Gay mayor who opposed same-sex marriage shot and killed while getting ice cream
Benjamín Medrano Quezada (YouTube/Canalb15fresnillo)
Benjamín Medrano Quezada, Mexico’s first out gay mayor, was shot and killed last week while out getting ice cream in the Jalisco city of Guadalajara.
The 59-year-old served as the mayor of Fresnillo, Zacatecas, between 2013 and 2015. Following his tenure, he served as a federal deputy in the Mexican Congress Chamber of Deputies, representing Zacatecas’s first district.
According to a report from Mexican outlet El Financiero, Medrano was shot multiple times in the face on 7 July. The motive is currently unclear, as is the number of attackers that targeted him. Authorities are currently investigating the crime.
The city of Fresnillo said in a statement: “We express our deepest condolences to their family and friends, respectfully accompanying them in this moment of grief and wishing them strength in the face of this irreparable loss. Rest in peace.”
Medrano was reportedly under investigation for alleged fraud. However, sdpnoticias has reported that his family believe the fraud accusations were a political hit job.
Before he entered politics, Medrano was known for his music, having recorded several albums of ballads and ranchera music, as well as for establishing a gay bar in 1994.
He originally began his political career in 1995 when he became a councillor for the city of Zacatecas. He slowly rose up the ranks before being elected mayor of Fresnillo.
In 2022, Medrano was accused of embezzling public funds while in his post as president of the Board of Trustees of the National Fair of Zacatecas in 2019.
The complaint, which was filed by the Zacatecas State Public Administration Secretariat, alleged that he had embezzled more than 60million pesos (around £2.5million).
A warrant was issued for his arrest when he did not appear at a court hearing. It is unclear whether or not the warrant was still active when he was killed, but Zacatecas attorney general told Mundo Now on 7 July that a judge overturned the warrant in 2025.
Medrano, who was Catholic, was always vocal about his sexuality throughout his political career but he also publicly opposed same-sex marriage and adoption rights, as well as LGBTQ+ pride parades.
He told El Universal in 2013: “Our idiosyncrasies do not allow it because we are not prepared for it. Not because we lack the capacity to do it, but we cannot go against doctrines and customs either.”
