Agnés Torres Hernández


Agnes Torres Hernández, or Agnés Torres was a Mexican psychologist, researcher, and transgender activist.
Torres advocated for the legal recognition of transgender people in Mexico, and was murdered for her work on 23 March 2012. After her death, the Puebla state congress incorporated "hate crime" into the Civil Defense Code for crimes made on the basis of gender or sexual orientation.

Education

Agnes Torres Hernández, born Abraham Torres, completed her psychology degree with honors in 2001 at Veracruz University. However, she was unable to actually receive her degree because prevented the issuing of the document under the name Agnes.
In May 2014, Veracruz University issued Torres her degree post mortem in recognition of her social and activist work.

Activism

Torres advocated for the right to rectify birth certificates and collaborated with Humana Nación Trans to seek respect and recognition for transgender persons at the national level. She also worked with the Democracy and Sexuality Network and Erósfera.
In 2010, Torres filed a complaint against Javier López Zavala, then the PRI candidate for the governorship of Puebla, to the National Council to Prevent Discrimination over derogatory remarks López made in an electoral debate regarding transgender identity.

Murder

According to reports from the Attorney General of the State of Puebla, Torres's body was found in a ravine Siglo XXI highway on 10 March 2012, showing signs of torture. Because of the violence evidently carried out upon her, Torres's murder was classified as a hate crime on the basis of transphobia.
The Attorney General of Puebla arrested four suspects in connection to Torres's murder, while fifth remained a fugitive. Three years after her murder, in March 2015, no one had been charged for Torres's murder.

Citations