Resisting by Existing: Trans Latinx Mental Health, Well-Being, and Resilience in the United States

Abstract

Transgender Latinx people within the United States face unique experiences of discrimination, obstacles to physical and mental healthcare access, and decreased well-being due to interlocking systems of oppression at the intersection of racism, sexism, cissexism, and transphobia. In this chapter, the authors explore Trans Latinx peoples’ experiences with immigration, the law and the legal system, and healthcare system in the United States. The authors also provide an overview of sources of resilience and resistance and their impact on the Trans Latinx community’s well-being. Finally, the authors review the research on erased Latinx communities (i.e., Afro-Latinx and Indigenous) and pose a call for centering the experiences the most marginalized Trans Latinx communities in the United States.

Appendix A

4.1.1 Resources for Providers Seeking to Work with Latinx and/or Trans Communities

• 1. Guidelines for Psychological Practice With Transgender and Gender Nonconforming People (https://doi.org/10.1037/a0039906)

• 2. Multicultural Guidelines: An Ecological Approach to Context, Identity, and Intersectionality (http://www.apa.org/about/policy/multicultural-guidelines.pdf)

• 3. American Psychological Association Training Resources for Psychologists Working with LGBT Migrants and Victims of Torture (https://www.apa.org/pi/lgbt/resources/refugee-training)

• 4. Migrant Clinicians Network (https://www.migrantclinician.org/)

  • Migrant Clinicians Network is a 501(c)3 is a nonprofit organization that creates practical solutions at the intersection of vulnerability, migration, and health. They provide bridge case management, support, technical assistance, and professional development to clinicians in Federally Qualified Health Centers (FQHCs) and other healthcare delivery sites with the ultimate purpose of providing quality healthcare that increases access and reduces disparities for migrant farmworkers and other mobile underserved populations.

• 5. UCSF Prevention Science (https://prevention.ucsf.edu/)

  • The Division of Prevention Science is a highly productive, vibrant, and innovative group of scientists conducting cutting-edge, significant, high-impact prevention research. As prevention scientists, they are committed to understanding the etiology and prevention of social, structural, physical, and mental health problems in order to translate that knowledge to the promotion of health and well-being.

4.1.2 Resources for Latinx and/or Trans Communities

4.1.2.1 Health

• 1. The Refugee Health Information Network (https://healthreach.nlm.nih.gov/)

  • The Refugee Health Information Netwrok provides multilingual, multicultural health information and patient education materials about health conditions and wellness topics. Created for Refugees, Asylees, and Immigrants.

• 2. Translatinx Network (New York; https://translatinxnetwork.org/)

  • Translatinx Network has both a local and national focus, with a mission to promote the healthy development of Trans people through the delivery of a wide range of information. Through promotion, outreach in education, and capacity-building, they encourage and strengthen the creation of safe and productive environments for Transgender women.

• 3. The Trevor Project (https://www.thetrevorproject.org/)

  • The Trevor Project provides crisis intervention and suicide prevention services to lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, and questioning (LGBTQ) young people under 25.

• 4. National LGBT Health Education Center (https://www.lgbthealtheducation.org/)

  • National LGBT Health Education Center provides educational programs, resources, and consultation to healthcare organizations with the goal of optimizing quality, cost-effective healthcare for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, intersex, asexual, and all sexual and gender minority (LGBTQIA+) people.

• 5. Bellevue Program for Survivors of Torture (PSOT; New York City; https://www.survivorsoftorture.org/)

  • Bellevue PSOT provides medical, psychological, social, and legal services to survivors of torture. They primarily serve people who have already applied for asylum in the United States or who plan to apply for asylum.

• 6. Survivors of Torture International (https://notorture.org/)

  • SURVIVORS empowers torture survivors to reclaim the strength and vitality that were stolen from them by brutal dictators and governments. The specialized care SURVIVORS provides these vulnerable individuals helps them to become self-sufficient and healthy members of their families and of our community.

4.1.2.2 Legal

• 1. Transgender Law Center (https://transgenderlawcenter.org/)

  • Transgender Law Center (TLC) is the largest national Trans-led organization advocating for a world in which all people are free to define themselves and their futures. Grounded in legal expertise and committed to racial justice, TLC employs a variety of community-driven strategies to keep transgender and gender nonconforming people alive, thriving, and fighting for liberation.

• 1. The Sylvia Rivera Law Project (https://srlp.org/resources/)

  • The Sylvia Rivera Law Project works to guarantee that all people are free to self-determine gender identity and expression, regardless of income or race, and without facing harassment, discrimination, or violence.

• 2. Mariposas Sin Fronteras (Tucson, Arizona; https://mariposassinfronteras.org/about-us/)

  • Mariposas Sin Fronteras is a group that seeks to end the systemic violence and abuse of LGBTQ people held in prison and immigration detention.

