Through citizen participation, previous generations promoted a thoughtful and combative civil society committed to developing gender equality in democracy building, against a political background in which the ruling party had been in power for more than 70 years. In the late 1990s and early 2000s, feminist organizations in the state were created to address diverse gender issues like female labor, political participation, reproductive and sexual health, and domestic violence. Hundreds of women hold their glowing cellphones to honor murdered women during a demonstration against femicides in Monterrey, Nuevo León, on February 21, 2020. The protest on February 21 signaled the re-emergence of feminist organizing and mobilizing in one of Mexico’s most conservative states. Protests against gender-based violence are regular occurrences in the country’s capital, Mexico City, but now, they’re also increasingly more present in Monterrey, the industrial capital of Nuevo León known for its deep conservatism and dominant business culture.

Even though they’re in constant danger of being harassed, attacked, murdered and disappeared, they show up not only to denounce gender-based violence but to find one another, forge relationships, and create new forms of organizing and activism. These days, women, especially young women, are a more common sight in public spaces in the northeastern state of Nuevo León, just across the U.S.-Mexico border from Texas. But no feminist collective or women’s association was mentioned. Surrounded by dozens of police officers, the women filled the Esplanade of Heroes in front of the palace to secure a safe space for them to grieve the collective sexualized violence against women.ĭays before, a modified version of the viral “Femme Fist” print with the hashtag #YoPorEllas circulated through social media and WhatsApp groups. “I do believe you,” the crowd chanted after each woman’s testimony. Later, a group of women between 19 and 24 years old came before the crowd and took turns sharing their own stories of sexual harassment and violence. Their gazes reflected that which is born when a sense of hopelessness converges with sorority. Their jaws were clenched tight with endless rage. They were dressed in black with purple and green handkerchiefs tied to their necks, holding up homemade signs denouncing femicidal violence that kills 10 women every day in Mexico. Monterrey, Mexico - On February 21, 2020, more than 400 women stood silently in front of the Government Palace of Nuevo León in the Mexican city of Monterrey. Violence against women In Mexico’s state of Nuevo León, a new sororidad rises A young woman holds up a sign reading “México feminicida” (Mexico murders women) during a demonstration on International Women’s Day, March 8, 2020, in Monterrey, Mexico.

La nota roja de monterrey