Gay, Bi, and Trans Youth of Color at Higher Risk for Transactional Sex

LGBTQ Youth and Transactional Sex

Johns Hopkins Medicine

About a fifth of young sexual minority males and transgender females are estimated to be engaging in transactional, or survival sex, according to results of a new survey study by Johns Hopkins Medicine researchers. The findings, which define the practice as trading sex for money, housing and other necessities (e.g., food, clothing), were published in the February 2022 issue of the Journal of Adolescent Health and first appeared online Jan. 16. The findings affirm that transactional sex may place young Black and Latinx gay or bisexual males and transgender females at risk for exposure to HIV.

“Previous studies have focused on transactional sex among young gay or bisexual males and transgender females, but few have tried to understand the prevalence among Black and Latinx youth in these groups,” says Johns Hopkins Children’s Center adolescent medicine specialist Renata Sanders, M.D., M.P.H., Sc.M. She is the study’s first author and an associate professor of pediatrics at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine.

From August 2017 and January 2021, researchers surveyed 454 teenagers and young adults who are Black or Latinx. Most (385) identified as gay or bisexual, 65 identified as transgender women, and 389 identified as men. All of the subjects were between the ages of 15 and 24 and lived in Baltimore, Philadelphia, Washington, D.C., or St. Petersburg/Tampa, Florida — urban locations that have high rates of HIV and unstable housing among youth. Participants were recruited through peers, advertisements on webpages and in social media, and flyers at clinical sites serving lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender youth, community-based organizations and events. The study included a 45-minute base line web-based survey and HIV testing. The average age of participants was 21, and about 15% of participants identified as transgender.

In addition to questions about their gender identity, experiences of sexual violence, substance abuse and financial well-being, participants were asked, “Have you ever had sex with a male in exchange for money, a place to stay or food?”

Some 22% (slightly more than one in five respondents overall) reported engaging in transactional (survival) sex. Among survey participants with HIV, 32% reported survival sex experiences. The researchers say a positive response to the question about transactional sex was associated with transgender identity, unstable housing in the previous 12 months, poorer perceived financial well-being, coerced sex and marijuana use. Youth and young adults who had a job were less likely to be engaged in transactional sex. 

“A lot of the people who identify as sexual minority men or transgender woman are vulnerable and may not be accepted in their own personal environments or families,” Sanders says. “They are often displaced, and they don’t have a place to stay, which puts them at risk for transactional or survival sex and HIV.”

In addition, the researchers found that transactional sex was associated with substance use disorder. In particular, “alcohol or marijuana use may be a way of coping with engaging in transactional sex or not having a place to live,” Sanders says. More than 25% of all participants who reported using substances engaged in transactional sex, with 31% of tobacco users, 27% of marijuana users and 26% of alcohol users reporting transactional sex. Marijuana use was associated with transactional sex among young sexual minority men, while alcohol use was associated with transactional sex among youth living with HIV.

Researchers noted some limitations in the study. For example, while there was a wide recruitment of participants, the results may not represent all sexual and gender minority youth in this age group, including youth in rural areas. Also, the survey results are based on the participants’ experiences, and in some situations, youth may underreport transactional sex, or may not view sex to survive as harmful or placing them at risk.

The researchers plan to devote future studies to building and testing interventions that address economic, housing and social vulnerabilities that predispose sexual and gender minority youth and young adults to transactional sex.

For now, Sanders says health care providers, parents and others involved with sexual and gender minority youth should screen them for vulnerabilities and other health inequities, and link them to information about preventing sexually transmitted infections including HIV. Health care providers can encourage the use of condoms and pre-exposure prophylaxis medication, which can prevent HIV transmission. Parents should also talk with their adolescents and create a safe environment that accepts them, even if they don’t agree with or understand aspects of their sexual or gender identity. The goal, Sanders says, is to help those at risk understand that they are not alone, and that resources to help them are available from health professionals, community organizations and elsewhere.

The research was supported by the National Institutes of Health (R01DA043089), through the National Institute on Drug Abuse and the Johns Hopkins University Center for AIDS Research (P30AI094189).

Other scientists who contributed to the work are Aubrey Alvarenga from the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine; Noya Galai, Ph.D., Andrea Wirtz, Ph.D., M.H.S., Chris Beyrer, M.D., M.P.H., David Celentano, Sc.D., and Joyell Arscott, Ph.D., from the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health; ; Rashida Carr from Children’s National Hospital; Alexander Lopez from Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia and Rebecca Nessen, M.P.H., from Metro Inclusive Health.

