"They already hate us for being immigrants and now for being trans-we have double the fight": A qualitative study of barriers to health access among transgender Latinx immigrants in the United States

Latinx transgender people who are also immigrants experience barriers to health services and comprise a marginalized group at risk for poor mental health. Greater understanding of transgender Latinx immigrants' health needs and experiences with the U.S. healthcare system is needed to improve th...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Journal of gay & lesbian mental health 2023-07, Vol.27 (3), p.319-339
Main Authors: Lee, Jane J., Leyva Vera, Christopher A., Ramirez, Jessica I., Munguia, Lesster, Aguirre Herrera, Joel, Basualdo, Guiomar, Small, Latoya, Robles, Gabriel
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Access
Community
Discrimination
Gays & lesbians
health access
Health needs
Health services
Immigrants
intersectionality
Latin American cultural groups
Latinx
Marginality
Mental health care
Mental health services
Minority groups
Oppression
Resilience
Transgender persons
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Summary:Latinx transgender people who are also immigrants experience barriers to health services and comprise a marginalized group at risk for poor mental health. Greater understanding of transgender Latinx immigrants' health needs and experiences with the U.S. healthcare system is needed to improve their access to health services. We conducted in-depth interviews with a purposive sample of transgender Latina immigrants (n = 10) in the Seattle, WA area. Analysis of the qualitative data involved a data-reduction process in which emergent themes were identified and coded to yield a set of core themes. Analyses revealed that Latinx transgender immigrants experience multiple levels and forms of rejection and discrimination depending on their contexts and the spaces they navigate. These experiences highlighted how participants confront frequent shifts in privilege and oppression, which shaped their access to health and mental health services. Efforts to develop linguistically and culturally appropriate health and mental health services for the Latinx transgender immigrant community must take into account the multiple contexts and communities that they inhabit. Strategies to enhance the health of transgender Latinx ­immigrants should also harness the unique strengths and resilience of the community.
ISSN:1935-9705
1935-9713
DOI:10.1080/19359705.2022.2067279