The Salvadoran “Sergio Ruiz” fled from the ordeal that belonging to the LGBTQIA+ community means in his country. He arrived in New York City a couple of months ago, after crossing the southern border, following the “mirage” that the Big Apple is an automatic and safe refuge for those fleeing violence due to their sexual orientation and identity. of genre.
The young gay man was received at a mega migrant shelter on Randalls Island, where nearly 3,000 men sleep. There he was attacked. He had to fight for his life. After being a victim of homophobic harassment from other migrants, he was expelled from that shelter for “misbehavior.” He ended up on the street, having as an option to prostitute himself in a Queens neighborhood, to survive.
Like “Sergio”, thousands of young people and older adults, who have fled in recent months from Latin American homophobia and transphobia, but also from poverty, have found themselves in the Big Apple with a “hellish” reality in the shelters. of emergency, which even ends up being worse than the hostilities from which they have been fleeing. Unless they have family connections, friends or other support schemes.
Although New York City is the global mecca of civil rights for the gender diverse community, newcomers who have a shelter as their only starting point are the most vulnerable to harassment and physical and sexual violence.
“Because you are LGBTQIA+ you do not have any privileges as a migrant who requests shelter and asylum. That’s a lie. You must understand that there is no special system for us. Yes there is help. There are organizations, the City guarantees respect for your Human Rights. But that doesn’t mean you have privileges. It is important that whoever comes to New York to request asylum does so in an informed manner, otherwise they will end up having a very bad time,” said the migrant.
No privileges
In fact, as confirmed by several spokespersons for organizations that offer support to this group, it is important that they specifically disclose the programs and support plans that this community has. Especially, to make it clear that at this time migratory pressure imposes great limits on all aid schemes.
In addition, it should be noted that programs related to affordable housing, legal advice and mental health support involve extensive lists that can involve months of waiting, just for a first appointment.
In this sense, the member of the América Diversa organization, Yonatan Matheus, told El Diario that there are some subgroups, such as those facing the diagnosis of a chronic infection or the transgender group, to whom it can be offered in a very agile way, specific medical services. But he emphasizes that this does not mean that there are policies around one of the most complicated questions: Where to live?
Last month alone, this New York-based organization, promoting human rights, education and empowerment of Latino LGBTQIA+ asylum seekers and immigrants, served 202 newcomers from various South American countries.
“We provide information that promotes overcoming the difficulties inherent in the immigration process to the United States. At this time, we must be clear in warning our community that there is no special emergency shelter and accommodation system for this group. All processes are slow and the immigration crisis as such has imposed overcrowding and collapse in all shelters. And in this context, there are false beliefs that because you are gay or trans, you have privileges,” Matheus highlighted.
The ‘pandemonium’ of a hostel
Since the spring of 2022, New York City has received more than 180,000 people who have crossed the southern border seeking refuge, taking advantage of the rule that requires the municipality to provide accommodation to anyone who requests it.
Faced with the collapse of the municipal shelter ecosystem, the City changed its policy.
Now single men and women have a period of 30 days to remain in these temporary sites and families with children must reapply to another site every 60 days.
Although there is no statistical definition that shows how many members of the LGBTQIA+ community have arrived seeking humanitarian aid in the Big Apple in the last two years, what is abundant are testimonies that show that the vast majority arrived with little information or a series of myths, about the limits and scope of the humanitarian aid offered by the city of New York.
“What I have had to experience here has been hellish, because being gay, I have had to try to hide my sexual preference as much as possible. It is obvious that I will be abused and teased at the shelter. I have heard how the men at the shelter talk about us as if we were trash. And the worst thing is that it is almost impossible to get out of this system in 30 days,” shared a 21-year-old Venezuelan man staying in Upper Manhattan.