Click here to see the original study

José Matthews on Protecting Trans Youth

José Matthews

Update: Since this article was written the policy to support transgender and nonbinary students was passed by the Red Clay School District.

In January of this year, the Christina School District in northern Delaware became the first school district in Delaware to adopt a policy to support transgender and nonbinary students. José Matthews hopes the Red Clay School District will be next.

Matthews believes that students should never have to worry about their sexual orientation or gender identity being a barrier to their education. “Christina has shown such grace and leadership in this realm when they passed their policy. I think we can do the same, but it’s going to take a lot of encouragement for the school board to do the right thing,” states José.

This is not a new mission for the youngest member of the Red Clay School district. José, who was elected to the school board in 2018 at the age of 22, first brought a proposal to support trans and gender diverse students to the school board more than four years ago.

“This board has had four years to make a difference, and in reality, they’ve had a lot longer than that. I know we need to continue to raise the issue and we need to let folks know there is hope out there, and we need to fight for it.”

Despite the challenges, Matthews enjoys serving on the school board, balancing this volunteer position along with a full-time job in the healthcare industry. “There is something really rewarding about being able to wake up every day and speak to parents, students, and teachers, and make it possible to educate our children. It’s really not a small feat to run the largest school district in the state.”

He also enjoys connecting with LGBTQ+ students. “When I went to school, I really didn’t have any teachers that identified with the LGBT community. It’s been incredibly rewarding to have a number of students reach out to me and say how important it is for them to see someone sitting in a position of power as a gay man. I am humbled and honored to represent the community and be a part of the community that way.”

José has learned a lot from LGBTQ+ students. “I’ve learned that they are strong and resilient. But I’ve also learned the need to continue to fight for equitable policies that ensure that no student in our district or our state should have to worry about their sexuality or their gender identity being a burden or interfering with their educational experience.”

Looking at elected officials up and down the state, José emphasizes that there are voices and people missing in this work. He would like to see more young people, more people of color, and more LGBTQ+ people running for school board positions.

He cautions, however, that it is a big commitment. “I would encourage those interested to talk to people in your community and get some sound advice. Talk to your school board members, the people in your community, your school district leadership; have open conversations to make sure it’s the right decision for you, but more so, make sure it’s right for the community.”

As for advancing the Transgender and Gender Diverse Student Policy, co-sponsored by fellow board member Adriana Bohm, José comments, “I think folks need to pay attention. They need to pay attention to what’s happening at the local policies, because a lot of the time the local policies can have more of an impact on our lives than the larger policy debates that are happening.”

He continues, “Folks need to understand how important these school board roles are, and people need to engage if they are not. If you are not engaged, now is the time to do so, because our students and their futures are at stake. We need to fight for social justice and equality. And I need people to join me in this fight.” 

This article originally appeared in Letters from CAMP Rehoboth.

Daniel Hernández could be the be the second Latinx out LGBTQ member of Congress!

Daniel Hernández, Arizona

Daniel Hernández is running for Congress to represent Arizona’s second district. If elected, Daniel will be the second Latinx out LGBTQ member of congress. The date of the primary election is August 2nd, 2022 and the general election takes place on November 8th, 2022

The Victory Fund writes…

Daniel is a state representative, former school board president, and lifelong Arizonan running for Congress to help Southern Arizona families.

Daniel was born and raised in Tucson, his mother an immigrant from Mexico who came to the U.S. where she met Daniel’s father. A first-generation college student, Daniel attended the University of Arizona when he interned for then-Congresswoman Gabby Giffords and was there on the day of the tragic attack on her life which resulted in 6 deaths and 13 people injured. Daniel was the first to administer first aid to the Congresswoman before the EMTs arrived and was named a national hero by President Obama.

Inspired by Congresswoman Giffords’s commitment to public service, Daniel went on to advocate for access to reproductive health care and education as program manager for Raíz, Planned Parenthood’s Latino outreach program. He was also elected to his local school board, where he became the youngest school board president in the district’s history.

Since 2017, Daniel has served in the Arizona State House, was one of the youngest elected and is a co-founder of the House LGBTQ caucus. In the House, he has worked with both Republicans and Democrats to pass bills protecting survivors of sexual assault and secure $20 million for school resource officers, counselors, and social workers. He also led the fight against legislation that would discriminate against LGBTQ Arizonans.

