LGBTQI Focus

 
 
 

Why LGBTQI Focus

Across the globe, LGBTQI people are subject to the threat of murder, rape, trafficking, sex slavery, discrimination and subjugation, often sanctioned by their own governments. Fleeing such dangerous conditions, when they get to the U.S., LGBTQI people are often subject to stigma that comes from the overlapping marginalization of identities as immigrants. The burden of defending one’s legitimacy is even greater for transgender people, whose gender the state struggles to define and whose legal status is in question. Systemic violence shows up throughout the immigration system and in no place is it worse than in detention. LGBTQI people in particular face extreme violence because they are often held in gender inappropriate facilities or in solitary confinement "for their own safety". We want to make sure people can live freely and love who they choose without threat of violence.

 
 
 

Addressing the Need

We believe that it is important to prioritize the representation of LGBTQI people specifically because we have an understanding of the specific issues affecting LGBTQI people. We can represent people in a way that is not only sensitive but acknowledges the variant identities of LGBTQI people and appreciate how those identities inform their legal claims. Further, we know that it is not only harder for LGBTQI people to get jobs, but doubly hard for undocumented immigration LGBTQI people to get a job and earn sufficient income to pay for legal counsel.

 
 
 
 

Micaela’s Story

Micaela was detained at the Jackson Parish Correctional Center in Jonesboro, LA for 7 months before prevailing in her immigration case and being released from detention and free to live her dreams.

 
 
 

“Being a transgender woman in Honduras is synonymous with death, rejection, discrimination, social marginalization, which leads us to make very strong decisions for ourselves because the people around us only want to harm us, being a transgender woman in my country is a challenge every day to day of being able to survive all the adversities that life throws at us.

I had to run for my life many times because I was being persecuted by people who do not understand for the simple fact of having a sexual preference, for identifying ourselves as different than them, in my country most people are ignorant about the people who belong to the sexual diversity they believe that all of us who belong to the LGBTI community should not have been born that we are sick where homosexuality is not a disease, no one decided to be gay or transgender simply that's how we were born and that cannot be changed.

 
 
 

Experiencing Persecution in Honduras

My name is Micaela, this is a brief summary of everything I have experienced in my country of origin. Being a trans woman, I have faced many challenges and difficulties in my life since I decided to reveal to my family that I was different from the fact that I considered myself a woman my life was very hard starting with my grandfather who did not accept what I was my parents did not want to know anything about me, my brothers were not there to take care of me and give me the love and protection that I needed as a 10-year-old girl I had to face the world alone without anyone's help, my grandfather was a very Christian man who used to say that I was possessed by a demon, taking me to church by force to perform an exorcism on me, but that didn't work for him because I continued to be myself At the age of 10, I felt so bad that I didn't want to live. No one approached me, not my cousins ​​or anyone in the neighborhood. They were all afraid of me. I was just an innocent girl, harming no one.

 
 

My grandfather kicked me out of the house because I had no choice but to go live in the street sleeping on the sidewalks of houses eating from the garbage I was able to continue with my life there I met many people who were just like my lifeblood that I was not alone in the world was very hard that stage but I was able to survive.

My grandmother looked for me and convinced me to return home. I imagined that everything would be like before, but no, I had to sleep in the stable with the animals, the only thing I ate was beans and tortillas, sometimes I only had lemon with salt and tortillas, the life of a transgender woman in my country is not easy we are always in the sight of everyone they spit on us they throw food at us they insult us…

 
 
 

I was able to return to school there for me it was like going to hell everyone harassed me the school director cut my hair with a razor according to him I was going to become a man he said, no one defended me, everyone yelled at me high school to be able to have notebooks I had to look for them in the library or use the ones that were already used or look for them in the garbage but that did not stop me in my studies, I collected cans and bottles to be able to buy things to continue studying we are women with a great ability to learn we are very applied in everything, in the streets many kisses threw holy water at me according to them to purify me of all the sins that I had, being a trans woman is not easy at all I did not decide to be like that I was born so many people in Honduras ignores it, they are machistas who do not realize that we are people like them, we are victims of persecution by the gangs, for them killing us is like hunting animals, they believe That way they will exterminate them all but they are wrong every day we are more.

 

Immigration Detention as a Trans Woman

 

As fate would have it, when I was detained in Talahachie, I had to share a cell with a member of that Honduran organization. When I saw him in the cell, I felt very afraid knowing that he could hurt me. I told the officer to call an interpreter and explain to him. that I couldn't be in that cell with him he didn't want to assign me to another cell when I just entered the cell he told me another bitch since the officers don't understand Spanish he didn't say anything I was under his intimidation for 5 days but I won't continue being a victim, he was no longer in my country and here gender identity is respected he wanted me to be under his orders I couldn't take it anymore we started fighting and the officer arrived, he was sent to a punishment cell and he left me in the cell.

many of my trans friends, like me, left the country to be able to find a place in the world where they could be happy without prejudice.

 
 
 
 

Asylum Case with AIR

 
 

When I was in detention I met people who gave me very happy moments, they gave me the love that I never received from my family, they loved me for the person I am, not for my sexual preference. For me in detention I have been much happier and much freer than what I have been out here.

I feel that love that makes you want to continue to live life every day to continue fighting with more strength to be free and to be able to fight for the rights of the community in my country so that future generations do not go through everything that happens to get to here.

Thanks to the organization Advocates for Immigrant Rights and to the team they have I was able to win asylum and be here where I will fight against everything to fulfill my dreams and goals in life thanks to the lawyer Casey Bryant and her team I will be forever grateful.”

 
 
 

To help us continue to represent LGBTQ+ clients in immigration detention, please consider donating to AIR today.