"A center for trans women where they help you": Resource needs of the immigrant Latinx transgender community

The Health Needs of Sexual and Gender Minority Migrant Women in the United States: A Scoping Review

Purpose: This scoping review characterizes the peer-reviewed evidence on the health of first-generation sexual and gender minority (SGM) migrant women to the United States and identifies research gaps and future priorities. Methods: On February 1, 2022, the following databases were searched: PubMed (MEDLINE), Embase, CINAHL Plus with Full Text, APA PsycINFO, and PAIS Index. Primary research studies based in the United States, in English, on first-generation SGM migrants (i.e., immigrants, refugees, asylum seekers) were included. Gray literature and review articles were excluded. Health outcome data were not extracted from nonbinary populations nor transgender men. Themes were generated using qualitative content analysis. Results: Thirty-three studies were reviewed, most were qualitative, and 11 focused on transgender women migrants (especially from Latin America), while only one was exclusively on sexual minority women (SMW) migrants. Premigration experiences of violence and discrimination were linked to high prevalence rates of post-traumatic stress disorder, depression, and anxiety. Postmigration stressors included lack of educational and employment opportunities, reduced access to social services, and experiences of stigma and discrimination, which were also associated with the development of depressive symptoms. Transgender women migrants reported not seeking formal medical care, given a lack of gender-affirming services and insurance resulting in reliance on unsafe informal care networks for hormone therapy and feminization procedures. Conclusion: Future interventions should focus on fostering social support networks of SGM migrant women to help improve their mental health outcomes. Research priorities should include studies on SMW migrants and more quantitative research that could identify additional health needs (i.e., sexual health) of SGM migrant women.

Latinx trans immigrants' survival of torture in U.S. detention: A qualitative investigation of the psychological impact of abuse and mistreatment

BACKGROUND

A trans person is murdered every 3 days in the world, with the majority of these murders occurring in Latin America. This violence is a motivating factor for Latinx trans immigrants to immigrate to the United States. Regardless of whether individuals may be able to remain in the U.S., trans immigrants and asylum seekers are often held in detention facilities until immigration courts decide their cases. Although there are several standards of care and guidelines produced for trans and nonbinary (TNB) people who are held in detention, various reports have indicated that Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) has not or inappropriately implemented these guidelines, thereby incurring and increasing risk of harm upon TNB immigrants.

AIMS

This qualitative study used thematic analysis to provide an understanding of the psychological impact that the systemic power of US detention proceedings had on the lives of Latinx, trans immigrants.

METHOD

The semi-structured interview protocol and implementation of this study was developed in collaboration with two national Latinx, LGBTQ immigrant advocacy organizations. The sample included 30 trans participants, between the ages of 18 and 52 (M = 23) who immigrated from El Salvador (40%), Guatemala (23%), México (17%), Honduras (17%), and Peru (3%).

RESULTS

Participants reported being subject to debilitating and torturous conditions in "La Hielera", torture and abusive treatment by detention authorities, being denied access to basic human needs and medical care, and held in solitary confinement as punishment. This dehumanization, abuse, and transphobia in detention incurred psychological sequelae on participants including trauma, anxiety and depression, suicidal ideation, and a preference to self-deport.

DISCUSSION

Implications include calls to abolish immigration detention, recommendations for mental health providers, and an overall restructuring of policies and services for humane asylum seeking processes for trans, Latinx immigrants.