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Alessa and Paola: Trans Murder Victims Do Not Get Justice

Photo: Andalalucha/Twitter
Photo: Andalalucha/Twitter

“No + Muertes Trans!!” one woman wrote across a trans flag for today’s protest in Mexico City fighting the murder of Alessa Flores and Paola – who were Mexican sex workers. Alessa Flores was murdered by strangulation at Hotel Caleta – in which she lived in – in the neighborhood of the borough of Cuauhtémoc in the center of Mexico City; Paola was killed by gunshot one night in a grey Nissan by Arturo Delgadillo after he offered her 200 pesos (around $10) to have sex with him.

Nothing was done about Alessa’s assassination and Paola’s murderer is still walking free as we speak, all his charges were dropped. What’s the worst part about this? This is nothing new. And it angers me even saying that. According to Susana Vargas 10 trans women had already been killed two weeks prior to the wake of Alessa, “En el velorio de Alessa me enteré que en las últimas dos semanas, diez mujeres transgénero y transexuales, trabajadoras sexuales de diferentes puntos clave como Tlalpan, Eje Central y Revolución, han sido asesinadas.” Between January 2008 and 2016, there has also been 2,115 cases in over 65 countries of the killings of “trans and gender diverse people” – 78% of them were from Latin America.

Trans communities are one of the most affected communities in the LGBT+ community. Our brothers and sisters are being senselessly murdered and we’re not paying attention; we’re not listening to what they have to say. Yes, I’m distraught and I’m angry but I’m still alive and that’s not a luxury that Alessa nor Paola still have. There’s nothing I can do anymore for them but bring awareness and demand justice. Trans people exist and they shouldn’t feel proud of who they are without living in fear of being murdered.

For more information and to read the whole story about Paola, click HERE

Click HERE for the online petition on change.org – that has over 7,000 signatures – to help bring justice to Paola.

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