From an early age, the odds stood against her: violence at home, discrimination, abuse on the streets. But Kenya does not believe in odds. At 48, she is the director of a rapidly growing organization in her native Mexico that is stepping in to help those neglected by the State while inspiring a new generation of activists. This is her story.
The deafening sound of a gunshot shook the earth beneath her feet. Kenya instinctively ran, in the back streets of Mexico City’s historic center, the few meters that separated her from the car her friend Paola had gotten into a few minutes earlier.
It was too late.
The man behind the wheel, sitting next to Paola’s lifeless body, looked at Kenya and pointed the gun at her. He pulled the trigger but there were no bullets left. Police were called to the scene and the man was arrested, only to be released two days later.
The day was September 30, 2016.
Paola’s murder, the last in a string of killings of trans women Kenya remembers with stars tattooed on her neck, and the lack of justice for each one of them was too unbearable not to take action.
Read the incredible story about how Kenya Cuevas, or "mamá" as many call her, has become an activist for trans women in the region:
