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Samantha Fonseca

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In this Spanish name, the first or paternal surname is Gómez and the second or maternal family name is Fonseca.
Samantha Fonseca
Samantha Gómez Fonseca
Fonseca in 2011
Personal details
Born13 October 1987
Monterrey, Nuevo León, Mexico
Died14 January 2024 (aged 37)
Xochimilco, Mexico City, Mexico
Resting placePanteón Jardines, Tlalnepantla de Baz, State of Mexico
Political partyMorena
Other political
affiliations
ProfessionLGBTQ rights and prisoners' rights activist

Samantha Carolina Gómez Fonseca (1987 – 14 January 2024) was a Mexican politician and a prisoners' rights and LGBTQ rights activist. She was murdered on 14 January 2024, in Mexico City. At the time of her killing, she was a pre-candidate from the Morena Party for the Senate of the Republic.

Biography

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Fonseca was born in Monterrey, Nuevo León, and studied law and business administration.[1] In 2007, she was accused of aggravated robbery and attempted homicide by a former roommate, which she has denied.[1][2] She was incarcerated at the men's Reclusorio Preventivo Varonil Norte prison, despite her gender identity of a trans woman.[2] In prison, she suffered physical abuse and sexual assault by other inmates.[1][2] She was released after three months due to a lack of evidence. Lawyer Jaime López Vela of the Agenda LGBT organization aided in her release.[1][2]

Career

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After her release, López Vela introduced her to the Labor Party (PT), where she joined the Office of Sexual Diversity Attention in Cuauhtémoc.[1][2] She rose through the party, eventually becoming a national coordinator for sexual diversity and gender equity.[1][3] During her time at PT, she contributed to drafting the Law on Sexual Diversity, which was presented to the Senate of the Republic.[4] She consistently visited prisons throughout Mexico to speak with prisoners on rights' violations, help with social reintegration, give workshops, and hold organized events for the benefit of inmates.[1][5]

She later joined the Citizens' Movement party, where she served as a secretary of Human Rights in the Federal District.[1][3] She became a candidate in the June 2016 Constituent Assembly of Mexico City elections for the New Alliance Party.[1][4] In May 2023, she was nominated for the Medal of Merit for Human Rights Defenders 2022 by the Congress of Mexico City.[6][7] In November 2023, she registered as a Senate candidate for the Morena party.[5][8][9]

Murder

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On 14 January 2024, hours before her killing, Fonseca posted on social media supporting a protest against institutional transphobia the following day.[6][10][11] That day, Fonseca visited the Reclusorio Sur men's prison in the Tepalcatlalpan neighborhood of Mexico City, speaking with prisoners.[3][12][13] Fonseca entered into a DiDi ridesharing vehicle after leaving the prison.[5][12][14] Several bullets were shot into the vehicle in the borough of Xochimilco, killing Fonseca.[6][10] Various Morena politicians, LGBT+ organizations and activists condemned the murder.[6][10][11] The Attorney General of Mexico City announced an investigation into the killing as an act of transfemicide.[5][10][11] She was the fourth transgender person killed in Mexico in 2024, being killed three days after the killing of Miriam Noemi Ríos, another transgender woman and activist, in Jacona, Michoacán.[8][14][15][16]

The following day, during the protest that she had planned to attend, marchers protested her killing and called for more comprehensive hate crime laws.[9][15][17][18] She was buried at Panteón Jardines in Tlalnepantla on 16 January 2024.[19]

