This year has unleashed a new wave of media attention to Puerto Rico after a series of high-profile cases involving the horrific murders of transgender people. Recently, the burned bodies of Serena Angelique Velázquez and Layla Pelaez were found under a bridge in Humacao.
This is the third high-profile case so far this year, following the murders of Yampi, a 19-year-old transgender man and Alexa, a 29-year-old transgender woman whose death shook the island when she was killed after being exposed on social media for using a McDonald’s bathroom that matched her gender identity.
I want to be clear in mentioning that this problem is not unique to Puerto Rico. As a matter of fact, here in Florida, there has been a sequence of murders of transgender people in the Jacksonville and Orlando areas that are presumed to be acts of a serial killer. Around the world, these types of homicide occur due to the hatred of what is perceived as different.
Homophobia and transphobia exist in almost all modern cultures, and they give unfounded justification to the people who perpetrate these crimes.
In the context of Puerto Rico, people live in a chauvinistic culture that not only results in the killing of transgender people; domestic violence and femicides are also rampant. Institutional violence also exists that comes from the state, like when the police department’s media team inaccurately referred to Alexa as “a man in a skirt,” thereby reducing her gender identity to her attire and failing to recognize that this in fact involved a transgender person. This is in addition to the Puerto Rican government’s refusal to investigate these cases as hate crimes.
Recently, the FBI ruled in the murder cases of Serena Angelique and Layla, after their murderers, ages 19 and 21, confessed. Both the accused faced federal hate crime charges and could be subject to capital punishment for their gruesome acts. On the other hand, Alexa’s presumed killer is only 17 years old. The fact that these suspected murders are so young speaks to how strong and pervasive machismo is in Puerto Rican culture, as well as how crucial the role of education is in preventing future such cases.
Now the question remains, what can we do to evolve as a society and improve our treatment of transgender people? Education is always important. As part of Alianza for Progress, I had the opportunity to organize a short film festival called “Noche Boriqueer,” geared toward the Puerto Rican and Hispanic community. One of the short films (“Sam,” 2017) was about a transgender man that faced great challenges in finding employment, and as a result, struggled to pay his medical bills. This is an experience shared by a large percentage of the trans community today. I am very happy to be part of a progressive organization that has afforded me the opportunity to organize these types of activities that serve to educate our people about queer experiences within our culture. Awareness about these topics is of the utmost importance, especially since different institutions have generated harmful stereotypes about the trans community that are not necessarily rooted in reality and can be very dangerous.
For years, there have been attempts to incorporate a diverse perspective on gender in public schools in Puerto Rico. This has failed time and time again, due to the insistence of a conservative sector who see this as contrary to their personal beliefs. But considering the prevalence of chauvinistic violence, this would be an important step for the next generation to understand that being a man is not superior to being a woman, that gender doesn’t exist in the realm of household duties, that women can participate in every aspect of society and that their lives, regardless of whether they are trans or not, have the same value. At the end of the day, they deserve the same respect as all other people.
Another way of demonstrating acceptance is through the use of pronouns. The pronouns “him, her, they” are words we use every day without even thinking about it, but for people who are transgender or nonbinary, pronouns are very important in helping them express their identities to the world, and we should be conscious and respectful of that. If you’re not sure of what pronoun to use, asking “How do you identify?” in a respectful manner is an effective way to validate the identity of each individual. Likewise, if someone lets you know they prefer the pronoun “X or Y,” using said pronoun denotes acceptance.
Surprisingly to me, Alexa’s case evoked a sense of collective indignation that had never before been seen with any similar case in Puerto Rico. This gives me hope for the future as I see a level of consciousness that didn’t previously exist. Unfortunately, as that indignation grows, so does the global incidence of these crimes. One cannot bury one’s head in the sand. In Puerto Rico as in the United States and in the vast majority of the world, homophobia and transphobia exist. For as many people who exist with hate in their hearts, there are many more who are understanding and compassionate of the difficulties facing trans people on a daily basis. Discrimination in the workplace, barriers in using restrooms, and healthcare services are just a few of these challenges. At the same time, there exists in Puerto Rico a vibrant LGBTQ+ community to which I belong, and I feel it is important to also recognize the valuable role that we play in the creation of a diverse and equitable society for all.
We live in a very particular time during which we think we see the wave of transphobic violence rising, but sadly, this has been a part of our reality for several generations. The truth is, what is growing is our social conscience for these people, and for these crimes based on machismo and hate. With education, and with great respect for life, perhaps we can ensure these crimes are someday in the distant past.
Elimelec Berrios is originally from Puerto Rico and a graduate of the University of Puerto Rico, where he took several Gender Studies courses and organized their first student mobilization for the Gay Pride parade in San Juan. He now works for Alianza for Progress and also serves as an ambassador for the program ¡Hablando Alto! for HIV education and prevention in the Hispanic community in Central Florida.
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