Third lesbian dies after arson at guest house in Argentina

A third Argentine lesbian died from burns when a man set fire to the women’s hostel with a Molotov cocktail on May 6, the local LGBT+ federation told Agence France-Presse.

Pamela Fabiana Cobbas, 52, Mercedes Figueroa, 52, and now Andrea Amarante, 42, all succumbed to burns in the days after the fire. Figueroa was reportedly burned on 90 percent of her body, while 75 percent of Amarente’s body was burned.

A fourth woman, Sofia Castroriglos Riglos, 49, remains in a local hospital but is expected to survive.

The four women shared a room in a boarding house in the Barracas neighborhood of Buenos Aires.

According to witnesses, a neighbor, Justo Fernando Barrientos, 68, had previously threatened the women. They said he later allegedly threw the Molotov cocktail into the upstairs room shared by the four women. The fire spread quickly throughout the building.

Barrientos was arrested and taken to a separate hospital for a self-inflicted neck injury. He was later discharged and remains in police custody.

The investigation into the attack is ongoing. It remains unclear whether prosecutors will charge Barrientos with a hate crime, in addition to multiple murder charges.

The attack has caused an uproar in the South American country previously known for its progressive LGBTQ+ laws and climate. According to Outright International, same-sex sexual relations, marriage equality and adoption of children by same-sex couples are all legal. Argentina’s hate crime laws recognize sexual and gender identity as aggravating circumstances for filing charges. But activists warn that President Javier Milei and his government are taking the country backwards.

“Hate crimes are the result of a culture of violence and discrimination, supported by hate speech currently endorsed by several government officials,” the LGBT Federation said in a statement. “The only spaces that those of us who are victims of these attacks can take refuge in are being emptied or eliminated by the current administration. … We will support them and help them and their families in whatever they need, and we will follow the case in court so that justice is served.”

Milei has, among other things, banned the use of gender-inclusive language within the military and has publicly criticized the progressive policies of previous governments.