Deborah Lee
Staff Writer
Nadine Nakamura, assistant professor of psychology, initiated a discussion about two controversial topics to reveal the lesser known struggle of transgender immigrants.
About 50 people attended her talk “Criminalization of Transgender Immigrants” Tuesday.
Nakamura informed the audience about how transgender immigrants may use methods such as religious coping and trust in the U.S. government when surviving in the system.
She referenced Scarlett, a Central American woman she interviewed, who told Nakamura about her personal experience.
Scarlett survived hardships in her home country where transgender people all face discrimination.
“She has layers of marginalized identities as a result of what she’s gone through,” Nakamura said.
Nakamura described how Scarlett hired a smuggler to take her from Central America to Mexico, and finally into the United States before she turned herself in to the authorities in fear of not surviving the journey.
Nakamura’s audience included students, faculty and staff members from the University Counseling and Psychological Services center
“Trans women are judged for being sex workers … even if they are just hanging with their friends in front of a restaurant,” said Diane Klein, a professor at the La Verne College of Law.
Nakamura continued to address how transgender people were being persecuted in their home countries, forcing them to flee to the U.S. in hopes of a better life.
Referencing her research, she informed the audience about how the process of bringing attention to the issues of transgender immigrants can open a dialogue and diminish the criminalization of this community.
Jason Souriolle, junior kinesiology major, said that it was a proactive, important discussion.
“The lecture left me absolutely appalled and hurt,” Souriolle said. “The fact that they have to prove their sexuality and gender status to seek asylum is offending and unreasonable. I just hope after hearing this story, people will start to empathize with these individuals and begin a cultural change,” Souriolle said.
Deborah Lee can be contacted at deborah.lee@laverne.edu.
Deborah Lee
