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MEXICO CITY. At least 55 transgender women have been murdered in Mexico so far in 2024, according to data compiled by the National Trans Non-Binary Assembly and the Transcontingenta collective. This figure surpasses the number of transgender women victims of femicide documented by activists in 2023. 

The five recent victims are Mayte López Regalado, a trans woman and muxe; María Lima; Ariana Ponce; Rigo Calderón; and one more whose name is unknown. The main forms of violence inflicted were firearms, beatings, and torture. In two of the last five reported trans femicides, the perpetrators were identified and are being held in pretrial detention.

In the first nine and a half months of 2024, at least 55 transgender women were murdered. Transgender activists insist that 2024 has become one of the most violent years for transgender women in Mexico. To put the situation into perspective, in2023, 66 hate crimes against LGBT+ people were recorded, 43 of which targeted transgender women. 

According to the organizations, Mexico City has the highest number of documented transfemicides. It is followed by Jalisco, Morelos, Tabasco, and Nuevo León.

The IACHR warned, but the Mexican State has not responded.

In August, the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (IACHR) urged the Mexican government to take action and condemned the increase in violence against trans women in Mexico, where impunity prevails.

The IACHR calls for monitoring the actions of Mexican authorities, along with the implementation of the National Protocol for LGBTI+ Action to Access Justice. It also stressed the need to “redouble efforts to prevent and punish acts of violence against transgender people.” It noted that “the lack of a thorough investigation can lead to an alarming situation of impunity.”

“It is essential that the State and local authorities strengthen their efforts to combat hate-motivated violence, solidifying coordination mechanisms between different levels of government to ensure a comprehensive and effective response,” the IACHR statement said.

In most of the trans femicides documented in 2024, the perpetrators are unknown and no arrests have been made. No Mexican state institution has commented on the increase in trans femicide violence. Nor has it made public any information regarding addressing the Inter-American Commission's recommendations. 

Mayte López Regalado, muxe and trans queen

Three-year-old Mayte López Regalado was crowned muxe queenIt was at the 43rd edition of the Vela Muxe de las Intrépidas Buscadoras del Peligro (Muxe Festival of the Intrepid Danger Seekers), a celebration in Juchitán, Oaxaca, that aims to honor the muxes. Mayte was also a bodybuilder. 

She was found on October 1st with signs of torture. Her body had a gunshot wound. She was lying on a stretch of the highway that connects Tehuantepec and Juchitán. 

Mayte was known far beyond Juchitán. When the news spread, organizations and collectives from across the country condemned the act. Members of the Trans, Indigenous, and Afro-descendant Gathering of the State of Oaxaca demanded a thorough investigation, an end to impunity, and the implementation of public policies to guarantee the safety and human rights of trans, Indigenous, and Afro-descendant people in Oaxaca. 

In 2022, three muxe people were murdered, according to data from Letra S. Activist Sofía Guandulain of Trans Difusión, a trans organization in Oaxaca, told this media outlet that violence against muxe women and LGBT+ people in Oaxaca has increased. 

“The situation of violence in Oaxaca is affecting our Muxe sisters and LGBT+ people, and especially trans women. It's not just about hate crimes. It's also structural violence and discrimination that are putting us at risk. And there are no public policies for prevention, nor any guarantee of rights.”

Trans victims in Zacatecas and Tamaulipas

Rigo Calderón was murdered on September 4th in the street in the municipality of Guadalupe, Zacatecas state. According to local press, an armed group shot her at least four times. This is the first reported transfemicide in that state. Her age is unknown, but local activists say she was around 50 years old.

According to the Letra S organization's hate crime database, eight hate crimes against LGBT+ people were recorded in the state of Zacatecas between 2015 and 2022. Three of these were against trans women, reported in 2017, 2021, and 2022. 

“We could say that in Zacatecas we had no transfemicides. We hope the authorities solve this. We want to know the motives and for justice to be served for her and the entire trans community,” said activist Fernanda Perera of the organization Fundación Transitando Libres in an interview with the media outlet NMás.

In Tamaulipas, in northern Mexico, a trans woman, whose name has not been released, was beaten to death. Local media outlets violated the victim's rights by failing to respect her gender identity and pronouns. According to the Transcontingenta collective, the victim was between 45 and 50 years old.

Ariana and Massiell were under 35 years old

Ariana Ponce was 25 years old. According to reporter Oscar Rosales of the local news outlet Raichali, Ariana's partner reported her death after finding her lifeless body at her home. According to the same outlet, the Chihuahua Attorney General's Office reported that she was murdered with a bladed weapon. 

Ariana was originally from the municipality of Cuauhtémoc, in Chihuahua. This northern state consistently ranks among the top five in Mexico for hate crimes against LGBT people, according to reports from Letra S.

The Morrxs Autónomxs Civil Society collective, a transfeminist and pro-abortion organization, condemned the act. They demanded “a swift response and clarification of the crime committed against this woman. And that the investigation proceed with a gender perspective. We need the current government to consider a strong strategy to prevent hatred, discrimination, and lack of access to justice for transgender people.” 

On September 21, the Prosecutor's Office announced the arrest of Salomón G. M. as the alleged perpetrator of Ariana's murder. The court stated that he is being held in pretrial detention and is under investigation for the crime of aggravated femicide.

In the state of Tlaxcala, 34-year-old María Lima was beaten to death by her romantic partner on September 19 in Huamantla, Tlaxcala, a state in central Mexico. 

According to several local press reports, María was found dead inside her apartment after a 911 call from someone who heard an argument. “Officers found two people lying on the floor (…) and upon assessing the person who had been identified as María, she no longer had vital signs,” newspaper reported Sol de Tlaxcala 

According to Quadratin, María's partner was arrested. The Tlaxcala Attorney General's Office has opened an investigation for "aggravated homicide" and he is being held in pretrial detention.