Transgender asylum seekers

Transgender asylum seekers are transgender people seeking refuge in another country due to stigmatization or persecution in their home countries.^[1] Transgender people oftentimes flee due to dangerous living conditions and discrimination.^[2]

Because of their gender non-conformity, transgender asylum seekers face elevated risks to their mental and physical health. Transgender asylum seekers encounter greater challenges in comparison to cisgender asylum seekers those whose gender identity is the same as their sex assigned at birth. The challenges transgender asylum seekers face include higher risks of physical and sexual assault, torture, "conversion therapy" practices, and forced isolation.^[1] As a result, transgender people face challenges in the asylum process not experienced by others.^[3]

As defined in the 1951 United Nations Convention Relating to the Status of Refugees, a refugee or asylum seeker is any "person owing to a well-founded fear of being persecuted for reasons of race, religion ... [or] membership [to] a particular social group [that cannot] avail himself of the protection of that country" which does not include discrimination on the basis of sex.^[3] In the US, gender-based discrimination laws are based on the experiences of cisgender women, therefore, transgender migrants are forced to undergo rigid asylum processes that exclude their identities.^[3] Additionally, their experiences are not encompassed because the "refugee experience" has been seen through Eurocentric terms due to standardized term and definition of the refugee following World War 2 and it is also a broad category.^[4]

For example, asylum claims made by transgender refugees are considered under the basis of persecution because of their involvement in a particular social group in the US.^[5] This requirement means that membership to a social group is not enough in order to claim asylum, but that refugees must prove that they have been persecuted because of their social group's standing in order to be granted refuge. Transgender asylum seekers are required to provide "proof of gender transition" which reproduces harmful ideas of gender binaries.^[6]

The growing restrictive asylum policies and processes include increased periods of mandatory detention and extended processing times.^[7] Due to longer processing times, transgender migrants are forced to remain in detention centers while they wait and experience sexual assault due to facilities separated by gender binaries.^[8] As a result, transgender asylum seekers are required to navigate complex legal procedures and experience trauma throughout the process.^[9]

These processes, therefore, result in high levels of mental and physical distress as refugees navigate the asylum process.^[10]

^ ^a ^b Avgeri, Mariza (2021). "Assessing Transgender and Gender Nonconforming Asylum Claims: Towards a Transgender Studies Framework for Particular Social Group and Persecution". Frontiers in Human Dynamics. 3. doi:10.3389/fhumd.2021.653583. ISSN 2673-2726.
^ Proschan, Kai (22 January 2025). "Trans Relocation Guide: Finding Trans Asylum and Safe Havens". TransLash Media. Retrieved 18 March 2025.
^ ^a ^b ^c DasGupta, Debanuj (November 2019). "The Politics of Transgender Asylum and Detention". Human Geography. 12 (3): 1–16. doi:10.1177/194277861901200304. ISSN 1942-7786.
^ Malkki, Liisa H. (1995). "Refugees and Exile: From "Refugee Studies" to the National Order of Things". Annual Review of Anthropology. 24: 495–523. doi:10.1146/annurev.an.24.100195.002431. ISSN 0084-6570.
^ "Asylum in the United States". American Immigration Council. 16 August 2022. Archived from the original on 28 April 2023. Retrieved 24 April 2023.
^ DasGupta, Debanuj (1 November 2019). "The Politics of Transgender Asylum and Detention". Human Geography. 12 (3): 1–16. doi:10.1177/194277861901200304. ISSN 1942-7786.
^ Eithne Luibhéid; Karma R. Chávez (eds.). Queer and Trans Migrations. University of Illinois Press. Retrieved 22 April 2025.
^ Marquez-Velarde, Guadalupe; Miller, Gabe H.; Aldana Marquez, Beatriz; Shircliff, Jesse E.; Suárez, Mario I. (December 2024). "Transgender in Detention: Victimization Experiences in Immigration Facilities". Transgender Health. 9 (6): 591–600. doi:10.1089/trgh.2022.0083. ISSN 2688-4887. PMC 11669631. PMID 39735377.
^ Rodman, Debra; Monico, Carmen; Rotabi-Casares, Karen S. (5 November 2024). "Seeking Asylum in the United States: Intersectional Analysis of the Experiences of Transgender Women from the Central American Northern Triangle". Social Sciences. 13 (11): 606. doi:10.3390/socsci13110606. ISSN 2076-0760.
^ Gowin, Mary; Taylor, E. Laurette; Dunnington, Jamie; Alshuwaiyer, Ghadah; Cheney, Marshall K. (May 2017). "Needs of a Silent Minority: Mexican Transgender Asylum Seekers". Health Promotion Practice. 18 (3): 332–340. doi:10.1177/1524839917692750. ISSN 1524-8399. PMID 28187690. S2CID 206740929.

[Avgeri-2021-1] Avgeri, Mariza (2021). "Assessing Transgender and Gender Nonconforming Asylum Claims: Towards a Transgender Studies Framework for Particular Social Group and Persecution". Frontiers in Human Dynamics. 3. doi:10.3389/fhumd.2021.653583. ISSN 2673-2726.

[Proschan-2025-2] Proschan, Kai (22 January 2025). "Trans Relocation Guide: Finding Trans Asylum and Safe Havens". TransLash Media. Retrieved 18 March 2025.

[DasGupta-2019-3] DasGupta, Debanuj (November 2019). "The Politics of Transgender Asylum and Detention". Human Geography. 12 (3): 1–16. doi:10.1177/194277861901200304. ISSN 1942-7786.

[4] Malkki, Liisa H. (1995). "Refugees and Exile: From "Refugee Studies" to the National Order of Things". Annual Review of Anthropology. 24: 495–523. doi:10.1146/annurev.an.24.100195.002431. ISSN 0084-6570.

[5] "Asylum in the United States". American Immigration Council. 16 August 2022. Archived from the original on 28 April 2023. Retrieved 24 April 2023.

[6] DasGupta, Debanuj (1 November 2019). "The Politics of Transgender Asylum and Detention". Human Geography. 12 (3): 1–16. doi:10.1177/194277861901200304. ISSN 1942-7786.

[Luibhéid-Chávez-7] Eithne Luibhéid; Karma R. Chávez (eds.). Queer and Trans Migrations. University of Illinois Press. Retrieved 22 April 2025.

[Marquez-Velarde-8] Marquez-Velarde, Guadalupe; Miller, Gabe H.; Aldana Marquez, Beatriz; Shircliff, Jesse E.; Suárez, Mario I. (December 2024). "Transgender in Detention: Victimization Experiences in Immigration Facilities". Transgender Health. 9 (6): 591–600. doi:10.1089/trgh.2022.0083. ISSN 2688-4887. PMC 11669631. PMID 39735377.

[Rodman-2024-9] Rodman, Debra; Monico, Carmen; Rotabi-Casares, Karen S. (5 November 2024). "Seeking Asylum in the United States: Intersectional Analysis of the Experiences of Transgender Women from the Central American Northern Triangle". Social Sciences. 13 (11): 606. doi:10.3390/socsci13110606. ISSN 2076-0760.

[Gowin-2017-10] Gowin, Mary; Taylor, E. Laurette; Dunnington, Jamie; Alshuwaiyer, Ghadah; Cheney, Marshall K. (May 2017). "Needs of a Silent Minority: Mexican Transgender Asylum Seekers". Health Promotion Practice. 18 (3): 332–340. doi:10.1177/1524839917692750. ISSN 1524-8399. PMID 28187690. S2CID 206740929.

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