Honoring Trans Activist Vicky Hernández

Today, June 28, 2021, marks 12 long years since the death of Vicky Hernández, a young Honduran trans woman who was targeted and killed by her own government during the country’s coup d’etat.

In all that time, local authorities have failed to provide Vicky’s family with a proper investigation into her murder and the threat of anti-LGBTQ+ violence has gone unabated, to the point that Honduras is now the most dangerous place for trans and other gender diverse people in the world.

RFK Human Rights and our co-counsel Red Lésbica Cattrachas have brought Vicky’s case before the Inter-American Court of Human Rights and its ruling could soon hold Honduras accountable for Vicky’s murder—forcing the country to institute structural changes to prevent these hate crimes and better protect and prioritize the rights of all its citizens.

We spoke with Vicky’s friend, trans activist Claudia Spellmant, as well as RFK Human Rights’ Angelita Baeyens and Kacey Mordecai for more on the case and what’s at stake.