Mexican Trans History

Contributors

Ociel Baena, Le Magistrade Collection

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Ociel Baena, Le Magistrade - Portrait

This picture shows the Magistrate wearing a combination of colorful, traditional textiles and a flower crown. They posted this picture to their X (formerly "Twitter") profile captioned "Frida Khalo, is that you?" (translation mine). 

Protest after Le Magistrade's murder

This picture shows a group of people marching together in the streets of Mexico City, protesting the official veredict on the Magistrade's case. The protesters are holding up a banner with the Magistrade's face that reads "no justice, no peace" alongside other slogans. 

Amelio Robles Ávila Collection

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Amelio Robles Portrait

Amelio Robles was a trans man and Revolutionary soldier during the 1910 Mexican Revolution. Robles’ contacts amongst revolutionaries in the aftermath of the war allowed him to legally change his name and sex in official paperwork. Making him the first trans man to legally transition in Mexico (and very early on in the history of the country! [I would love to write a paper about the way Robles’ masculinity is part of Mexican history! so much of my research program is informed by the relevance of macho masculinity in Mexican nation-making, how does that question interject with Robles’s story?] . Evidence that differentiates Robles’ history from women who cross-dressed during the war to take part in the conflict or otherwise support their families is the fact that he lived life as a man until his death, alongisde his wife and the rest of his family. Despite this, rememorializations of Amelio have represented him as a woman, misgendering him and disregarding his story. It would be an honor to inaugurate this archive with a growing collection that honors Amelio’s transmasculine life in twentieth century Mexico.