Petrelis Files

Walter Trochez: 1-Year Dead;
'UN-Backed' Gay Killing Demo on 12/11 in SF

When December 13 rolls around next week, it will mark the first anniversary of the extrajudicial killing of gay Honduran Walter Trochez, pictured above. At the time of his death, he was only 27, and an HIV educator and democracy activist. His life and bravery under incredibly crushing political and social forces, must be honored by we, the living gays.

Walter's killing illustrates what is meant by extrajudicial execution, which is defined as when a critic of a government is killed illegally, outside of the judicial system, either by the government or its armed allies. Walter's execution, thanks to the recent United Nations vote deleting gays from a resolution condemning extrajudicial deaths, is what the UN no longer deplores.

(Trochez's rainbow flagged-draped coffin, surround by his family and comrades, before it was lowered in the earth last December.)

We also cannot overlook that his death came amidst the executions of nine transgender persons across Honduras. No one has been arrested, much less charged in any of these killings, and democracy is still in very short supply in the country. Click here to read about our protest last January at the SF office of the Honduran consulate.

The extrajudicial killings of Walter, other gays and the transgender person are a few more reasons why I'm asking everyone to come out this Saturday and protest the UN vote on the executions resolution, and stand in solidarity with our jeopardized brothers and sisters, while honoring our dead.

(Obelisk inscribed with UN charter, ratified in SF in 1945, and the Declaration of Human Rights adopted by the General Assembly.)

Rain or shine, gays and our allies will gather on December 11 starting at noon, at the obelisk in United Nations Plaza, Market near 7th Street in San Francisco for the protest and it would be fabulous to see YOU there with a friend.

The day after Walter was murdered, his friend American University professor Adrienne Pine shared a note about the situation, and I reprint it to give folks more background, that potentially moves more people to come protest on December 11 in San Francisco:

Walter was an active member of the National Resistance Front against the coup d'etat there, shot dead by drive-by killers. Trochez, who had already been arrested and beaten for his sexual orientation after participating in a march against the coup, had been very active recently in documenting and publicizing homophobic killings and crimes committed by the forces behind the coup, which is believed to have been the motive for his murder. He had been trailed for weeks before his murder by thugs believed to be members of the state security forces.

He wrote an open letter documenting this wave of political assassinations of Honduran queers entitled "Increase in hate crimes and homophobia towards LGTB as a result of the civic-religious-military coup in Honduras." Trochez had written that "Once again we say it is NOT ACCEPTABLE that in these past 4 months, during such a short period, 9 transexual and gay friends were violently killed, 6 in San Pedro Sula and 3 in Tegucigalpa [...] As a revolutionary, I will always defend my people, even if it takes my life”.