He fought to expand access to affordable health care, having struggled firsthand with a severe illness and to afford the right care and medication. During the pandemic, he protected critical health care services and saved a rural hospital that treats underserved communities in Southern Arizona. He also received recognition as the 2019 Women’s Healthcare Champion from the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists.

Find out more about Daniel at: danielhernandezforcongress.com

One Trans Activist’s Dream for Puerto Rico

Camp Albizu

Joanna Cifredo has a dream for the youth of Puerto Rico. Not just the youth currently living in Puerto Rico but also the youth that have had to leave the country. She knows well what their experience is like. Her family migrated following the destruction of Hurricane Hugo. Thousands of youth have followed this path, relocating stateside and attending schools that might not have the resources to adequately support the needs of displaced children of color who are overwhelmingly poor, traumatized, and with limited English proficiency.  This exodus is happening as Puerto Rico itself struggles to recover from the devastation of Hurricane Maria.

“As the island struggles to recover, we must ask ourselves where do the voices of Puerto Rico’s youth fit in shaping the future of Puerto Rico? How does this displacement affect the sustainability of Puerto Rico and what is the impact on us as a people?”   – Joanna Cifredo

Joanna’s vision is called Camp Albizu, named after union organizer and independence activist Don Pedro Albizu Campos. Joanna is working to bring a group 30 Puerto Rican youth leaders from Puerto Rico and our five largest diasporas in the US (Chicago, Philly, Greater Boston, NYC, and Central Florida) for a week-long celebration of Puerto Rican heritage, culture, and organizing.

“As Puerto Rico is in desperate need of young people who are proud of where they come from, who are politically and socially engaged and are passionate about creating a stronger, more sustainable Puerto Rico.”   – Joanna Cifredo

You can help make this dream a reality. Joanna has launched a gofundme campaign to fund the initial stage of this project.

I have the honor of knowing Joanna for many years as colleagues and as friends. I am proud to support this campaign and I hope you will join me by making a donation using the link below:

Learn more and donate to Joanna Cifredo & Camp Albizu’s GoFundMe campaign

DC Prep Campaign Partners with Trans Latinx Community

Trans Latinx Prep Campaign

According to a 2017 report by the DC Department of Health (DOH) HIV/AIDS, Hepatitis, STD and TB Administration (HAHSTA), 12,964 people residing in Washington D. C. live with the Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV).

For that reason, HAHSTA is launching the “Pledge to be PrEPared” campaign this month to educate the transgender community living in Washington D. C. about the importance of taking Preexposure Prophylaxis or PrEP.

PrEP is a pill taken once a day, and approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) that can prevent the HIV infection. Taken daily, PrEP is safe and over 90% effective at preventing HIV.

This unique campaign was created with the close participation of the Latin transgender community in Washington D. C. and Alexa Rodriguez, the Director of Trans-Latin@ DMV. It was developed based on HAHSTA’s ability to recognize the way the transgender community has been perceived in the past. The transgender representation is important to allow this community to communicate their values, their role in society, as well as their needs.

The transgender community participation in the campaign took place from the strategic planning and focus groups to the inclusion of real transgender Latina women in the promotional materials. This resulted in trusted messages in hopes of building trust among this community when deciding to take PrEP, as well as understanding its benefits.

“It’s important to educate the transgender community, as well as to break barriers and taboos about taking PrEP, and understand the real benefits of taking it, especially to prevent HIV,” Alexa said. She added that “the DC Department of Health’s efforts to benefit the transgender community are a big step, but there is still a lot to be done.

Michael Kharfen, HAHSTA’s Senior Deputy Director, agreed with Alexa’s statement, adding: “At DOH we are pleased to introduce this campaign created in collaboration with the transgender community, but we understand these are just the first steps, and that there is more to do in order to fulfill our commitment and dedication to supporting this significant community residing in Washington D. C.”

To participate in this important campaign and get more information, visit #PrEPpledge, PrEPpledge.com or cdc.gov/hiv/risk/prep/index.html.

Joanna Cifredo on Structural Victimization of Trans People

Joanna Cifredo

By Joanna Cifredo

In my early teens I started to become aware of transsexuality. I finally had terminology to describe this feeling that had been growing within me, this overwhelming feeling of despair and hopelessness. And in my lament I would retreat to the safe and hopeful mental state of the “one day”: “one day I’ll have breasts”, “one day I’ll be free to be me”, “one day”. So for many years in my youthfulness I believed that the world was my oyster; that all my dreams were just 18 candles away. I believed then, that I’d move to a big city and have my own apartment and become the woman I knew myself to be. With this idea in mind I went on a journey to South Florida, 300 miles away from my friends, family and people throwing passive bible verses in my face.

