Vazquez, who
was not identified in initial reports, was found dead in her apartment just
days before Texas Gov. Greg Abbott directed the state to interpret
trans-affirming care as child abuse. According to the Organization for Latina
Trans in Texas, Vazquez immigrated to the United States six months ago.
“As most trans
women who are here from Latina America, they are here because they are scared
of being killed in their own country,” a friend of the victim, Gia
Pacheco, told
KTRK Houston. “She had just moved into her new apartment and was very
excited about decorating.”
Another
friend, Valentin Terrazas noted that Latin America can be particularly
dangerous for transgender women. Transgender women, particularly Black and
Latinx women, also face high
rates of violence across the United States.
“There’s a lot
of transphobia in Latin America,” friend Valentin Terrazas added. “They come
here for refuge and to better their lives and have a future here.”
Vazquez was
discovered by her boyfriend Saturday night and appeared to have been deceased
since some time that morning. According to KPRC Click2Houston, the apartment
door was unlocked and there were no
signs of forced entry.
Police are
still investigating the incident, and have not yet identified next of kin or a
suspect. While they have not shared any theories about a motive for the murder,
Pacheco has a theory.
“Whenever a
trans person is killed, they are killed because they are trans,” they
explained.
Vazquez is the
latest in a long list of transgender women to be murdered in Texas in recent
years, including Muhlasia Booker, Chynal Lindsey, Tracy Williams, Karla
Patricia Pavón, Brittany White, Nicole Hall, Brandy Seals, Erykah Tijerina, and
others.
“Texas is one
of the deadliest places in America for trans women and that’s important to look
at,” Courtney Sellers, executive director of LGBTQ nonprofit Montrose Grace Place,
told KTRK after police found Vazquez’s body.
SOURCE: LGBTQ NATION
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