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San Pedro Sula, Honduras. “Xiomara put a machete to our necks,” two displaced Honduran trans women who were in migration transit through Mexico told Presentes . They had participated in the ceremony on May 9, 2022, where Honduran President Xiomara Castro apologized for the murder of trans activist Vicky Hernández.

Despite Castro's apologies for crimes against sexual dissidents in Honduras, anti-rights activists and religious leaders unleashed a wave of hate and misinformation. This culminated in the murder of 41 LGBTIQ+ people in 2022.

For these two displaced trans women, who were university students studying Administration and Social Work in Honduras, the Honduran president's act is symbolic. She apologized not only for the crime against Hernández, but also for the murders of more than 400 LGBTIQ+ people committed from 2009 to the present. 

Forgiveness request: achievement and reparation

The pardon is an unprecedented achievement in Honduras. It serves as one of the reparations demanded by the Inter-American Court of Human Rights for Hernández's violent death, which occurred during the 2009 coup that overthrew then-President Manuel Zelaya.

Despite the Honduran state's apology, 2022 was one of the worst years for the LGBTIQ+ population. This was stated by the Cattrachas Lesbian Network in its report on violent deaths. The Cattrachas Observatory documented 41 violent deaths of LGBTI people and two missing persons. The figures already far exceed the 29 murders committed in 2021 against Honduras's diverse population.

“The majority of cases of violence against LGBTI people remain unpunished. Measures are needed to investigate and punish those responsible for violence against LGBTIQ+ people,” said Indyra Mendoza of Cattrachas.

For the Lesbian Network, prejudice means the LGBTIQ+ population in Honduras continues to endure the "ridiculous ban" on donating blood, even though it is a common practice in the rest of the Americas.

For a law of identity

Although President Castro apologized on May 9, the Honduran government has made no progress in allowing transgender people to change their names on their ID cards. Authorities continue to discriminate, especially in the National Registry of Persons, where there has still been no political will to comply with the ruling.

Natalie Roque, Secretary of Human Rights, said that since the situation of the sexually dissident population became visible and Xiomara Castro's government assumed compliance with international demands, hate speech has increased. This has a direct impact on the murders of LGBTIQ+ people.

"There are hate campaigns that have been strengthened to prevent the advancement of human rights," Roque told Presentes . He also publicly called on the commissioner of the National Registry of Persons to comply with Vicky Hernández's sentence. This would mean that trans people would be able to change the name on their ID cards.

For his part, Néstor Hernández, director of Honduras Diversa , expressed that one of the biggest problems in violent deaths is the State. "It brings up the issue of LGBTIQ+ rights and then cowardly bows its head when Christian and Catholic leaders come forward with their hate speech."

For Hernández, sexually dissident youth are discouraged. “They voted thinking things would be different, but we continue to see that it's just rhetoric, with no paperwork or decrees.”

What's the next step that will bring us closer to fully enjoying our rights? That's the question transgender people in Honduras continue to ask themselves. "We've knocked on several doors. We see the lack of political will among each of the people involved in this process," said activist Angie Pérez.

Anti-LGBT officials

An example of this lack of political will occurred on May 17, the Day Against LGBTIQ+ Hate, when several organizations demonstrated to demand their rights. Roberto Contreras, mayor of San Pedro Sula, on the country's northern coast, refused to raise the pride flag.

He argued that "he didn't want enemies like the Church or any other sector that might speak out against his government," said Osman Lara, president of the Sula Valley LGBTIQ+ Committee.

It's not just the Honduran political class that commits acts of prejudice against the diverse population. The majority of mainstream media outlets also contribute to this, becoming sources of misinformation. In this way, they perpetuate hatred and prejudice against sexual dissidents.

The media

In June 2022, Honduras National Radio broadcast two audio recordings promoting respect for LGBTIQ+ rights. In one recording, a young woman tells her mother she is lesbian. In the other, an older woman opines that normalcy will only come when the rights of all people are respected.

These radio broadcasts were a historic event in Honduras, as no state media outlet had previously commented on the issue. As a result, the radio station faced negative reactions when anti-rights groups argued that it was an attack on the institution of the family. They also said the campaign was immoral and unsuitable for children.

The radio campaign caused such waves that the Castro government ordered the audio recordings taken off the air and the producer fired. Castro's Press Secretary, Ivis Alvarado, stated that the president "never endorsed it, nor was the campaign ordered. Those responsible for it, who acted arbitrarily, in isolation, and without the consent of the Press Secretariat and the president, have been removed from their positions."

On the other hand, the Tegucigalpa Pastors Association published a statement on August 29, 2022, regarding "attacks on civic principles and values." They stated that they disagreed with the LGBTIQ+ community marching alongside children and youth in the Independence Day celebrations. This statement was an act of disinformation intended to discredit sexual dissidents because they had not requested to participate.

The church protests sparked hateful attacks against LGBTIQ+ people in the media and on social media. An angry citizen group belonging to anti-rights groups reaffirmed the idea that sexual dissidents attacked "the morals and good customs of the country."

A parade with violence

The attacks sparked a reaction from the LGBTIQ+ Kukulcán association. On September 8, it submitted a request to the Ministry of Education to participate in the main parades. It also filed a discrimination complaint with the Public Prosecutor's Office.

Consequently, transgender people marched on September 15. But an anti-rights group met them by throwing bottles filled with urine and dirty diapers at the Francisco Morazán National Stadium in Tegucigalpa, the capital of Honduras. The media focused on one transgender person because they were showing their backside during the march.

However, the hatred didn't end there. On October 31, the Castro administration's Secretary of Health, José Manuel Matheu, said that emergency contraception pills (ECPs) would only be approved in cases of rape. Matheu's statement sparked the ire of feminist and gender-diverse groups. Matheu failed to consider the entire female population. He also excluded lesbian, bisexual, queer, transgender, and non-binary people, among other populations.

 “Women must learn to demand that men use condoms,” said Minister Matheu. This was after the approval of the protocol for victims of sexual violence in December 2022, which included condoms for the first time as a protective measure for victims.

In response to these remarks, Cattrachas released a video demanding that President Xiomara Castro fulfill her promise to approve PAE for all. And that she fire the minister. However, groups close to the government launched a hate campaign against the organization, claiming it has no right to record the president in private meetings.

Attack on organizations

Days after the attack on the Cattrachas Lesbian Network, the organization Somos CDC reported being the victim of a cyberattack. Individuals outside the organization posted sexual content on its Facebook account, leading to its deletion. Somos CDC filed a complaint with the Public Prosecutor's Office (MP) to investigate and find the person responsible for the social media attack.

“During the year, we've received hateful comments on various social media posts, but there's never been an attack of this magnitude. We've seen public officials attacking Cattrachas. It's quite worrying that civil society organizations are being attacked, especially those of us who demand rights,” said Kevhin Ramos, program manager at Somos CDC.  

Despite hatred and misinformation, this year saw the conviction of one of the murderers of Thalía Rodríguez, a trans woman who dedicated her life to activism and the fight for equality. Although two other perpetrators remain at large, this represents an important judicial breakthrough.

Another important case that came before the IACHR is that of a trans woman who has been discriminated against by the prison system since 2017, as she is denied intimate visits with her partner and treated with extreme violence.

While Xiomara Castro's government decides the future of transgender people, they are not staying silent. They complain that they have not been included in the government's negotiation processes regarding Vicky Hernández's sentence.

"With these governments, we've barely managed to include the image of our gender expression in our identity. We want the name change, as it makes many things easier for us. And more than anything, it respects our gender expression in every aspect of our country," said Ruby, 33, a technician with the Rainbow Dolls collective.