Like most youth in discovery there is that moment when you realize the world is not what you thought it was. Life was not a Cinderella story. Where you just show up at the club, dance with the man of your dreams that’s all sorts of fine and whose complexion can only be described as caramel macchiato; you forget your pump—as if you wouldn’t notice you’re missing a 5 inch stiletto. A week later he finds you on facebook or as was popular at the time, Myspace. He hits you up to return your shoe and professes his undying love for you with his deep baritone voice and because he just happens to have good credit, he’s willing to pay for your whole transition (yes, this was a reoccurring dream). I look back on my youthful ignorance with a simple “bitch please”.

I realize that life wasn’t any different then when I was back home. Sure I did not have to deal with the constantly having to explain things to mother or deal with the persistent gaze of people who knew me. I could get all fished out for the gawds in my own place and feel my trans but life did not get any easier. Instead it got harder. The more I tried to take steps in transitioning; the more the world around me pushed back. The more I began to express my femininity; the more I was ostracized. At first I lost my job. Finding new employment became a challenge. I eventually found a second home at the Boardwalk—a gay strip club. I began to sell jello shots in my underwear. However the money wasn’t enough. I was barely making enough to pay my rent. Forget about hormones, clothes and surgery. All of which began to seem further and further out of reach. Trying to capitalize on all the daddies in Fort Lauderdale I eventually began to dance; because private dances paid more I began to do those too.

*****

One evening a client from the club asked me to go home with him, he flashed a few twenties in my face and before I knew it I was in his car. The thing about South Florida is there were always young people like myself with these dreams of moving to the city and living the night life. Being the new trade in town quickly wore off. I tell my younger kids who I know are in the sex trade, have a plan because every day there is a whole new batch of 18 year olds and they are cuter and tighter than you are. Once the mystic of being the new trade wore off I was back to square one. Each day began to feel more and more like a struggle. Money was never enough. I was eventually evicted. Seeing everything I had come to South Florida with on the curb for the entire world to see was one of the most painful experiences of my life. It was visual confirmation that I was a failure.

I loaded up my car with as much as I could and lived out of my car for a few nights parking it in a super Wal-Mart that wouldn’t take notice. I went to a shelter and was placed with a bunch of men who did not take to effeminate young boys that easily. Every night something would go missing, first it was my hair gel, then my deodorant. That shelter was not a temporary place while you got back on your feet. It was a cot nothing more. A week later I went back to sleeping at that Wal-mart. Hooking up was no longer something I did for fun. It was now something I had to do if I wanted a shower. Eventually I bounced from couch to couch with friends that took pity on me. Everywhere I turned I couldn’t escape people’s judgmental eyes. I began to rediscover that state of despair that had imprisoned me for so many years, only now I did not have that “one day” to escape to. I was a prisoner with no release date. The anguish that was caused by what I deemed as “my failure” broke me, and, I only saw one way out. When I left the hospital a few days later, I found my car in the parking lot with a full tank of gas and a note on the dash. “We think you should move back home”.

Although, I never came back home, I came back to “my mother’s house”. There is an air of entitlement you have over your parent’s house before you ever move out it’s “your house” after you move out and move back in, it’s no longer your house it’s your “parents house” you simply live with them. That sense of despair accompanied my trip back on I-95, the same Highway that I once viewed as the road to freedom. That sense of despair paralyzed me and robbed me of two years of my life. I eventually gave in to the pressure and cut off all my hair, getting in line as I was told to do and in that time hashed out a plan birthed out of trial and error, of moving to a big city and starting again. Years later I’d move to DC to carry out that plan.

*****

Looking back on my experience I now have the language to contextualize my experiences. I am now able to feel the emotions that my younger self did not have space to feel. I am now able to see and call out this greater system that I was too busy navigating and surviving through. And although I have since developed enough agency to advocate for myself and have access. I still have to deal with victimization and violence. They’ve taken on a different form today. I no longer have to fight for a place to live, but I have to fight for medical coverage. I no longer have to deal with the physical and sexual violence of clients who feel that they own me, but I have to deal with the administrative violence of having to argue for my medical needs. I’ve since developed a voice to advocate for myself but every so often just as it was last Friday at Five-Guys with a simple “here you go sir” a cashier can cut me down to size and tell me to get in place.

