Intersections

It you are a white trans woman you may have a rocky road when you transition. If you are a person of color or a Latino you will have a much hard transition.

Transgender Latinas faced a 'legion of stigmas'
Transgender Hispanic women face 'legion of stigmas'; studies show risk for suicide, harassment
The Houston Chronicle
By Olivia P. Tallet
June 25, 2016

She crossed the Rio Grande as an undocumented, transgender woman, fleeing after a serial sexual assault left her in shame and fearing for her life.

Now, 15 years later, Andrea Molina is director of the Organización Latina de Trans de Texas (Latin Organization of Texas Trans), which she founded after being expelled from the bathroom of a Latino organization in Houston. She and her co-founders, all trans women, decided that if they didn't take control of their destiny, no one was going to do it for them, she said.

The organization is the only one in Texas dedicated to empower, educate and develop leadership for transgender Hispanics, among the most stigmatized individuals in the LGBT community.
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"The interception of being a Latina, a trans and an undocumented person is a combination that could be triple times more grave in terms of stigmatization," said Janet Quezada, spokesperson for a national gay and lesbian advocacy group that goes by the acronym GLAAD.

When you look at the factors that create positive outcomes for transitioning you will see things like having family support, a support network of friends, and being able to integrate into society. If you come from a culture where Machismo is dominate the culture, transitioning to a woman is looked down upon as a disgrace to the family and friends.

Several cases of slaying and dismembering of transgender women have been reported in Mexico, and the murder rate has increased since 2008. High-profile cases include the murder of a trans woman who headed the Special Unit for Attention to Members of the LGBT Community of the Attorney General Office in Mexico City.

That's what drove Jessica Trolinger to Houston. She described the terror she felt after four of her transgender friends, who were roommates, suddenly disappeared without a trace after being threatened by men in their neighborhood in Reynosa, Tamaulipas.

"Nobody knows still today what happened to them, not even their families," Trolinger said. "And families in Mexico are afraid to report cases because we are also abused by officers; I was once beaten down to the floor and mocked by an officer while others watched and laughed."

Just look at the list of names that is read on The Transgender Day of Remembrance and see how many of them come from Latin American countries and the Caribbean.

"Do you really think that being a transgender person is something that we chose? No, nobody chose to be the most discriminated and misunderstood people that exist."