Abstract
It is estimated that the number of Latina/o immigrants who identify as lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender or queer (LGBTQ) is nearly one million, with a quarter of them living as undocumented in the US (Center for American Progress, 2013). However, no statistic currently exists on the exact number of LGBTQ Latina/o immigrants residing in the US, which may be related to a lack of sexual orientation and gender identity questions on the US. Census as well as the fear many LGBTQ individuals face with “outing” themselves in a formal manner. While representation and consideration of LGBTQ Latina/o needs remains a serious issue, there is even less known about transgender Latina/os, especially those who are migrants to the US. The severe paucity of scholarship and theory in the mental health field on this community is especially troublesome when you consider the severe marginalization many members of this community face, including death for their gender expression (Anderson, 2010; Chávez 2010 ; Seuffert, 2009) and the types and amount of mental health resources needed to provide adequate emotional support and advocacy. As a direct response to this lack of focus in the mental health field, this chapter provides an ecologically based case study analysis of one woman’s life experiences as a transgender immigrant Latina, which involves her migration to the US from Honduras as a means to access resources and community support related to her transgender identity.
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© 2015 Danielle Quintero , Alison Cerezo, Alejandro Morales and Stephanie Rothman
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Quintero, D., Cerezo, A., Morales, A., Rothman, S. (2015). Supporting Transgender Immigrant Latinas: The Case of Erika. In: Espín, O.M., Dottolo, A.L. (eds) Gendered Journeys: Women, Migration and Feminist Psychology. Palgrave Macmillan, London. https://doi.org/10.1057/9781137521477_9
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1057/9781137521477_9
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