For Mexican migrants, traveling across the country is a dangerous proposition. Even the group with the lowest rate of violent incidents – heterosexual men staying in migrant shelters – still encounter violence 20% of the time, and the rates go up from there. Transgender migrants suffer from violence the worst, affecting a full third of those who stay in shelters, and over half of those that don't.
Those fortunate enough to not suffer violence may still face discrimination at the hands of shelter residents. A transgender migrant will be rejected by the men who will complain that s/he is a woman, and that same migrant will be rejected by the women who will complain that s/he is a man. Compounding the issue, many gay and trans migrants fear coming out due to this violence and discrimination, and so the safe zones that have been specially made for them go underutilized.
The Atlantic has the full story.
