How Mexico City’s Trans Women are Resisting on Dia de los Muertos

Eight years after trans sex worker Paola Buenrostro was killed in a hate crime, Fergie, a trans beneficiary of the wellness programs established in Paola’s name poses by a Día de los Muertos altar for her on the street where she was taken in Mexico City.

Paola Buenrostro's story sparked an artistic and legal movement for the protection of trans women in Mexico. Her case was the first officially recognized transfeminicide in the country. Now, trans women like Fergie benefit from the programs established and the Paola Buenrostro Law that protects trans women.

Fergie is a trans participant in several programs of the Casa Hogar Paola Buenrostro, a space of tribute founded by Paola Buenrostro’s friend turned lgbtqia rights activist Kenya Cuevas, to support trans sex workers and people with other marginalized experiences.

Dia de los Muertos holds a pre-hispanic indigenous significance in the way death is perceived, reminding us that death is a cultivator of life. Let’s continue advocating for trans and sexworker communities to live safer lives.

Como Resisten Las Mujeres Trans de CDMX en Dia de los Muertos

Ocho años después de que Paola Buenrostro, una trabajadora sexual trans, fuera asesinada en un crimen de odio, Fergie, una mujer trans beneficiaria de los programas de bienestar establecidos en nombre de Paola, posa junto a una ofrenda de Día de los Muertos dedicada a su memoria en la calle donde fue asesinada, en la Ciudad de México.

La historia de Paola Buenrostro impulsó un movimiento artístico y legal para la protección de las mujeres trans en México. Su caso fue el primer transfeminicidio oficialmente reconocido en el país. Ahora, mujeres trans como Fergie se benefician de los programas establecidos y de la Ley Paola Buenrostro que protege a las mujeres trans.

Fergie es participante y beneficiaria en varios programas de la Casa Hogar Paola Buenrostro, un espacio de tributo fundado por Kenya Cuevas, amiga de Paola y activista de derechos LGBTQIA, para apoyar a trabajadoras sexuales trans y a otras poblaciones en situaciones de vulnerabilidad.

El Día de los Muertos tiene un significado prehispánico e indígena profundo en la forma en que se percibe la muerte, recordándonos que la muerte es un cultivador de la vida. Sigamos luchando por nuestras comunidades trans y trabajadoras sexuales para que puedan vivir vidas más seguras.

Person with skeletal face paint, wearing a skeleton shirt and red garment, surrounded by orange fabric or decoration.

A person dressed in a Day of the Dead-inspired skeleton costume featuring a red dress with puffed sleeves, a black corset, and skeleton face paint, holding a large orange hat decorated with feathers and flowers.

Person dressed in a skeleton costume with painted face, wearing a red wide-brimmed hat and red dress, standing outdoors at night with flowers in the background.

A person dressed in traditional Mexican attire with a skeleton face paint, holding flowers, sitting among colorful floral arrangements and candles, likely during the Day of the Dead celebration.

Person dressed in skeleton costume with face painted as skull and black eye makeup, holding a lit candle in a red velvet glove, with a red veil or fabric over their head.

A person dressed in a red gown with ruffles and gloves, wearing a large red hat with a pink feather, and face painted as a skull, sitting and holding a bouquet of flowers at a Dia de los Muertos celebration with candles and floral arrangements in the

A woman dressed in a red dress with a large red hat with white feather, face painted as a skeleton, holding a potted flower, participating in a Día de los Muertos celebration with candles and flower arrangements in the background.

A person dressed in a skeleton costume with a red and black dress and a wide-brimmed hat decorated with pink feathers and flowers, standing outdoors at night with city buildings in the background.

A person dressed in a red and black costume with a striped shirt, corset, and large red hat with pink and purple feathers, arms outstretched, during a celebration or event.