Six months after the triple lesbian murder in Barracas, the hotel is marked to remember Pamela, Roxana, and Andrea.
With a plaque and a festival, LGBT activists paid tribute to Roxana, Pamela, and Andrea, victims of the triple lesbicide in Barracas.
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BUENOS AIRES, Argentina. Wednesday, November 6, marked six months since the brutal attack on four lesbian women, in which three of them died. To remember them, LGBT activists held a tribute that began outside the hotel where they were murdered and ended at Plaza Colombia.
“In this building, on May 6, 2024, Pamela Fabiana Cobas, Mercedes Roxana Figueroa, and Andrea Amarante were massacred for being lesbians, in an attack fueled by hatred and discrimination, an act that distances us from an inclusive, equitable, and egalitarian society. It was lesbicide. Justice means that it never happens again,” reads the plaque placed on the doors of the Canarias Hotel, located at Olavarría 1621, Barracas.
In addition to the tribute, the call for justice for the triple lesbicide and the demand for the case to be changed to a hate crime were renewed. During the activities organized by the Barracas Self-Convened Lesbians, they called for justice, a change in the case, and reparations for Sofía.
It was lesbicide
In the early hours of May 6, Justo Fernando Barrientos, a tenant of the Hotel Canarias, went from threats and insults to arson . He used a homemade explosive to set fire to the room where Pamela Cobbas, her partner Roxana Figueroa, and, temporarily, Sofía Castro Riglos and Andrea Amarante were staying. Pamela, Roxana, and Andrea died, while Sofía survived but spent time hospitalized due to severe burns.
According to the neighbors' accounts, which have not been considered in the case file until now, Barrientos insulted and harassed the women. "He hated them for being lesbians," they told Presentes . However, Judge Eduardo Rabbone, who is overseeing the case, did not consider either femicide or lesbicide (hate crimes). The case is charged with treachery.
The call to change the cover was repeated at several demonstrations. It was even included in the document for the Plurinational Meeting of Women and Diversity and also for the 33rd LGBT Pride March. At the event held on Saturday, November 2nd, on the Plaza de Mayo stage, the activists of Lesbianes Autoconvocades were honored.
A network to repair, heal and demand justice
The hate crime occurred in a context of rising hate speech. A week earlier, an influencer in a media outlet had described homosexuality as a disease. The executive branch, through its top official, President Javier Milei, has been busy singling out and condemning people of color. This same phenomenon is being multiplied by journalistic operators (as happened a few days ago with Eduardo Feinman) and by violent and aggressive trolling on social media.
LGBT activism was vital in spreading the word about this hate crime, but also in supporting Sofía Riglos Castro, the only survivor of the brutal crime. The organizations Yo no fui and No tan distintxs Casa Andrea in October , a collective housing project for women, children, and LGBTQ+ individuals.
"This community experience will allow them to organize their finances, plan a medium-term housing strategy, share caregiving duties, and create networks to pursue a different life plan," both organizations stated in a statement. Casa Andrea will accommodate eight people and will have a space to handle emergency situations.
They explained that the name Casa Andrea came about in homage to Andrea 'la Chucky' Zapata, who was a member of No Tan Distintxs and lived in Casa Leonor.
They added, "Andrea is Andrea Amarante, a victim of the Barracas lesbicide, whose companion Sofi, a survivor of the massacre and a member of YoNoFui, will live in this house. Andrea is all the Andreas. All the companions who are homeless, in prison, in detention centers, or who have gone through these experiences. Andrea is also the other names that make up the struggle, like Pamela and Roxana, also victims of lesbicide," they expressed.
Photo: Courtesy Shok Argentina .
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