Community Resistance Among Militarized Borders: Casa Arcoiris as a Home for Justice and Dignity for Migrant LGBTQ+ Peoples

English: 

The ongoing militarization of Kumeyaay territory, better known as the Tijuana-San Diego border region, since colonial and missionary times have attempted to define how we should understand race, indigeneity, sexual and gender expression and identity. The US and Mexican settler governments in this region have only prioritized creating institutions rooted in establishing a regime of power and control through the capitalization of natural resources, urban development, migrant exploitation and indigenous erasure.

This presentation will share work led by LGBTQ+ organizers in response to these challenges and our efforts to create life-affirming institutions. In particular the formation of Casa Arcoíris (CA) in Tijuana as a welcoming space for the LGBTIQ+ Migrant population. CA team members will discuss the principles that have guided our practice, how we operate on our day-to-today basis, the type of services we provide, the current context and needs of LGBTQ+ migrant communities, and the challenges we face as a non-profit organization challenging the on-going militarization and criminalization of our communities. 

Español: 

La militarización en curso del territorio Kumeyaay, mejor conocido como la región fronteriza Tijuana-San Diego, desde la época colonial y misionera ha intentado definir cómo debemos entender la raza, la indigenidad, la expresión e identidad sexual y de género. Los gobiernos de los colonos estadounidenses y mexicanos en esta región sólo han dado prioridad a la creación de instituciones basadas en el establecimiento de un régimen de poder y control a través de la capitalización de los recursos naturales, el desarrollo urbano, la explotación de inmigrantes y la eliminación de los pueblos indígenas.

Esta presentación compartirá el trabajo liderado por organizadores LGBTQ+ de esta región en respuesta a estos desafíos y nuestros esfuerzos por crear instituciones que afirmen la vida. En particular la conformación de Casa Arcoíris (CA) en Tijuana como un espacio de acogida para la población Migrante LGBTIQ+. Los miembros del equipo de CA discutirán los principios que han guiado nuestra práctica, cómo operamos en nuestro día a día, el tipo de servicios que brindamos, el contexto actual y las necesidades de las comunidades migrantes LGBTQ+ y los desafíos que enfrentamos como Asociación Civil que desafía la actual militarización y criminalización de nuestras comunidades.

Andrea Gaspar (Casa Arcoiris co-founder and board member) is a queer Mexican Ñuu Savi person born in San Diego and raised in Tijuana, Kumeyaay Territory. She is earning her PhD in Ethnic Studies from the University of California San Diego. Her current work focuses on the development of life-affirming institutions and community spaces centering the healing and autonomy of Indigenous, Black, migrant, queer and trans peoples. She has sixteen years of community and coalition organizing experience on education, racial, economic, environmental and housing justice. 

Edith Méndez (Casa Arcoiris general coordinator) is a Social Work graduate with a community focus from the University of Guanajuato. Feminist, lesbian, IVE (Voluntary Interruption of Pregnancy) companion, activist, and artist. She has collaborated with different civil associations and public institutions accompanying community organizational processes, attention to gender violence, community cultural management, and intervention with Indigenous migrant populations, LGBTIQ+, and women in vulnerable situations.