A year ago, Jesús Ociel Baena Saucedo made history by becoming the first non-binary person to assume a judicial position in Mexico.
On Monday, Baena Saucedo, who used the pronoun “elle,” and their partner were found dead in their home, prompting urgent calls from the LGBTQ community in Mexico to determine if their deaths were related to the promotion of non-binary rights.
Authorities in the state of Aguascalientes, where the 38-year-old Baena Saucedo served as a magistrate in the electoral court, have stated that their partner, Dorian Herrera, 37, appeared to be responsible for the magistrate’s death, which they allegedly caused with razors before committing suicide.
However, leaders of the LGBTQ community in Mexico wonder if such a quick assessment is more consistent with what they claim is the pattern of authorities, who often dismiss the deaths of LGBTQ individuals as crimes of passion.
Baena Saucedo, who often wore skirts and high heels and wore makeup, said they had received threats as a result of their prominent role as one of the most visible LGBTQ personalities in the country.
“Yesterday felt like the whole community was in shock,” said Alex Orué, an activist in Mérida, the capital of the state of Yucatán.
Marches were organized throughout Mexico on Monday night to demand a thorough investigation by the authorities.
“We come together as a community in the face of tragedies,” said Orué, who identifies as non-binary and attended a gathering in Mérida.
Any attack or hate crime against members of the LGBTQ community shocks people and generates fear, Orué added. But the deaths of Baena Saucedo and their partner, they said, were even more painful.
“If someone with that level of visibility, with that public position, being a magistrate, and also with the protection of the State because they lived with threats, this happens to them, what awaits the rest of us?” said Orué.
Jesús Figueroa Ortega, the Attorney General of Aguascalientes, said on a radio program Tuesday morning that the investigation thus far suggests that Baena Saucedo and their partner began to fight in a room on the second floor, where bloodstains were found leading downstairs.
According to Figueroa Ortega, investigators found 20 wounds on Baena Saucedo’s body, caused by a razor blade. A security camera video shows the couple entering their home around 1 a.m. on Sunday. After that, no one else was seen entering.
Figueroa Ortega said that Herrera, Baena Saucedo’s partner, may have used another razor blade to inflict a thin, fatal wound on their neck. “We could say that is the conclusion we have with the expert information at this moment,” said Figueroa Ortega, although he cautioned that the investigation is still ongoing.
Cristian González Cabrera, an LGBTQ rights researcher specializing in Latin America for Human Rights Watch, said it was “disappointingly common” for prosecutors in Mexico to share information before concluding an investigation.
“It’s dangerous in the sense that it begins to shape the narrative around the case without all the facts,” he said.
In Latin America, Mexico ranks second only to Brazil in the number of hate crimes against LGBTQ people, according to human rights defenders.
Baena Saucedo was a pioneering figure among non-binary individuals who influenced changes in Mexican society, including how many people identify themselves on official documents and also in speaking and writing in Spanish.
This year, Baena Saucedo was one of the first people in the country to receive a passport describing them as non-binary. And in May, when they succeeded in having their birth certificate also identify them as “gender: non-binary,” Baena Saucedo said it was the first time anyone had been able to do so in Coahuila, their home state.
“And endure!” they wrote on X, the social network formerly known as Twitter.
Baena Saucedo insisted on being referred to using the gender-neutral title of “le magistrade,” instead of “el magistrado,” in order to focus efforts on relaxing the rules of a Romance language where nouns often have feminine or masculine gender. A few weeks ago, Baena also became the first person in Mexico to receive an academic title of “maestre” in electoral law.
“An expansion of gender identity recognition throughout Mexico, if something positive could come out of this horrible incident, would be a very important outcome and would definitely honor their legacy,” said González Cabrera.
Despite the numerous threats and insults they received, Orué added, Baena Saucedo seemed to live without fear.
“Ociel always sought to listen, sought to have dialogues,” said Orué. “Their intention was always to reach that point of equity for everyone, but particularly for the non-binary community.”
Simon Romero is a correspondent in Mexico City, covering Mexico, Central America, and the Caribbean. He has served as bureau chief for the Times in Brazil and the Andes, as