Furthermore I am still a victim to myself. Although I am able to realize I am the survivor of a broken system and multiple system failures. I have been conditioned to blame myself for the things I went through. Victim blaming is something so pervasive in our society that we train the survivors to do it themselves and worst of all we train them to believe it. It’s taken me years to come to terms with owning the totality of my experiences, a process that I’m still learning to do. Very few people know about this chapter of my life. For a long time I have kept quiet and tried to erase this chapter of my life out of fear of being re-victimized or seen as less than.

My experiences are not uncommon for girls like me. My silence about my experiences have fed into this false narrative that I am somehow the exception I am often showcased as the example—the one to emulate. Another fear I’ve had about coming forward with experiences from my past is perpetuating this false narrative that you can have anything you want if you just “try hard enough and pull yourself up by your boot straps”. That the things I have been able to achieve are accessible to all trans girls. Let me channel the words of Janet Mock when she said. Let me be clear: It is not. For as much as I’ve gone through I also experienced my fair share of privilege. I am articulate, English proficient; I was born documented and have the full love and support of my family but most importantly I was lucky.

As service providers recognizing these systems is crucial but recognizing our role in the continuation of administrative victimization is essential. We must be proactive in addressing these systems as a broad network and be intentional in creating safe spaces for people of trans experience to be able to let their guard down. It’s not enough to say “I know twoc have it harder” we need to address the disparities and not just respond to the outcomes. As service providers we need to do the work to meet our clients where they are and view them as whole beings deserving of the right to be heard, affirmed, validated and served. To do otherwise would be to perpetuate a culture of victimization and violence against trans people.

Joanna Cifredo
Joanna Cifredo

Eight Latinx LGBT Activists to Watch

Latinx LGBT Activists

Meet eight amazing Latinx LGBT activists who are changing the world.  This is not meant to be a complete list, nor do I claim to be an expert on who would even be on the complete list.  I can say withought hesitation, however, that these are eight amazing people who I find inspiring, and I believe you will as well.

Daniel Hernandez

Daniel Hernandez Arizona
Daniel Hernandez

Follow Daniel on Twitter: @djblp

Follow Daniel on Instagram: @djblp

Daniel Hernandez is a Victory Fund candidate for the Arizona State Legislature.  You may know him better, however, as the intern for U.S. Rep. Gabrielle Giffords on the life-changing day she was shot at a campaign event in Tucson.  At the young age of twenty, Daniel’s quick thinking and courageous action is is credited by many for saving Rep. Giffords life.

Now as a candidate he is an outspoken advocate both for LGBT Equality and for sensible gun control.  While this may make Hernandez seem unlikely to be a rising start in a state like Arizona, many locals would describe him as exactly that.  Visit his campaign website at: www.danielforarizona.org.

Joanna Maria Cifredo

Joanna Cifredo
Joanna Cifredo

Follow Joanna on Twitter: @JoannaCifredo

Follow Joanna on Instagram @JoannaCifredo

Joanna Cifredo is the Racial and Economic Justice Policy Analyst at the National Center for Transgender Equality, the nation’s leading social justice advocacy organization winning life-saving change for transgender people.

Joanna serves on the Board of Directors to Whitman Walker Health and the DC Mayor’s Office of LGBTQ Affairs Advisory Board.  She is the recipient of the 2015 Visionary Voice Award by National Sexual Violence Resource Center for her work Health Equity and Trans-Inclusive Healthcare, she was also honored by Mujeres en el Movimiento as one of DC’s Rising Stars.  She can sometimes be found blogging at joannacifredo.com.

Marco Quiroga

Marco Quiroga
Marco Quiroga

Follow Marco Quiroga on Twitter: @DREAMarcoAble

Follow Marco on Instagram: @maquirog

Marco Quiroga describes himself on twitter as “Gay, Undocumented and Unafraid,” Marco is known by many for three amazing years of work at Immigration Equality working on the front lines of our movement’s struggle for LGBTQ immigrant justice.

This year Marco began a new chapter as Director of Public Policy at the True Colors Fund, as he turns his attention to ending LGBT Youth Homelessness.  Find out more at truecolorsfund.org.

Lisbeth Melendez Rivera

Lisbeth Melendez Rivera
Lisbeth Melendez Rivera

Follow Lisbeth on Twitter at @buchadc

Lisbeth Melendez Rivera is the Religion and Faith Program’s Director of Latino and Catholic Initiatives at the Human Rights Campaign where she has worked on the A La Familia project.

