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Out of the Closet - Queer Undocumented Students Speak About DREAMs

by: DreamActivist

Fri Nov 14, 2008 at 16:35:32 PM EST


Crossposted at OurChart.com and DreamActivist.org - Feel free to disseminate.

 

In light of the massive uprising against Prop 8 in California and similar attacks on LGBT communities, this segment is dedicated to the queer and 'illegal' lives of our undocumented LGBT youth.

President-elect Barack Obama has stated that undocumented students raised in the United States are “Americans for all intent and purposes.” Yet, these undocumented American are punished for the alleged transgressions of their parents, and face many barriers to their DREAMs upon graduation from high school—often they cannot attend college, drive or work legally, obtains loans, or even legalize their status. While illegal presence is not a crime, anti-immigrant hysteria has effectively given them the tag of ‘criminal.’

The situation gets worse with the heteronormativity of U.S. immigration laws. The fact that even LGBT immigration organizations like ‘Immigration Equality’ and the elitist 'Human Rights' Campaign pay scant attention and continue to ignore the plight of undocumented gay students in the United States makes the situation even more precarious. This is not just a gay issue or Latino issue; it is a human rights issue and undocumented queer students are caught in the middle of two ensuing culture wars: the battle for gay rights and immigrant rights, neither of which is seen as a civil and human rights struggle by the mainstream.

In this entry, you will come across undocumented LGBT youth from diverse backgrounds, states and circumstances that have come together in these waiting rooms of history to share the limbo of their lives. Juan and Felipe depict how love cannot be illegal, Mohammad expresses how going back to Iran is certainly not an option, Prerna represents a life in isolation with a desire to succeed against all odds, Karla wants to serve this country and Moreno is currently in high school with dreams of becoming an artist.

DreamActivist :: Out of the Closet - Queer Undocumented Students Speak About DREAMs

Even as several undocumented LGBT students are out in the streets protesting for equal rights, organizing for change and melting in the crowds as 'American citizens,' for too long, we have been forced to be in the closet about our undocumented identity or our queer identity or both. No more; Juan and Felipe have expressed that we must not fear the system that oppresses us. I adamantly agree. 

We are not asking for handouts or sympathy; we realize the privilege of growing up American, especially in light of the struggles that our brothers and sisters endure in many countries abroad. But just like we have no choice over our sexuality, we also had no choice when we were brought here by our parents and made to grow up undocumented in America.

What Can You Do

  • Spread the word via your own blogs and organizations.
  • Share your own immigration dream or nightmare with the students. If you know other students undergoing similar ordeals give them a heads up or contact us directly at admin@dreamactivist.org
  • Call or write to your legislators asking them to pass the DREAM Act in 2009, to repeal DOMA and pass the UAFA.
  • President Barack Obama said in one the debates with Senator Clinton that “one thing we can do immediately is pass the DREAM Act.” Currently, he is asking for input at Change.gov - http://www.change.gov/page/s/ofthepeople. Ask him to follow through on his promises and principles and make the DREAM Act a top priority of his Administration.

 

I implore everyone to support and spread the word about the DREAM Act that would give these students an earned pathway to legalization and a chance to finally stop paying for crimes they have never committed. At the same time, I also encourage everyone to stand up and Fight the H8, join in the new forefront of civil rights that has finally woken up from a long slumber.

We welcome and highly encourage discussion, questions and correspondence. This is just the beginning.

You can contact the students individually via email or comment here.

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