Murder of LGBTQ Activist Renews Venezuela’s Human Rights Debate · Global Voices
Laura Vidal

All links are in Spanish.
Migdely Miranda and Giniveth Soto (right) turning in signatures to the National Assembly for marriage equality. Photo taken from the blog, Un Pobre Peatón [A Poor Pedestrian].
LGBTQ rights defenders are mourning Giniveth Soto, a Venezuelan gender-equality activist murdered earlier this week. According to unofficial sources, a carjacker shot and killed Soto in Caracas, after she refused to surrender her car.
The right to marriage equality in Venezuela was one of Soto's most important campaign. Despite advancements on this issue in neighboring countries, same-sex couples in Venezuela are not permitted to marry. This didn't stop Soto, who in 2013 married her partner, Migdely Miranda. Venezuela's government, however, refused to recognize the ceremony and contested the parenthood of Soto's son, Salvador, who was conceived using artificial insemination.
Soto's murder has launched at least two major, nationwide public debates: urban violence and threats same-sex couples face in Venezuela.
The Un Pobre Peatón (A Poor Pedestrian) recently addressed both these issues:
En medio del robo del vehículo que usaba para hacer carreras de taxi y mantener a su familia, un delincuente le disparó y acabó con su vida (…) Todo el dolor que significa una pérdida tan trágica como ésta, parece haberse vuelto parte de la cotidianidad de Venezuela. Un país que luego de 13 Ministrxs del Interior y mas de 20 planes de “seguridad” se mantiene en los primeros lugares de muertes violentas en el mundo con decenas de miles de víctimas cada año. Aquí da la sensación de que todxs tenemos un número en la fila y estamos esperando que nos toque el turno.
While stealing the vehicle Soto also used as a taxi to support her family, the offender shot and killed her. […] All the pain that a loss as tragic as this one entails, it appears to have become part of daily life in Venezuela. Although this country has 13 Interior Ministers and more than 20 “safety” plans, it is one of the places where most violent deaths occur in the world, with tens and thousands of victims annually. Living here gives us the feeling that we are all just waiting in line, waiting for our number to be called.
Venezuela's refusal to recognize gay married couples makes death a political issue, too:
Como si fuese poco el riesgo al que estamos expuestxs todxs lxs venezolanxs de ser víctimas de la violencia y la impunidad, las personas LGBTI de Venezuela y nuestras familias también debemos enfrentarnos a la falta de protección legal. Luego del doloroso asesinato de su madre, el pequeño Salvador de apenas 3 meses de nacido ha quedado en situación de vulnerabilidad. Ni él ni su madre Migdely tienen el derecho de heredar los bienes que Gini deja en Venezuela, ni de recibir pensión de sobreviviente de corresponderle. Migdely no tenía derecho a decidir sobre los restos de su esposa, la persona a la que amaba y con la que soñaba pasar el resto de su vida.
As if the risk were low for all Venezuelans to be victims of violence and impunity, our families and those of the Venezuelan LGBTQ community must also confront the lack of legal protection. After the grievous murder of his mother, little three-month old Salvador is placed in a vulnerable situation. Neither him nor his mother, Migdely, have the right to inherit Gini's property in Venezuela. She cannot receive the survivors’ pension or legally make decisions regarding what is to be done with her wife's body; the person that she loved and dreamed about spending the rest of her life with.
In a similar tone, lawyer and activist Tamara Adrián mused online:
La violencia mató a Gini Soto. Pero la intolerancia mató los derechos de su esposa y su hijo: ni herencia ni nombre https://t.co/RZ5JIRePGW
— TamaraAdrian (@TamaraAdrian) December 15, 2014
Violence killed Gini Soto. However, intolerance killed the rights of her wife and son: no inheritance, no name.
The Civil Association for Equality in Venezuela has also weighed in, urging citizens to seek justice in this tragedy, which the group calls “a crime that afflicts the foundation of the fight for equality.”
El esclarecimiento del asesinato de nuestra valiente e imparable activista es urgente, no puede quedar impune un crimen y más aún si se trata de un crimen que aflige dolorosamente las bases de la lucha por la reivindicación de derechos de la población sexodiversa venezolana. Es imperante hacer justicia, pero además es neurálgico fortalecer nuestros poderes públicos para garantizar el efectivo ejercicio del derecho a la vida en libertad y equidad, sin discriminación ni estigmas basados en prejuicios atávicos judeo-cristianos, sin violencia psicológica y moral a consecuencia de una cultura heterosexista, machista y sexista…
An investigation into the murder of this brave and indomitable activist needs to begin immediately. Such a crime cannot go unpunished, all the more so as this crime afflicts the foundation of the fight for the rights of Venezuela's sex and gender-diverse population. It's therefore crucial that we seek justice and strengthen our public institutions, in order to guarantee our ability to exercise the right to a free and equal life without discrimination, stigmas founded on Judeo-Christian atavistic prejudices, and moral and psychological violence—the consequences of a heterosexist, macho, and sexist culture.