Identifying the Needs of LGBTQ Immigrants and Refugees in Southern Arizona

Abstract

This article reports on the results of a needs assessment conducted for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer (LGBTQ) immigrants, asylees, refugees, and their allies in Southern Arizona, and it is the first study of its kind in the United States. Utilizing interview data collected with migrants, allies, and service providers in Tucson, Arizona, this article presents findings on the quality of service provision provided to this very underserved community pertaining to health care, housing, and legal services. The assessment shows that no services are provided specifically for LGBTQ migrants, and most LGBTQ migrants turn to family and friends when they have needs. The most significant result of this study pertains to the lack of cultural competence and an overall deficiency in terms of cultural awareness when it comes to the specific needs of LGBTQ migrants.

Keywords:

• community-based research
• cultural competence
• immigration

Acknowledgments

This article was created with financial support of the UCLA Williams Institute and the Southern Arizona Women's Foundation and was sponsored by the University of Arizona Institute for LGBT studies. The author extends her thanks to the following people: Eithne Luibhéid, Caren Zimmerman, Geovanna De la Ree, Oscar Jimenez, Cathy Busha, Kat Rodriguez, Sally Stevens, Charee Mooney, Catie Willging, Sara McKinnon, John Elia, the blind reviewers of this essay, activists with Coalición de Derechos Humanos, the numerous service providers who offered their insight, and especially those LGBTQ immigrants and refugees as well as their friends, family members, and allies who agreed to be interviewed.

Notes

1. The term “migrant” is used to indicate the often shifting status between asylee, asylum seeker, refugee, and undocumented and documented immigrant. See Luibhéid, 2005.

2. A version of this article was also published as a community report: “Between the Lines: Identifying the Needs of LGBTQ Immigrants and Refugees in Southern Arizona” (Tucson, AZ: University of Arizona Institute for LGBT Studies, 2009).

3. Web site: http://www.immigrationequality.org/ Contact information: 40 Exchange Place, 17th Floor New York, NY 10005; phone: [phone], fax: [phone].

4. Web site: http://www.srlp.org/ Contact information: 322 8th Avenue, 3rd Floor New York, NY 10001; phone: [phone], fax: [phone].

5. Web site: http://www.firrp.org/ Contact information: 2601 N. Hwy 79, P.O. Box 654, Florence, AZ 85232; phone: [phone], fax: [phone]; [email protected]. The Florence Project helps provide services to people in detention only.

6. Web site: http://www.immigrantjustice.org/ Contact information: 208 S. La Salle St., Suite 1818, Chicago, IL 60604; phone: [phone].

7. Web site: http://www.nclrights.org/ Contact information: 870 Market Street, Suite 370, San Francisco CA 94102; phone: [phone], fax: [phone], [email protected]

8. In May 2008, then Governor Janet Napolitano signed into law HB 2842, which criminalizes “the act of knowingly renting or selling properties that will be used by human smugglers as drop houses” (Palmer, 2008). Although this bill does not necessarily criminalize anyone who rents to an undocumented person, it is easy to see how this bill opens the door for such measures. In March 2008, HB 2625, which was designed to require landlords to ask for proof of citizenship in order to rent, passed the House Appropriations Committee, but eventually failed to garner additional support (Fischer, 2008).

9. A number of states, including Arizona have proposed laws that would make knowingly harboring or transporting an undocumented person a punishable offense (Duda, 2009).

10. See: http://www.eonyouth.org/index.htm

11. “Delegation of Immigration Authority Section 287(g) Immigration and Nationality Act,” U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, http://www.ice.gov/partners/287g/Section287_g.htm