Over the years Lisbeth has worked at many organizations in the movement including Freedom to Marry, NARAL, Family Equality Council and Now. And of course, Lisbeth did groundbreaking work at LLEGO the The National Latino/a Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Organization where she served as Director of Community Education and Training.

Christopher Soto

Christopher Soto
Christopher Soto

Follow Christopher on twitter at @loma_poetry

Christoppher Soto (aka Loma) is an nationally recognized poet and activist. Their first chapbook “Sad Girl Poems” was published by Sibling Rivalry Press and tackles some tough topics like LGBTQ youth homelessness, Intimate Partner Violence, and suicide. Their work has been translated into Spanish and Portuguese.

They are currently working on a full-length poetry manuscript about police violence and mass incarceration. Originally from the Los Angeles area, Christopher now now resides in Brooklyn.  Visit Christopher’s website at christophersoto-poet.com.

Ruby Corado

Ruby Corado
Ruby Corado

Follow Ruby/Casa Ruby on twitter at: @CasaRubyDC

I’ve known Ruby Corado much longer than anyone on the list and if you’ve ever met Ruby, I’m sure you would agree with me when I say what I love most about her is her heart. Ruby was born in San Salvador, El Salvador. She fled a civil war when she was 16 years old.  Washington DC has been her home since then where she has been a tireless advocate for the entire LGBT community, but especially Trans, Genderqueer, and Gender Non-Conforming People and the Latino community.

The Casa Ruby community center opened it’s doors in June 2012 and has has met an important need in the community since that day. open to everyone but primarily serving the Latino LGBT community.  Find out more and learn how you can support Ruby at www.casaruby.org

Jack Harrison-Quintana

Jack Harrison Quintana
Jack Harrison Quintana

Follow Jack on twitter at: @jchq59

Follow Jack on instagram at: @jchq59

Jack Harrison-Quintana, M.A., is a queer Latino activist, demographer, and researcher currently serving as the director of Grindr for Equality. Prior to his current position, Jack worked for the National LGBTQ Task Force, the Global Trans Research and Advocacy Project (GTRAP), the National Center for Transgender Equality, and Khmera.

In 2010, he was a contributing author for Outing Age 2010: Public Policy Issues Affecting Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender Elders, and in 2011, he was a co-author of Injustice at Every Turn: A Report of the National Transgender Discrimination Survey. His other work has addressed issues of sexual liberation, racial justice, post-colonial movement building, diaspora activism, and anti-genderqueer discrimination.

Ignacio Rivera

Ignacio Rivera
Ignacio Rivera

Follow Ignacio on twitter: @Papi_Coxxx

Much like Christopher Soto, the work of Ignacio Rivera blurs the lines between art and activism. Ignacio identifies as “Brooklyn, New York City born and raised Queer, Two-spirit, Black Boricua Taíno” who uses the gender-neutral pronoun they.

Ignacio is also one of the founding board member of Queers for Economic Justice; a progressive non-profit organization committed to promoting economic justice in a context of sexual and gender liberation.  And while this organization is no longer around, it had a profound impact on our movement, highlighting how LGBT folks living in poverty are affected by issues like welfare reform, homelessness and the shelter system.

These days Ignacio wears many, many hats.  They are a performance artist, activist, lecturer, and most recently a filmaker.  Learn more about Ignacio at their website, www.ignaciogrivera.com.

Latinx LGBT Activists to Watch
Latinx LGBT Activists to Watch

 

 

United We Dream Unveils Largest Survey of LGBTQ Immigrant Community

United We Dream Report on LGBTQ Immigrants

United We Dream, the national network of immigrant youth, has just released its “No More Closets” report, the largest national survey of the LGBTQ immigrant community ever conducted.

The report tells the collective and individual stories of some 461 individuals who self identify as lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, or queer and who are either born outside of the United States or are U.S.-born citizens with foreign-born parents. The survey was conducted in late 2015 both online and through individual interviews.

The report uncovers high levels of discrimination and harassment in employment, healthcare, housing and education and a distrust of law enforcement among this highly resilient population.

“With this survey, we aim to both tell our stories to policymakers as well as to the young people in our communities who are struggling that they are not alone and that together we can turn our shared struggle and power into the change we seek,” said Carlos Padilla, National Coordinator of United We Dream’s Queer Undocumented Immigrant Project. “In fact, some of our nation’s leading change makers are LGBTQ immigrant youth – out of great struggle can come great strength.”

