susana Villarreal as a transfemicide. They are also demanding a gender-sensitive investigation, applying the national protocol for law enforcement personnel in cases involving sexual orientation or gender identity .
“It must be investigated and classified as a transfemicide; otherwise, they are making it invisible that this is happening. The evidence is there, and to say it's just 'homicide' is to make our beloved Susy, a trans woman, invisible. Here in Durango, there are no lines of investigation for transfemicide, and the way Susy's life was taken was a femicide because she was a trans woman. But they don't even take us into account. We demand that the Prosecutor's Office apply the protocols,” the activist explains.
Transfeminicide, not homicide
Although the Durango Penal Code does not explicitly contemplate the crime of hate crime, the provisions on the crime of homicide state that it is also committed when there is: “cruelty, brutal ferocity, for reasons of sexual orientation or gender identity, for reasons of gender against women or for discrimination, aversion or rejection against the victim.”
Furthermore, it is clarified that "gender-related reasons are considered to be the same as those contemplated for the crime of femicide."
In a brief statement regarding whether these provisions are being considered in the investigations into the transphobic murder of Susana Villarreal, an official from the Durango Attorney General's Office reported: “An investigation file has been opened for the crime of homicide. The state's Penal Code does not include hate crimes based on sexual preference (gender identity or sexual orientation). The investigation will determine the lines of inquiry.”
On September 19, the new state attorney general, Sonia Yadira de Garza Fragoso, invited LGBT+ activists to a meeting and assured that "this government will work with respect and equality in the administration of justice."
The media did not respect his identity.
Some local media outlets reported the news without a human rights perspective. Roldán denounces that “the Durango media have speculated, been insensitive and morbid” because they did not respect Susana's pronouns and gender identity; they also revealed her birth name and gave details of how she was found dead inside her business.
“The transfeminicide of our comrade Susy sends a message, the way the media reports it sends a message to the trans community, absolutely. But the message is more one of uncertainty than fear because she was a pillar of our community, and if they did that to her, well, what could happen to us? What could happen to our comrades who work in the sex industry and face even greater risks? There are no guarantees for us trans people,” the activist asks indignantly.
“Let Susy’s transfeminicide not be forgotten”
The activist explains that hate crimes against LGBT+ people committed in the past in the state of Durango were treated by the prosecution and the media as 'crimes of passion'.
Now, with Susana's family's willingness to seek justice and the arrival of the new government, she feels that "for the first time there is openness and an opportunity for justice."
Three days after the new government took office in Durango, the executive branch issued a decree guaranteeing marriage equality. Following this action, the state congress approved amendments to the Civil Code that guarantee this right.
Following this, same-sex marriage is the only right that has been guaranteed in Durango.
“What we see is openness and a willingness to resolve this and other cases (of hate crimes). What we hope is that Susy’s transfeminicide will not be forgotten. We hope that the legislature will guarantee gender identity, criminalize hate crimes, prohibit conversion therapies, and implement policies to access healthcare, education, and jobs that do not involve the risks of sex work. Susy’s case deeply affected us and could set a precedent.”
For now, Roldán says they are not planning marches demanding justice, as activists will focus their efforts on meetings with the Prosecutor's Office to follow up on the investigation into the transfemicide of Susana Villarreal. Furthermore, at the family's request, they will observe a week of mourning.
“If we don’t see any progress, then we’ll see how to advance this movement for justice for Susy and the other cases. In other words, it’s not that we now blindly trust the authorities, it’s that we see an opening to be able to report it,” concludes activist Alejandra Roldán.
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