Mónica Briones
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Mónica Briones | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Born | 7 July 1950 Santiago de Chile |
| Died | 9 July 1984 (aged 34) Santiago de Chile |
| Cause of death | Lesbophobic hate crime |
| Occupation | Visual Artist |
Mónica Angélica Briones Puccio (Santiago de Chile, 7 July 1950 – 9 July 1984) was a Chilean painter and sculptor. Her murder during the military dictatorship is considered the first documented case of a lesbophobic hate crime in Chile,[1] and it inspired the formation of the first lesbian group in her country, Colectiva Lésbica Ayuquelén, as well as the establishment of Lesbian Visibility Day, which has been commemorated every July 9 since 2015 in Chile.[2]
The daughter of an artisan and a dressmaker, Briones studied at the University of Chile's School of Arts in the late 1960s, where she was taught by the well known visual artist, Nemesio Antúnez. She won a painting contest at Santa Lucía Hill, which consisted of painting for more than 72 hours continuously. She used to sell her artwork at Parque Forestal.[3]
Early on the morning of July 9, 1984, after leaving the Jaque Mate bar in Downtown Santiago, Mónica and her friend Gloria del Villar were waiting for a bus near Plaza Italia Square, when they were approached by a "tall man with blond hair, green eyes, with a military haircut and appearance,” who proceeded to grab Briones by the neck, push her while insulting her for being a lesbian and beating her against the pavement. His attack had been so brutal that he fractured her skull. Gloria ran away in a state of shock, looking for help, while the assailant fled the scene.[4][1]
According to the police report, her death occurred at 6:20 am on Saturday, July 9, "after the victim had been run over by a vehicle in a hit-and-run." The autopsy performed by the Legal Medical Service was at the direction of thanatologist América González Figueroa, who concluded that Briones had been involved in a car accident which had caused her "facial cranioencephalic trauma." Her wake was held at the Capilla Nazareno de Providencia, after which her body was cremated and her ashes scattered on Horcón Beach.[5]