Among the findings:

  • 73.4 percent of respondents say that their income either doesn’t cover or just barely covers their living expenses. Only 26.6 percent report earning enough to live comfortably

  • About half say they have experienced discrimination at school because of their sexual orientation

  • 41 percent have no health insurance, significantly higher than the general LGBTQ population

  • 46 percent said they have hid or lied about their sexual orientation or gender identity to a health care provider because of fear

  • Nearly half of all respondents say they are afraid to deal with police because of their immigration status or sexual identity.

Survey architect and report author Zenen Jaimes Perez, Policy & Advocacy Analyst for United We Dream, added, “The patterns of discrimination, lack of healthcare and harassment uncovered by this report are heartbreaking but the countless stories of resistance and hope are inspiring. We hope that this report is just the beginning of research into a community determined to live authentically despite the odds.”

In addition to the survey data, the report also includes several individual testimonies of LGBTQ immigrant leaders themselves including this one from Bianey Garcia of New York City:

“Coming out for me was not about visibility, it was about survival and about being able to share my strength with other youth who continue to remain in the shadows and in fear as undocumented and LGBTQ. As a transgender immigrant woman, being out and counted is a critical step so other people in my community can feel safe.”

Download the entire report here.  You can also use these great graphics below to help spread the word.

nmc_8 nmc_7 nmc_6 nmc_5 nmc_4 nmc_3 nmc_2 nmc_1 (1)

United We Dream Report on LGBTQ Immigrants

36 LGBTQ Organizations Call on President Obama to Stop the Raids, Provide Immediate Relief to Immigrants

LGBT Groups say Stop the RAIDS

On January 14th, 36 national and local organizations representing lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer (LGBTQ) people sent a letter to Jeh Johnson, Secretary of Homeland Security calling for an immediate end to the Administration’s heavy-handed and immoral immigration raids , which have sparked a new wave of terror in immigrant communities across the country. The groups also called on the Administration to provide immediate relief to those fleeing violence and decried the Administration’s giving short shrift to due process protections.

The letter decries the immoral tactic of raids and lays out the particular damage that they have on the LGBTQ community. From the letter:

These negative impacts are even more harrowing for LGBTQ immigrants that already report higher levels of violence and discrimination based on their sexual orientation and gender identity. These raids will only serve to push our LGBTQ immigrant community further into the shadows.

The call from LGBTQ organizations adds to the growing chorus of voices ranging from over 60 Asian Pacific Islander organizations to more than 150 House Democrats and other political leaders calling on the Administration to end their reprehensible tactics.

Zenen Jaimes Perez, Advocacy & Policy Analyst for United We Dream said, “LGBTQ advocates refuse to sit idly by while the government inflicts a new wave of terror upon the immigrant community. The raids are just the latest in a series of gross injustices being carried out by the Obama administration on LGBTQ immigrants who are too familiar with the government’s use of intimidation, disrespect for due process and abuses in the immigrant detention and deportation process.”

The full text of the letter can be seen here and below. Signers of the letter include: Aquí Estamos, Association of Latino/as Motivating Action (ALMA), CenterLink: The Community of LGBT Centers, Collectively Free, Community Initiatives for Visiting Immigrants in Confinement (CIVIC), Equality New Mexico, GALAEI, Gay & Lesbian Advocates & Defenders, GLAD Alliance, GSA Network, Human Rights Campaign, Immigration Equality, La Clinica del Pueblo, Lambda Legal, League of United Latin American Citizens, Manantial de Gracia, Marriage Equality USA, National Black Justice Coalition, National Center for Lesbian Rights, National Center for Transgender Equality, National Immigrant Justice Center, National Immigration Law Center, National Latina Institute for Reproductive Health, National LGBTQ Task Force, National Queer Asian Pacific Islander Alliance, Our Family Coalition, Pride at Work, Queer Detainee Empowerment Project, RAD Remedy, Social Workers for Reproductive Justice, The DC Center for the LGBT Community, The LGBT Center Orange County, The Los Angeles LGBT Center, Trans Pride Initiative, Trans Student Educational Resources and United We Dream.
LETTER TO SEC. JEH JOHNSON FROM LGBTQ ORGANIZATIONS CALLING FOR AN END TO RAIDS:
(for citations, see pdf of letter here)

January 14, 2014

The Honorable Jeh Johnson
Secretary of Homeland Security
U.S. Department of Homeland Security
Nebraska Avenue Complex
3801 Nebraska Avenue, N.W.
Washington, DC 20528

Dear Secretary Johnson:

The undersigned lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer (LGBTQ) organizations and individuals write to express our deep opposition to the Department of Homeland Security’s (DHS) tactics of conducting raids in communities nationwide to round up and deport Central American children and their families.

