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Ecuador’s first transgender candidate for Parliament submitted an official complaint Wednesday against a death threat she received Saturday, warning her against continuing her criticism of right-wing opposition presidential candidate Guillermo Lasso.
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The text message, which Diane Rodriguez shared on her Twitter account, read: “Son of a bitch, stop bothering you fucking faggot or you will get messed up, we know where you live, if you keep offending (Guillermo) Lasso you'll see who you're messing with.”
Rodriguez campaigned under the ruling party of Alianza Pais, the party of President Rafael Correa, because it supported many of the pro-LGBTI changes she has herself supported as an activist, she told teleSUR before election day.
Guillermo Lasso of the right-wing CREO party, the rival of Alianza Pais presidential candidate Lenin Moreno, has been accused of leading a dirty campaign, with his supporters previously being caught directing personal threats against Correa supporters.
Rodriguez made her complaint in the context of a series of death threats that have been launched against opponents of Lasso.
Rodriguez received the message on the first day of Carnaval, which is a national holiday in Ecuador. Her official complaint to the district attorney read, "I suppose that since I've entered into the police and I'm a part of the Alianza Pais movement, I'm receiving threats, for which I'm concerned about my physical, psychological and moral integrity." She added that she is worried both about herself and her family.
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The threat is not the first that Rodriguez has received, as an outspoken public activist and politician for transgender rights. She was kidnapped in 2012 and held at gunpoint in 2014, after which she also presented complaints to open police investigations into the cases.
After Rodriguez published the threat, she received an outpouring of backing from supporters, one of which shared another aggressive message from Facebook.
"Corre (sic) wants to disappear women's rights in Ecuador, by allowing transsexuals to have children," read the post, calling Rodriguez “a Man that thinks he's a woman."
Rodriguez' list of achievements includes securing LGBTI rights and her personal life, from marrying a transgender person to challenging parenting norms by having a baby, to changing ID laws to include her new name and her chosen gender.
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