LGBT activist in Oaxaca found slain; promoted Zapotec ‘3rd gender’

Advocated for third-gender roles in Zapotec society

Óscar Cazorla. Photo: Facebook

A defender of LGBT rights and proponent of muxe culture in Oaxaca has been found dead in an apparently violent attack.

Óscar Cazorla was at home in the Juchitán de Zaragoza municipality when he was killed.

“They find the lifeless activist muxe, Óscar Cazorla, who for decades fought in favor of the LGBT community,” said a spokesman for the nonprofit human rights group Cencos.

According to local media in the southern Mexican state of Oaxaca, Cazorla was found in a pool of blood.

Cazorla, 62, was one of the founders of one of the most popular celebrations of sexual diversity. Its name translates roughly to “The Authentic Intrepid Seekers of Danger.”

He self-identified as a muxe, which in the indigenous Zapotec culture is seen as a “third gender,” mixing masculine and feminine qualities in ancestral roles.

As it is known in Spanish, Las Auténticas Intrépidas Buscadoras del Peligro has celebrated the role of the muxe in society for more than 40 years.

Cazorla’s death triggered a rush of condolences and consternation.

“I join the sorrow of my sisters muxes of the The Authentic Intrepid Seekers of Danger. … rest in peace Óscar Cazorla,” wrote Greece Jiménez, a muxe and 2018 candidate for mayor of Magdalena Tlacotepec.

Another muxe, Teca Sicaru, wrote on Facebook: “… I shed tears of sadness when writing this text. Óscar was one of those who guided me in my beginnings of muxe.”

“The Authentic Intrepid Seekers of Danger are in mourning. You have left us with a broken heart. Rest in peace, my brother Óscar Cazorla,” added another muxe, Felina Santiago, writing on social media.

The isthmus of Tehuantepec, where Juchitán de Zaragoza is located, is known for its community of muxes.

Source: EFE

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