During Hispanic Heritage Month, leaders in the trans community are working to lift up a part of the community they say has long been in the shadows.
Data from UCLA show more than 174,000 transgender immigrants live in the U.S. 41,000 are in California, and of those, 38% are of Latin descent.
Khloe Rios-Wyatt founded the nonprofit Alianza TransLatinx in Orange County in 2020 to create a space of cultural connection and community empowerment for trans migrants.
“Hispanic Heritage Month is about celebrating our culture and making sure that trans and immigrant people are part of that celebration as well. We are Latinas, we are immigrants, and we have stories and contributions that also deserve to be recognized,” Rios-Wyatt explained.
The organization helps people access healthcare, housing supports, mental health services, financial literacy classes and legal resources. They also work to build community, including a welcoming, safe space where people speak their language and share their concerns.
Since President Donald Trump returned to office, the administration has ramped up policies targeting both the transgender community and the immigrant population. Rios-Wyatt stressed some members of the community are feeling the heat on multiple fronts.
“The people we serve are trans and many are immigrants struggling to afford housing or access to healthcare. So when policies like that target different parts of your identity, that fear adds up,” Rios-Wyatt added.
Last year, a judge struck down the city of Huntington Beach’s plan to restrict library materials with sexual content in response to a lawsuit filed by Alianza Translatinx.