We are committed to ensuring the safety, health, and welfare of all LGBTQ immigrants in the United States and we are disappointed that DHS has decided to use tactics that instill fear into immigrant communities. These raids plainly contravene President Obama’s directive to “more humanely” enforce our nation’s immigration laws. Instead of raids, DHS should take measurable steps to protect people that are fleeing tremendous levels of violence.

As an LGBTQ community, we know the vital importance of safe places to live. In the summer of 2014, we saw a wave of parents and children arrive to the U.S. to escape extreme violence in Central America. These parents fled because of gangs murdering their spouses, attempting to recruit their sons, and threatening sexual violence against their children. The majority of these cases lacked access to legal advice and assistance, often because of financial, logistical, or governmental obstacles. Without adequate legal counsel, many do not understand the intricacies of court proceedings and struggle to get their cases heard adequately and fairly.

Additionally, we believe a substantial portion of those who are currently in removal proceedings before the Executive Office for Immigration Review (EOIR) people with a disability, as that term is defined in the Rehabilitation Act of 1973. See 42 U.S.C. § 12102(1). A very high proportion of the Central American mothers and children now targeted for ICE raids have survived sexual assault or other forms of extreme violence, have mourned the loss of close family members to particularized violence, and today suffer the inevitable consequences of exposure to this trauma. This means that a substantial proportion of the Central American parents and children who have sought refuge in the U.S. are suffering from severe symptoms of—and in many cases likely meet diagnostic criteria for—posttraumatic stress disorder, generalized anxiety, and depression.

Consequently, we request that you call for an immediate review of the underlying removal orders on which DHS raids are purportedly based in order to confirm that the orders were not obtained in violation of the Rehabilitation Act. Raids are not the answer, especially for the broader LGBTQ immigrant community. Countless studies show the negative impact that raids have for immigrant communities. Children are pulled from school, immigrant owned businesses suffer, and immigrants fear reaching out to for basic services- even if they themselves are not the targets of the raids. These negative impacts are even more harrowing for LGBTQ immigrants that already report higher levels of violence and discrimination based on their sexual orientation and gender identity. These raids will only serve to push our LGBTQ immigrant community further into the shadows.

Consistent with our welcoming immigrant tradition to harbor those fleeing violence and persecution, DHS must end the use of raids that drive fear into immigrant communities. Additionally, you should exercise your statutory authority to extend relief and due process to all families fleeing violence.

This country has proven to be a beacon of hope for thousands of LGBTQ immigrants that face violence. We ask you send that same level of respect to these families and champion their protection.

We look forward to speaking with you about this matter. Please contact Zenen Jaimes Perez with the United We Dream Network at (512) 914-5905 or zenen@unitedwedream.org for more information or to discuss.

Sincerely,

Aquí Estamos
Association of Latino/as Motivating Action (ALMA)
CenterLink: The Community of LGBT Centers
Collectively Free
Community Initiatives for Visiting Immigrants in Confinement (CIVIC)
Equality New Mexico
GALAEI
Gay & Lesbian Advocates & Defenders
GLAD Alliance
GSA Network
Human Rights Campaign
Immigration Equality
La Clinica del Pueblo
Lambda Legal
League of United Latin American Citizens
Manantial de Gracia
Marriage Equality USA
National Black Justice Coalition
National Center for Lesbian Rights
National Center for Transgender Equality
National Immigrant Justice Center
National Immigration Law Center
National Latina Institute for Reproductive Health
National LGBTQ Task Force
National Queer Asian Pacific Islander Alliance
Our Family Coalition
Pride at Work
Queer Detainee Empowerment Project
RAD Remedy
Social Workers for Reproductive Justice
The DC Center for the LGBT Community
The LGBT Center Orange County
The Los Angeles LGBT Center
Trans Pride Initiative
Trans Student Educational Resources
United We Dream

You can find more about UWD online at www.unitedwedream.org.

LGBT Groups say Stop the RAIDS
LGBT Groups say Stop the RAIDS