Rejected By Catholic Church, Mexican Transgender Women Turn to Skeleton Saint Stephen Woodman - Houston Chronicle
go to original May 24, 2017

Santa Muerte (Holy Death), is a female deity (or folk saint depending on school of thought) in Mexican folk religion, venerated primarily in Mexico and the Southwestern United States, (Wikipedia)

Violence against transgender women is common in Mexico, mostly because employment discrimination forces many to turn to sex work for money.

The skeleton saint - with her female form and association with death - is particularly appealing to transgender sex workers, who face the persistent threat of violent clients and transphobic hatred.

Unlike official church figures such as Our Lady of Guadalupe whose images are ethereal, Santa Muerte appeals to those with practical problems and passions living on the country's margins.

Devotees ask her for protection, even when sex work is their only occupation.

Condemned as satanic by the Catholic Church and frequently portrayed as a narco-cult in the media, worship of Santa Muerte is nevertheless a fast-growing new religious movement in the Americas, according to Andrew Chesnut, professor of religious studies at Virginia Commonwealth University and the author of "Devoted to Death: Santa Muerte, the Skeleton Saint."

"Mexican Catholics and evangelicals tend to view transgenderism as a lifestyle choice," Chesnut said. "But the fact that Santa Muerte is outside the orbit of both evangelical and Catholic Christianity makes her much more appealing. It's much easier for followers to feel that she's not going to be judgmental."

In contrast, many transgender women feel rejected by mainstream churches.

Read the rest at Houston Chronicle

Related: Archdiocese of Puebla Is Warning Against the Veneration of "Santo Nino Huachicolero" (Catholic News Service)

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