Mexico’s first openly non-binary judge found dead

Mexico’s first openly non-binary judge and prominent LGBTQ+ activist, Jesús Ociel Baena Saucedo, was found dead at home in the central state of Aguascalientes, this Monday (13).

A second person, who was identified as Baena’s partner, was also found dead in the house where the two lived, according to authorities in Aguascalientes, nearly 500 kilometers northwest of the capital, Mexico City.

Mexico’s Security Minister Rosa Icela Rodríguez said the cause of death is so far unknown, while Attorney General Jesús Figueroa said there is no evidence of foul play at this time.

“The investigation will be carried out,” said Rodríguez during President Andrés Manuel López Obrador’s daily press conference, also this Monday (13).

The prosecutor’s office said that preliminary conclusions indicate that no traces of blood were found outside the crime scene, that there was no damage to the access to the house and that they are ruling out the “presence of a third person” involved in the deaths. The office added that “one of the lifeless bodies found was holding a cutting instrument.”

Figueroa said the case will be investigated from a gender perspective because Baena identified as a non-binary person, although there is no mention that the deaths are potentially linked to a hate crime.

For just over a year, Baena was a member of the Aguascalientes Electoral Court.

Baena told CNN en Español in October last year that there was no record in Latin America of a non-binary judge.

“I want to send the message that the LGBTQ+ population can access these spaces, that there is a possibility, that we have people with enough profile who, on their own merits, can access these spaces where decisions are made,” said Baena at the time.

While Latin America has made impressive progress on marriage equality over the decades, LGBTQ+ activists and gender minorities denounce violent attacks and discrimination from social and religious conservatives.

Same-sex marriage has been legalized in all 32 states in Mexico after Tamaulipas became the latest state to vote to authorize unions in 2022.

The Mexican city of Guadalajara also co-organized this month’s “Gay Games”, alongside Hong Kong. It was the first time both continents hosted the inclusive sporting event amid opposition from conservative politicians.