LGBTQ immigrants seek a life of safety, peace after trauma

The average life expectancy of trans women in Latin America is no more than 35 years of age, the OAS reports. Three LGBTQ+ immigrants detail their harrowing experiences.

JERSEY CITY, N.J. — Michelle Carranza, 22, did not want to be another trans woman murdered in her native Honduras.

“They don’t accept us there. They kill us, they discriminate us, they rape us,” Carranza said, speaking to NBC News and MSNBC against the backdrop of the Statue of Liberty.   

A year and a half ago, she fled Honduras with Gretta Mazariegos, 29, and Gretta’s younger brother, Isaac, 20, two friends who are also part of the LGBTQ+ community.

Michelle Carranza.Andres Gonzalez / NBC News“To live in Honduras and be part of the LGBT community is all about survival,” Gretta Mazariegos said. “We were persecuted multiple times because we are part of the LGBTQ community.”

“We had to leave our country because of discrimination, beatings,” Isaac Mazariegos said.

https://www.nbcnews.com/news/latino/lgbtq-immigrants-latin-america-asylum-seekers-rcna166287

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