This migrant claims that he has heard hateful comments against gays and transgender people on a daily basis from adult men with whom he has shared spaces: “they say they love New York, but the only reason they wouldn’t stay here, it is because there are many ‘ducks’ (a pejorative way of referring to gays in Latin America)”
“I will end up mentally ill”
Hundreds of recently arrived Latin American transgender people have been left homeless for at least a couple of days as they try to navigate the shelter system. Others have found prostitution as their only option for survival.
There are other stories. The Venezuelan ‘Javier’, as he asked to be identified for this interview, is 62 years old and was diagnosed with HIV five years ago. He arrived in New York asking for shelter, because they told him that here he would have adequate medical care and access to antiretroviral medications, which are rare in his country.
“As a gay man, and especially at my age, it is more than hell, in your condition, to expose yourself to living in a shelter. I am grateful that within a few days I received the most modern medications. For that there is universal and efficient access. But now, what do I do with my life. I have been trying to get out of this shelter system for eight months, which is terrible. I think I’ll go back to my country and see how someone sends me medicine. Because from here, I will leave like a mentally ill person,” shared the migrant.
Precisely the issue of mental health is one of the most challenging.
For this reason, Yonatan Matheus of the América Diversa organization considers it necessary to expand more mental health resources and programs: “they come fleeing violence and poverty, to face very complicated situations that they did not imagine. “Mainly due to lack of information.”
“Condemned”
Based on data from the National Household Pulse Survey (HPS), which examines the economic security and labor market experiences of LGBTQIA+ communities, transgender respondents experienced rock-bottom employment rates. If contrasted with other groups within sex diversity.
In 2022, the ‘trans’ community reported in the crossroads of several surveys, having had to be forced to apply much more proportionally to unemployment insurance, when compared to other groups.
“Then let’s imagine what happens to the recently arrived ‘trans’ girls, without papers, who live in a shelter. They are condemned to prostitution, to public charity, to social assistance,” said Canela Pérez, 25, a young Venezuelan who identifies as non-binary.
A survey conducted in February 2024 of 586 migrants in general, by The Make The Road NY, shows how only 3% have found a truly stable job and 95% are struggling with how to survive and get out of the shelter system. Additionally, only 5% have had the option to rent their own space once they receive the 30- and 60-day eviction notices from the shelters.
It is a challenge for the City
The municipal shelter system only has one shelter dedicated to LGBTQIA+ adults, which is named after transgender icon Marsha Johnson. Almost all other LGBTQIA+ shelters are for people under 25 years old.
The Humanitarian Emergency Assistance and Response Centers (HERRC), created to address the migration crisis, locate LGBTQIA+ couples who can legally demonstrate their union, as long as there is availability.
Otherwise, single men go to single men’s shelters, single women go to women’s shelters, families with minor children go elsewhere, and transgender people go to the “shelter category” in which they feel. more comfortable.
Municipal spokespersons indicate that the migration crisis imposes many complexities and precisely this group, which has very specific needs, is one of the most complicated challenges.
“Like no other city in the country, we have resources for these people. But this migratory flow in general still continues to surprise us and we are trying to attend to and address it, under the principles of a city that is supportive and committed to human rights,” the source noted.
A new guide
In honor of Pride Month, New York City Comptroller Brad Lander released his 2024 annual LGBTQIA+ guide, a comprehensive directory of nearly 240 organizations and services designed to address the needs of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer , intersex and asexual individuals in the city.
The third edition of this annual guide, this year includes resources for LGBTQIA+ asylum seekers who face unique challenges that require urgent attention.
“Although there is still significant work ahead to build a world centered on the dignity of all New Yorkers equally, the extensive list of LGBTQIA+ civic and cultural resources presented in our guide inspires confidence that we will eventually achieve this vision,” said the comptroller.
The data:
- The LGBTQIA+ community includes lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, intersex and asexual individuals.
The challenge of mental health
- 86% of transgender and nonbinary youth say recent debates over anti-Trans bills have negatively affected their mental health, according to a national survey.
- 2/3rds of transgender students in New York report feeling sad or hopeless.