📢 Axios Latino is the newsletter that summarizes every Tuesday and Thursday the key news for Latino communities in the hemisphere. You can subscribe by clicking here.
1. The theme to be highlighted: Attitudes around gender identity
A majority of Catholic and Protestant Hispanics in the United States say they believe there are only two gender identities, according to a new survey, although the percentage is not as high as among white evangelicals, pointing to a slight openness to the diversity of identities in the LGBTQ+ community, reports Russell Contreras.
Why it matters: Many Americans have been recognizing in recent years that gender identity is complex and not necessarily binary. But experts say conservative measures on LGBTQ+ issues, such as legislation in Republican states limiting access to gender-affirming medical treatments, may be changing the minds of some religious people.
In figures: The share of believers who said there are only two gender identities rose from 59% in 2021 to nearly 65% in 2023, according to a new survey by the nonpartisan group Public Religion Research Institute (PRRI).
Source: PRRI Gender and Policy Survey 2023
- The percentage of Hispanic Catholics who say there are only two gender identities rose from 48% in 2021 to 66% in 2023.
- Hispanic Protestants saw a smaller increase: from 79% in 2021 to 81% in 2023.
- In the case of white evangelicals, the percentage went from 86% in 2021 to 90% in 2023.
In her own words: For PRRI Executive Director Melissa Deckman, the percentage of Latino Catholics who think gender is uniquely binary may be lower, in contrast to other groups in the survey, because they tend to be slightly younger than the general population. And younger people tend to be more open-minded about social issues.
- However, Deckman adds that misinformation circulating on the internet about gender identities and bills around trans people would be causing many people to harden their views.
Orlando Gonzalez, executive director of the Florida organization SAVE LGBT (an acronym for Safeguarding American Values for Everyone), agrees that anti-LGBTQ+ rhetoric is affecting some people's views on gender identity.
- He tells Axios Latino that more and more misinformation about nonbinary, gender non-conforming and transgender people seems to be spreading.
- "Gender-affirming medical care can help relieve stress on issues such as suicidal ideation, depression and anxiety experienced by people" who feel that their identity does not match their biological sex, says Gonzalez. "So legislation that makes it harder to get that help exacerbates mental health problems and the possibility of deaths among this community," he warns.
- A survey this year by The Trevor Project found higher rates of suicide risk for trans and nonbinary youth in the U.S. than for lesbian, gay, bisexual and queer cisgender youth.
If you or someone you know is in crisis in the United States, call or text 988 to be answered by the National Helpline. You can also send a message saying HELP 741741 with Crisis Text Line or receive support by writing to the Trevor Project at 678-678 if you are in the U.S. or with a WhatsApp at +5255-9225-3337 if you are reading from Mexico.
2. An honor for the hero who stopped the killer in Colorado
Richard Fierro, a Mexican-American Army veteran who helped stop an attacker during a shooting at a gay club in Colorado in November, has been named grand marshal of the parade to be held in Colorado Springs on June 11. Grand marshal are people who are given a position of honor at the march in recognition of their support for the LGBTQ+ community.
Overview: Fierro has been celebrated for his courageous actions during the Club Q shooting, including a bravery award given by the association that gives the Congressional Gold Medals.
- Fierro has asked that the public put that focus on remembering the victims of the armed attack, but said he was honored by the invitation of honor to the parade. "We already want to celebrate with all the people there. #LoveWins," she wrote on Instagram.
Background: Fierro helped disarm the man accused of the shooting at Club Q on Nov. 19, 2022, after he killed five people and wounded 17 others.
- Fierro told reporters he approached the suspect because his military training got underway. He said he went into "combat mode" after four deployments to Iraq and Afghanistan.
- Her daughter's boyfriend, Raymond Green Vance, was among the fatalities in the shooting.
