Words By Moira Armstrong | Illustrations By Abigail Silvis
“A
contradictory experience,” CNN calls LGBTQ+ life in Latin America. Despite progressive laws, the region has high rates of violence against queer people, and the percentage of citizens who feel that homosexuality should be criminalized hovers around 40% or higher in most Latin American countries.
These feelings are often expressed through violence, according to Reuters. A recent report describes that in El Salvador and Honduras, gangs frequently target the LGBTQ+ community. For example, a transgender woman named Cristel was forced to flee in 2014 after one gang threatened to kill her, and Honduran local rights group Cattrachas cites that at least 264 queer people have been killed in the last decade. Under the United Nations 1951 Refugee Convention, persecution and hate crimes based on sexuality or gender are grounds for asylum claims. However, the process of trying to claim that asylum can be just as dangerous as the circumstances they are fleeing.
USA, reveals that not only do Mexican officials typically fail to protect these individuals from discrimination and abuse, but they are also often the perpetrators. Refugees are rarely given proper information about their right to asylum in Mexico and sometimes are actively discouraged from applying. Migrants typically travel to the United States next. Due to current political circumstances, they often are detained in border camps, a difficult situation that has adverse, or even deadly, effects on mental and physical health, the American Psychological Association and NBC News report. However, the situation is even worse for LGBTQ+ individuals. In 2017, a letter to Kirstjen Nielsen, former secretary of the Department of Homeland Security, from Rep. Kathleen Rice revealed disproportionately poor treatment of LGBTQ+ people in these camps, according to American Progress. LGBTQ+ immigrants are held in detention for double the amount of time, in less safe conditions and at greater risk for sexual violence than other migrants. For example, although LGBTQ+ people represented 0.14% of those detained by Immigration and Customs Enforcement in 2017, they accounted for 12% of the victims of reported sexual abuse and assault. This makes them 97 times more likely to be victims of sexual violence than cisgender, heterosexual people.
“‘Give me your tired, your poor, your huddled masses yearning to be free’ needs to apply to LGBTQ+ refugees too.” First, migrants need a method of transportation. One of the safest options is a caravan, like the one that reached the United States last fall. According to the BBC, this stems from the idea of safety in numbers. Sex traffickers and drug gangs often kidnap individual migrants and force them into labor, but large groups are harder to target and thus offer much more protection than traveling as an individual or even a family. However, caravans do not provide that kind of security for LGBTQ+ travelers. Erick Dubon, a 23-year-old Honduran migrant, faced mistreatment on his way to the United States with his boyfriend. “We were discriminated against, even in the caravan,” Dubon told the Huffington Post. “People wouldn’t let us into trucks, they made us get in the back of the line for showers, they would call us ugly names.” Next, migrants from Central and South America enter Mexico, where the situation often does not improve. Gang influence typically crosses the border, so discrimination and violence continue. Additionally, “No Safe Place,” a recent study from Amnesty
The consequences of such treatment can be fatal. According to American Progress, Laura, a queer asylum seeker whose sexual assault had no consequences for the guard who attacked her, attempted suicide in 2018. That same year, CNN reports that Roxana, a 33-year-old transgender woman, died of medical negligence in the Cibola County Correctional Facility. Others were simply deported, returned to the very countries they tried to escape, which as Public Radio International reports, have high rates of homophobia- and transphobia-motivated violent crimes, including murder.
to be her family. Unfortunately, she says LGBTQ+ people are “not welcomed” in the camps. There is poor treatment from other migrants – she recounted the story of a gay couple whose tent was urinated on – and overall isolation, which can become a barrier to leaving the camps. Candia says that living arrangements are easier and safer in a pair or group, but that is often not an option for LGBTQ+ migrants who have not been able to make connections with others. She tries to clearly express to the rest of the camp that respect and support are necessary, and she works with other groups to create solutions to these problems. For example, the liaison for the Texas Civil Rights Project can connect migrants with resources and LGBTQ+ rights organizations in the United States and Mexico. She provides every LGBTQ+ migrant with a cell phone and adds them to a group chat that keeps them updated on protests, emergencies and other relevant situations. Candia also feels that awareness is key. A transgender migrant whom she is sponsoring “holds herself high.” “She’s proud of who she is and how far she’s come, and I just love her for that,” Candia says. “She and I just walking around the camp would show the awareness of the love that is there, that they need to love also the LGBT community.” She is also optimistic about the attitude of these queer migrants. Candia says, “They’re holding their own and it’s awesome.” She encourages everyone to vote and, if possible, volunteer to help these individuals “until everybody is across.” Overall, every stage of the immigration process can be fraught with danger for queer migrants. The journey and final destination need to be safer for these individuals. “Give me your tired, your poor, your huddled masses yearning to be free” needs to apply to LGBTQ+ refugees too.
Cindy Candia, who works with Angry Tias and Abuelas, has spent more time in the camps than any other volunteer from the advocacy group, the website states. Her organization runs free stores in the camps that provide basic necessities such as toothpaste, shampoo and food and are managed by asylum seekers. She has encountered LGBTQ+ migrants before and, as the mother of a gay daughter, considers the community
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