• 3. Lambda Legal (https://www.lambdalegal.org/issues/proyecto-igualdad; https://www.lambdalegal.org/issues/immigration; https://www.lambdalegal.org/issues/transgender-rights)

  • Founded in 1973, Lambda Legal is the oldest and largest national legal organization whose mission is to achieve full recognition of the civil rights of lesbians, gay men, bisexuals, transgender people, and everyone living with HIV through impact litigation, education, and public policy work. As a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization, they do not charge clients for legal representation or advocacy.

4.1.2.3 Advocacy and Community

• 1. The Latino Equality Alliance (Los Angeles, California; http://www.latinoequalityalliance.org/)

  • The mission of Latino Equality Alliance (LEA) is to advocate for equity, safety, and wellness for the Latinx lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer + community.

• 2. The Audre Lorde Project (New York; https://alp.org)

  • The Audre Lorde Project is a lesbian, gay, bisexual, two spirit, Trans and gender nonconforming People of Color community organizing center, focusing on the New York City area.

• 3. El/La Para TransLatinas (San Francisco, California; http://ellaparatranslatinas.yolasite.com/)

  • El/La Para TransLatinas works to build a world where TransLatinas feel they deserve to protect, love, and develop themselves.

• 4. QLatinx (Orlando, Florida; https://www.qlatinx.org/)

  • QLatinx is a grassroots racial, social, and gender justice organization dedicated to the advancement and empowerment of Central Florida’s LGBTQ+ Latinx community.

• 5. Hispanic Black Gay Coalition (Boston, Massachusetts; https://www.tsne.org/hispanic-black-gay-coalition)

  • Hispanic Black Gay Coalition (HBGC) is one of few nonprofit organizations in Boston dedicated to the unique and complex needs of the Black, Hispanic, and Latin@ LGBTQ community. They work to inspire and empower Latin@, Hispanic, and Black LGBTQ individuals to improve their livelihood through activism, education, community outreach, and counseling.

• 6. Trans Lifeline (https://www.translifeline.org/)

  • Trans Lifeline is a Trans-led organization that connects Trans people to the community, support, and resources they need to survive and thrive.

• 7. The National Center For Transgender Equality (https://transequality.org/)

  • Advocates to change policies and society to increase understanding and acceptance of transgender people. In the nation’s capital and throughout the country, NCTE works to replace disrespect, discrimination, and violence with empathy, opportunity, and justice.

• 8. TransLatina Coalition (https://www.translatinacoalition.org/)

  • The mission of TransLatina Coalition is to advocate for the specific needs of the Trans Latina community that resides in the United States and to plan strategies that improve our quality of life.

• 9. Somos Familia (https://www.somosfamiliabay.org/)

  • Somos Familia builds leadership in our Latinx families and communities to create a culture where people of diverse genders and sexual orientations can thrive.

• 10. The Wall-Las Memorias Project (http://www.thewalllasmemorias.org/)

  • The Wall Las Memorias Project is a community health and wellness organization dedicated to serving Latino, LGBTQ, and other underserved populations through advocacy, education, and building the next generation of leadership.

• 11. PFLAG’s Transgender Resources (https://pflag.org/search?keys=transgender&type=resource)

  • PFLAG is the first and largest organization for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer (LGBTQ+) people, their parents and families, and allies. PFLAG is committed to creating a world where diversity is celebrated and all people are respected, valued, and affirmed.

• 12. Gender Proud (https://genderproud.com/)

  • Gender Proud uses media to elevate justice and equality for the transgender community.

• 13. TransYouth Family Allies (http://www.imatyfa.org/resources.html)

  • TYFA empowers children and families by partnering with educators, service providers, and communities, to develop supportive environments in which gender may be expressed and respected.

• 14. Allgo (http://allgo.org/qpocblog/)

  • Allgo celebrates and nurtures vibrant queer People of Color communities in Texas and beyond. They accomplish this through cultural arts, wellness, and social justice programming by supporting artists and artistic expression; promoting health within a wellness model; and mobilizing and building coalitions among groups marginalized by race/ethnicity, gender/gender identity, and sexual orientation/sexual identity in order to enact change.

• 15. Farmworker Justice (https://www.farmworkerjustice.org/)

  • Farmworker Justice is a nonprofit organization that seeks to empower migrant and seasonal farmworkers to improve their living and working conditions, immigration status, health, occupational safety, and access to justice.

• 16. Entre Hermanos (Seattle, Washington; http://entrehermanos.org/)

  • Entre Hermanos promotes the health and well-being of the Latino gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender, and questioning community in a culturally appropriate environment through disease prevention, education, support services, advocacy, and community building.

• 17. Galaei: Trans Equity Project (Philadelphia, Pennsylvania; https://www.galaei.org/programs#transequityproject)

  • Trans Equity Project is a for Trans* by Trans* program that offers peer support and linkage to care. Trans Equity Project vision is to empower, educate, and connect the Trans* Community in Philadelphia and the surrounding areas.

• 18. The Brown Boi Project (Oakland, California; http://www.brownboiproject.org/)

  • The Brown Boi Project is a community of masculine of center women, men, two-spirit people, transmen, and allies committed to changing the way that Communities of Color talk about gender.