To highlight: Richard Fierro and his wife, Jessica Fierro, co-own a brewery called Atrevida Beer Company. With it, Jessica Fierro has won recognition such as an award for the best lager in Denver for her Dolores Huerta Mexican Lager.
3. Peru's president declares over protester deaths
Peruvian President Dina Boluarte on Tuesday denied ordering violent acts to stem mass protests against her government between December and March, in which dozens of demonstrators died.
- Boluarte also refused to answer questions from the victims' lawyers after being subpoenaed to testify at the prosecutor's office.
News momentum: Boluarte testified for about three hours before the Attorney General's Office as part of the preliminary investigation into the deaths of at least 67 people during the police response to the demonstrations.
- Boluarte had some answers prepared in writing, according to local media, but only for the prosecutor's questions. He remained silent before the representatives of the plaintiff families, according to reports.
Boluarte greets at the Government Palace in Lima on December 10, 2022.Paolo Aguilar / EFE
Details: It is not known for sure what Boluarte said in his statements, closed to the public. However, lawyers for relatives of the victims tweeted that he was asked very few questions and that these were very general.
- Boluarte's lawyer, Joseph Campos, told the newspaper PerĂş21 that the president did not answer questions from victims' representatives because she did not have to.
Context: The protests began in December when Pedro Castillo was removed as president after trying to dissolve Congress. Boluarte, formerly the vice-president, was named president; The protesters demanded that she call early elections.
- A recent report by Amnesty International says security forces deliberately used excessive force, noting that some of the protesters were killed in an extrajudicial execution. The report, based on autopsies and interviews with witnesses, also says high-ranking officials ordered or tolerated such actions by police and soldiers.
- Boluarte was summoned to testify because it is deliberating whether to charge her with aggravated homicide, serious injury or attempted genocide, according to the Prosecutor's Office. Experts see it as unlikely to happen; in addition, Boluarte has political jurisdiction.
- Campos, the lawyer, told local media that he will request that Boluarte be exempted from the investigation if it continues because he said she has already fulfilled her duty by testifying.
4. Summary of key news in Latin America and the Caribbean
1. Marcelo Ebrard formally declared on Tuesday his intention to run for president in the 2024 elections, and his resignation from the position of Mexico's foreign secretary.
Marcelo Ebrard will bid for the candidacy of Morena to the presidential elections in Mexico
June 7, 202301:56
- Ebrard will surely have to compete to be the candidate of the Morena party with Claudia Sheinbaum, head of the Government of Mexico City.
- Morena leads other parties in polls, and holds the presidency, a majority in Congress and several governorships.
2. A Uruguayan group investigating 150 of the enforced disappearances in the country's last dictatorship (1973-1985) said it found identifiable skeletal remains in a military training camp.
- The discovery may strengthen the investigation of cases of missing persons in clandestine centres and military zones.
- This research coincides with similar initiatives in other Latin American countries to identify anonymous graves and clarify massacres and disappearances attributed to dictatorial regimes.
Thursday of Pachanga
Every Thursday we publish our Pachanga to highlight readers' achievements. If you've just celebrated an anniversary, adopted a pet, or had a job success and want to celebrate, send mail and photo to axioslatino@axios.com
A big round of applause for Roberto DeLeon, who recently became the head of corporate communications for AmeriVet, a company that owns 200 veterinary practices and animal hospitals in the United States.
Photo courtesy of Roberto DeLeon. Background illustration by Axios Visuals
- Roberto was born and raised in Mexico City, and moved to San Antonio when he was 15. He says this job is a dream come true and he's excited to take on the challenge.
Thanks for reading! We returned on Tuesday.
If you want to share your experiences or send us suggestions and comments, send an email to axioslatino@axios.com.
Do you want to read any of the previous editions?
A Record Number of LGBTQ+ Latinos Hold Elected Office in the U.S.
The Latin hand behind Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse
Latino Death Rate in Police Interactions Grows
Uvalde police a year later: some see improvements, others feel there was no accountability
