The Researcher-Witness of Violence against Queers: One Scholar-Activist’s Pathway through Lament

Chilpancingo, Mexico. June 9, 2012. I was in a restaurant with a group of queer activists. A pizza parlor. It was my third visit to this city, the capital of the state of Guerrero in the southern part of the country. The goal of the trip was to conduct preliminary research for a project focused on the human rights of sexual and gender minorities in a place facing high levels of violence and impunity.¹ The activists had just organized a series of events focused on LGBTI rights, a “cultural week” dedicated to the memory of a gay community leader named