References

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  1. ^ a b c d e f g h i Aquino, Eriendira (13 May 2017). "De la cárcel a la defensa de derechos: Samantha cuenta cómo es la política para una mujer trans" [From prison to defense of rights: Samantha tells what politics is like for a trans woman]. Animal Político (in Spanish). Retrieved 28 January 2025.
  2. ^ a b c d e Tavira Álvarez, Alberto (24 May 2011). "Samantha, una transexual en el reclusorio varonil" [Samantha, a transsexual in the men's penitentiary]. Animal Politico (in Spanish). Retrieved 1 March 2025.
  3. ^ a b c Paz, Pamela (15 January 2024). "¿Quién Era Samantha Fonseca, Activista Asesinada en CDMX?" [Who Was Samantha Fonseca, Activist Murdered in CDMX? Her fight against discrimination]. N+ (in Spanish). Retrieved 28 January 2025.
  4. ^ a b "Conoce a Samantha Fonseca, candidata transexual a la Asamblea Constituyente" [Meet Samantha Fonseca, transgender candidate for the Constituent Assembly]. Sdpnoticias (in Spanish). 31 May 2016. Retrieved 28 January 2025.
  5. ^ a b c d Fuentes, David (14 January 2024). "Asesinan a la activista y mujer trans Samantha Fonseca, al salir del Reclusorio Sur; fue candidata a senadora por Morena" [Trans woman and activist Samantha Fonseca was murdered as she left Reclusorio Sur; she was a candidate for senator for Morena.]. El Universal (in Spanish). Retrieved 28 January 2025.
  6. ^ a b c d Ramírez, Iván (14 January 2024). "Asesinan a Samantha Carolina Gomes, activista trans-en-CdMx" [Samantha Carolina Gomes, trans activist murdered in Mexico City]. Milenio (in Spanish). Retrieved 28 January 2025.
  7. ^ "Congreso CDMX reconoce a personas defensoras de derechos humanos" [CDMX Congress recognizes human rights defenders]. Congress of Mexico City (in Spanish). 24 October 2023. Retrieved 28 January 2025.
  8. ^ a b "Matan a activista trans Samantha Gomes en CDMX; fue precandidata de Morena al Senado" [Trans activist Samantha Gomes killed in CDMX; she was Morena's pre-candidate for the Senate]. Radio Fórmula (in Spanish). 14 January 2024. Retrieved 28 January 2025.
  9. ^ a b Factora, James (16 January 2024). "At Least Three Trans People Have Been Killed in Mexico This Month". Them. Retrieved 28 January 2025.
  10. ^ a b c d Sandoval, Por Anayeli Tapia (15 January 2024). "Quién era Samantha Gomes Fonseca, activista trans que fue asesinada en Xochimilco" [Who was Samantha Gomes Fonseca, trans activist who was murdered in Xochimilco?]. Infobae (in European Spanish). Retrieved 28 January 2025.
  11. ^ a b c Cruz, Mónica (15 January 2024). "¿Quién fue Samantha Fonseca, la mujer trans asesinada que aspiraba al Senado por Morena?" [Who was Samantha Fonseca, the murdered trans woman who aspired to the Senate for Morena?]. Político MX (in Spanish). Archived from the original on 15 January 2024. Retrieved 28 February 2024.
  12. ^ a b Na'a, Joseph (15 January 2024). "'El Carnes', el reo al que visitó la activista trans Samantha Gomes antes de ser asesinada" [El Carnes', the inmate visited by trans activist Samantha Gomes before she was killed]. Excélsior (in Spanish). Retrieved 28 January 2025.
  13. ^ López, América (15 January 2024). "Precandidata al Senado, Samantha Fonseca, es asesinada tras visita a Reclusorio Sur" [Senate pre-candidate, Samantha Fonseca, is murdered after visit to Reclusorio Sur]. TV Azteca (in Spanish). Retrieved 28 January 2025.
  14. ^ a b "Transgender rights activist Samantha Gomes Fonseca murdered in Mexico City". Mexico News Daily. 15 January 2024. Retrieved 28 January 2025.
  15. ^ a b Janetsky, Megan (16 January 2024). "Wave of transgender slayings in Mexico spurs anger and protests by LGBTQ+ community". Associated Press. Retrieved 28 January 2025.
  16. ^ Savinar, William (16 January 2024). "Trans women demand dignity after activist murdered in Mexico City". Courthouse News Service. Retrieved 1 March 2025.
  17. ^ "Protestan por ola de transfeminicidios en México" [Protest against wave of transfeminicides in Mexico]. Eje Central (in Spanish). 15 January 2024. Retrieved 28 January 2025.
  18. ^ "Protest at Mexico's National Palace after murder of trans activist". EFE. 15 January 2024. Retrieved 28 January 2025.
  19. ^ Morales Ponce, Rogelio (16 January 2024). "Sepelio Samantha Fonseca" [Funeral Samantha Fonseca]. Cuartoscuro (in Spanish). Retrieved 1 March 2025.
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