“I’m Raising My Voice”

An interview with Jennicet Gutiérrez

Gutiérrez landed in the national spotlight when she interrupted President Obama this summer at the White House Pride reception. “Don’t torture and abuse trans women in detention centers,” she shouted shortly after Obama began addressing the crowd. “I am a trans woman, I’m tired of the abuse, I’m tired of the violence.” Almost immediately, the crowd began booing, and then applauded as she was escorted from the event. An undocumented trans woman from Mexico, Gutiérrez says that her frustration had been building for years as friends were fired from jobs and undocumented trans women suffered violence in the streets and in detention centers. She is a founding member of Familia TQLM.

Was the interruption at Obama’s speech planned or spontaneous?

Because I am an activist and have been working as an organizer, it was intentional. We did collaborate on how we were going to send this critical message to the president. Our LGBTQ Latino/Latina undocumented community is always being left out of the discussions around immigration reform. We’ve always been marginalized, we’ve always been told to put up with injustice and stay quiet. That’s unacceptable.

Everyone has their journey; everyone has their own way of opening up and processing what is happening in their lives. For me, it was a long process, but I’m open, I’m visible, and I’m raising my voice and I’m bringing the voice of a community that has been often silent.

What were you thinking and how were you feeling right before you did it?

Going to the White House was really, really stressful — I couldn’t sleep for two days, I couldn’t eat regular because I was so nervous.

The press called me out for eating at the reception…But I understand the dynamics and the politics. I understand that they’re going to counter the person who is speaking up and attack their credibility and attack their character and try to destroy the message.

Because we are transgender, we are dehumanized. Our dignity gets stripped away unjustly without even giving us a chance to show we are humans. I was regaining dignity by just being in that space. And it wasn’t just about Jennicet [in that space ]— it was about a community that is living in the shadows. It was about a community whose voices are being silenced when they try to speak up inside detention centers. It’s a very complex issue, there are a lot of layers to it, a lot of things to break down. But for me, the moment was a moment of celebration.

What would you like to say to the people who booed you?

I would say, “With all due respect, our community — we are dying. We are dying.” If that doesn’t get through their heads and their hearts, I don’t know what will. We are facing a lot of discrimination. You might have a job, you might have a home to go to — we don’t. I would ask them why they are booing me and I would tell them they are standing inside the White House because of trans women of color and non-gender-conforming people. Marsha P. Johnson and Sylvia Rivera fought so hard against police brutality. They have that privilege to be here and listen to the so-called progress we are making when, in reality, we are not making any progress — we are dying. If I could go back and say that, I would.

When I went back and looked at the whole video with my interruption and the speech that President Obama gave, it was a painful reminder of the reaction from my community and from the President. I was really emotional, very sad, and heartbroken. I’m a trans woman. Yes, I’m undocumented — it’s not by choice, it’s because the system doesn’t give me the opportunity to thrive.

You wrote that your mom always emphasized respect. What did she think of your action, and was your family accepting and understanding of it?

When I told them, they were like, “Oh, wow! I’m so glad — you’ve gone so far. Tell President Obama we say ‘hi’ and take pictures with him” and everything — they were really proud. I didn’t disclose the possibility of the action to them. [My mother would always say]: “Make sure you don’t break any laws. Make sure you don’t get any tickets. Make sure you follow everything, because you’re so close to changing your immigration status. I’m so proud of you that you’re going to the White House.”

Do you connect with the stories of celebrities like Caitlyn Jenner, Laverne Cox, and others?

Visibility is critical. It’s part of the process. We have to say, “Here we are, we raised our voices!” I do acknowledge Caitlyn and Laverne and I do feel connected to them because I am a trans woman.

However, there is a disconnect with our experiences, and I think that’s one thing that needs to be highlighted when we discuss Caitlyn [Jenner]. Her journey and experience is a 180 difference from my experience and other trans women. It’s important to make the distinction that we are facing different challenges based on socioeconomic status and racial background. Every journey, every experience is different. The biggest thing for me, I would say, is to make sure people understand this, and to be careful with the generalizations we make based on these very public figures. Then we fall into the trap of “If they made it, then the ones who are not making it are just lazy, they don’t want to take advantage of opportunities.” But in reality, we’re trying to make it! There are many obstacles to overcome and the support is not there.

At the same time, I’m glad folks are out there speaking up on behalf of the community because they are reaching a bigger platform than I could ever reach.

What is the main thing that you think needs to change in order to improve the lives of the undocumented trans community?

To listen. Listen to our voices. Listen to our journey. Listen to our challenges. That’s when we will start seeing change in a positive direction. If you try to silence us… If you don’t give us the space for discussion, this violence will continue. The discrimination will continue. Things will not change for most of us. I do hope and wish that people who aren’t part of the community — or those who are in the community — start seeing that we are worthy of living; we are worthy of opportunities just like anyone else, and we need to start challenging each other for the better.

Read more personal accounts of the trans activism movement.

Interview by Andy Wright. Parts were omitted for clarity and brevity.