A Gift From God: Gay And Transgender Migrants At The Border

Last week, before the white nationalistic melee in Charleston, Virgina, my partner and I had a historic opportunity to confront systemic bigotry, this time at the U.S.–Mexico border. We came from Arizona into Mexico to march with the first Caravana Trans-Gay Migrante, an LGBTQ migrant caravan of 16 gay and transgender individuals from all over Latin America including Honduras, El Salvador, Guatemala, Nicaragua and Mexico, seeking political asylum from unimaginable physical, sexual and emotional abuse in their home countries, and the Mexican police and military en route.

My partner is (M2F) transgender, and I am female born. It has always been my nature to fall in love with the soul and character of a person, not their gender. I chaff at labels, but if necessary, I would identify as “queer” because it feels right. I love my queer community, the queerer the better. Truth is, I’ve got a thing for diversity. I would not survive in a culture devoid of difference. I long to be surprised and inspired by my human counterparts, like I am by our natural world that flames with bio-diversity: the rainbow color of wildflowers and butterflies, the swagger of jaguars, the wild call of birds in the canopy…

Not unlike migrating neotropical birds on the wing, the group of 16 had to find a safe flyway. They had to find mercy. Without that, they could be “disappeared,” detained for years, often in solitary confinement, then deported, dumped back over the border, a literal death sentence for many.

The group had sheltered temporarily at the Jesuit Kino Border Initiative’s Comedor eatery in Nogales, Mexico, fed and cared for without reservation by Sisters and their volunteers. There was no apparent conflict for the Sisters who consider it a blessing to feed and care for whomever graces their doorstep. As an active Oblate of the Benedictine Sisters of Perpetual Adoration in Tucson, I would expect nothing different. Mercy has no color, no preference, no qualifiers.

Beauty

As we walked through the turnstile into Mexico and down the path to El Comedor, we were struck by lush green growth and a profusion of wildflowers, the result of healthy monsoons in the Sonoran Borderlands. Bold sunflowers, marigolds, and tangerine-colored poppies formed pockets of sunshine in the dark green foliage… and then there were the pinkish-purple Velvetpod Mimosas.

Topped with plumes of brush-like flowers that looked like Fairy Dusters, Velvetpod Mimosas are considered one of the Southwest’s most beautiful plants. They look as lovely as the name sounds, and attract birds and butterflies in droves.

Shrubs up to 6 feet tall of Velvetpod Mimosas “Gatuno” in Spanish, are native to both Arizona and northern Mexico. They are sensitive flowers: their drought resistant leaves close when touched. Still, even in the poorest of soils, they crown with spectacular abandon, pearly pink to deep magenta.

Once we arrived at El Comedor, the members of the Caravan spilled out into the street, dressed in swatches of bold color, some crowned with tiaras and some swirling parasols. They clustered together, then bravely struck out for the streets of Nogales en masse, marching, chanting and singing until they reached the port of entry at the border where they presented themselves to U.S. Immigration authorities.

Violence

Not long ago, my partner and I attended an annual Transgender Day of Remembrance where candles were lit and the names and ages of people murdered that year for being transgender, were read out loud, one by one, including country of origin and manner of death. 300+ people were violently murdered last year alone - statistics thought to be widely underreported – and most were from Latin America. In the U.S., at least 10 transgender people have been the victims of gun violence this year alone.

As we joined the Gay-Trans Caravan marching through Nogales to the border, I was pleased to see members of the clergy. A necessary color in the palette, clergy in the streets remind us that we are following a higher order. Like the sizable number of interfaith clergy who linked arms at the white nationalist protest, then dropped to their knees to pray, they bring a measure of calm to the storm. Blessed are the peacemakers.

The Catholic church, its own violent past notwithstanding, has always played a large role in shaping societal and political opinion in Latin America. Thankfully, things are changing in the Catholic church especially in Latin America. According to CNN, the more Catholic the country (as opposed to Evangelical), the more likely to be accepting of homosexuality.

Last week also, the Vatican reported Bishop Antõnio Carlos Cruz Santos of Caicó, Brazil declared that because a person doesn’t choose to be gay, same-sex attraction can only be a “Gift from God.”

Cruz wants to save lives, to “overcome prejudices that kill… prejudices that once blinded generations to slavery and now to the plight of refugees…”

Mercy

“Pope Francis wants to make mercy the starting point of Catholic doctrine,” Cruz says.

Back at the U.S.–Mexico border, gay and transgender people break down at the first turnstile. Many hold on to each other and openly sob, soon to be separated and alone, overwhelmed with what lay ahead: more violence, indeterminable detention, spirits crippled by endless isolation, loss of dignity, and finally, the soul-crushing loss of hope.

Pope Francis makes Mercy the starting point. What’s our starting point? How do we help our vulnerable brothers and sisters disappeared in the detention system?

We get involved, write letters, make phone calls, and post on social media. We connect. We lay down healthy soil that welcomes diversity and inclusion; our most beautiful butterflies and rarest wildflowers. We make Mercy our starting point.

UPDATE: The LGBTQ caravan group were promptly placed in detention in Arizona. Less than a week later they’ve been moved to a facility in New Mexico. All letters in support are to be directed to the ICE field director stationed in El Paso who oversees New Mexico facilities. We must urge them to release the group to host homes as soon as possible. Every day in detention adds more trauma. They have suffered enough.

You can help. Contact Casa Sin Fronteras and Transcend Arizona,

#Rainbow16 - Call for letters to ICE

Transcend Arizona’s letter ~ Make it your own!

Field Director, El Paso Field Office

ElPaso.Outreach@ice.dhs .gov)

1545 Hawkins Blvd El Paso, TX 79925

Dear Field Director:

I am a US citizen living in …………….. I am writing to express my concern about the current situation of the 16 transgender and gay people who are in ICE custody in New Mexico right now. I understand they are being held in a New Mexico immigration detention facility while they are processed and their destination is determined.

All 16 of these people have suffered horrible things in their home countries due to their gender or sexual orientation. U.S. medical personnel have documented their injuries and their fragile state of mind. I believe that the detention environment is a great danger to their physical and mental well-being.

Please release them on humanitarian parole right away so that they may begin to heal in a supportive, safe environment while they go through the immigration court process. All 16 have very strong support from LGBT and religious communities in the cities of their sponsors. We will be there to make sure they have the resources to survive and follow all the requirements set forth by ICE and the immigration courts.

Before they are released, I ask you to take special care to avoid causing them to be re-traumatized while they are in your care. The general detention center population constantly harasses LGBT people, especially transgender people, and we constantly hear about poor treatment by some unprofessional detention center personnel. Even segregation for the purposes of their safety is difficult for vulnerable people and can be detrimental to their mental health.

Very Sincerely,

your name here

Valarie Lee James

www.ArtandFaithintheDesert.wordpress.org