Books on LGBTQ Immigrant and Refugee Experience

By Jamie Brian

Patsy by Nicole Dennis-Benn

Patsy is a young single mother living in Jamaica with her five-year-old daughter and mother. She works a minimum wage job to support her family but dreams of moving to America to reunite with Cicely, her friend and former lover. Patsy leaves her daughter and mother behind with the hope of loving who she chooses in America. However, when she arrives in Brooklyn, Patsy discovers that America is not as perfect as Cicely had described in her letters. Cicely is living as an undocumented immigrant and working as a bathroom attendant to survive. Meanwhile, Patsy’s daughter, Tru, struggles with questions about her own sexuality. This is a novel about identity, family, and the choices that define us.

Asylum by Edafe Okporo

This memoir recalls immigration rights activist Edafe Okporo’s experience as a gay man fleeing Nigeria and seeking asylum in the United States. After escaping a mob that threatened his life, Okporo arrived in America in 2016, just days before the contentious presidential election. He then spent six months in an immigration detention facility in New Jersey while navigating the U.S. immigration system. Once released from the facility, Okporo was faced with an even greater challenge: building a life for himself as a Black, gay immigrant. He calls for immigration reform and envisions a society in which refugees and immigrants are treated with fairness and compassion.

The Magic Fish by Trung Le Nguyen

The Magic Fish is a semi-autobiographical YA graphic novel about Tiến, a Vietnamese American boy who confronts his sexual identity through fairy tales. Tiến’s favorite place is the local library, where he finds solace in stories. However, Tiến has a secret that he’s been hiding from his friends and family: he’s gay, and he can’t find the words to describe his experiences. The Magic Fish is a coming-of-age tale that is accessible to readers of all ages. It also has an empowering message: we all can have happy endings no matter who we are or what we’re going through.

We Have Always Been Here: A Queer Muslim Memoir by Samra Habib

As a queer Ahmadi Muslim who grew up in Pakistan, Samra Habib never felt safe enough to be herself. Her parents told her that revealing her sexual identity would be too dangerous, and Islamic extremists threatened her family because of their religious beliefs. Habib becomes a refugee in Canada, where she is faced with new challenges: an arranged marriage, racism, and poverty. Through art, faith, and love, Habib learns how to be true to herself in a world that has always made her feel out of place.

Messy Roots: A Graphic Memoir of a Wuhanese American by Laura Gao

Messy Roots is a coming-of-age graphic memoir about a girl who grapples with culture shock and identity after leaving her home in Wuhan, China to reunite with family in Texas. Laura Gao recalls her childhood in Texas and how she struggled to fit in both as a Chinese American and as a queer woman. Through humor and insightful reflection, Gao takes readers on a journey through high school hallways, basketball courts, and the streets of her hometown as she learns to become more comfortable in her own skin.

Information on Uniting for Ukraine program and Temporary Protected Status for Ukraine

Source: USCRI

The Biden administration launched Uniting for Ukraine on April 25, 2022. The program allows U.S.- based individuals and organizations to sponsor a Ukrainian individual or family in the United States. For more information and to apply to sponsor a Ukrainian, please see the USCIS site: https://www.uscis.gov/humanitarian/uniting-for-ukraine. Once approved, Ukrainians through the program will receive humanitarian parole for two years and will be eligible for work authorization in the U.S. Sponsors are expected to provide support to beneficiaries for the duration of their parole.

Ukrainians who were paroled into the country between February 24, 2022, and September 30, 2023, will generally be eligible for benefits to the same extent as refugees. Congressional authorization created eligibility for resettlement benefits provided by the Office of Refugee Resettlement (ORR), entitlement programs, and other public benefits, but excluded reception and placement benefits administered through the U.S. State Department.

What are the steps to apply for the Uniting for Ukraine program?

1. The supporter or sponsor must fill out a Form I-134, Declaration of Financial Support, through the online USCIS portal. There is no fee for the application. The sponsor must show that they can support the beneficiary for the two-year period.

2. USCIS will check the information and conduct a security screening of the supporter. 3. Once USCIS has made a decision, they will email the supporter and the beneficiary.

4. If the Ukrainian beneficiary is approved, they will receive an email from USCIS to set up an account. The beneficiary will answer biographical questions and attest to their vaccination status.

5. Once this is processed, the beneficiary will be emailed their authorization to travel to the United States.

6. The beneficiary is responsible for setting up their travel, which must be done within 90 days of receiving their authorization to travel.

Who can be a supporter/sponsor?

• U.S. citizens and nationals

• Lawful permanent residents (including lawful temporary residents and conditional permanent residents)

• Nonimmigrants in lawful status

• Asylees

• Refugees

• Parolees

• TPS holders

• Beneficiaries of deferred action (including DACA) or Deferred Enforced Departure.

What are the eligibility requirements for beneficiaries?

• You resided in Ukraine immediately prior to the Russian invasion (through February 11, 2022) and you had to leave your home as a result of the invasion

• You are a Ukrainian citizen and possess a valid Ukrainian passport (or are a child included on a parent’s passport)

o If you are not a Ukrainian citizen, you are an immediate family member of a Ukrainian citizen beneficiary of Uniting for Ukraine and have a valid passport

• You have a supporter/sponsor who filed a Form I-134 that has been vetted and deemed sufficient by USCIS

• You complete vaccination requirements

• You pass a background check

Note: Children under the age of 18 must be travelling to the United States in the care and custody of their parent or legal guardian under the Uniting for Ukraine program.

What about Temporary Protected Status (TPS)?

Ukrainians who have been in the U.S. since April 19th, 2022 are eligible to apply for Temporary Protected Status (TPS). TPS recipients are also able to apply for employment authorization.

• To be eligible for TPS, Ukrainians must submit an Application for Temporary Protected Status (Form I-821) and pay the filing fee (or submit a Request for a Fee Waiver (Form I-912)) AND:

o Be a Ukrainian national or noncitizen having no nationality who last habitually resided in Ukraine;

o Have continuously resided in the United States since April 11, 2022; and

o Have been continuously physically present in the United States since April 19, 2022.

Immigrants and Refugees Who Have Shaped America

By Jamie Brian

This National Immigrant Heritage Month, we recognize the more than one million people who leave their home countries each year to begin a new life on American soil. Some flee conflict or persecution, some come for education or a new career, and some arrive in America to reunite with family. But they all have one thing in common: they dream of new opportunities, and they leave an enduring impact on our nation. America is a nation made stronger by its immigrants and refugees, who have inspired others through contributions to their professions and their communities. 

Here are ten immigrants and refugees who have shaped America in their own way: 

 Pramila Jayapal, U.S. senator 

Pramila Jayapal is the first Indian American woman to serve in the U.S. House of Representatives. Jayapal was born in India and moved to the United States at age 16 to attend Georgetown University. Prior to becoming a congresswoman in 2016, she spent 20 years working in global public health and development as an advocate for human rights. Jayapal represents Washington’s 7th District and is a member of the House Judiciary Committee. Throughout her career, she has been an advocate for immigrant rights, income inequality, and health care.  

Stokely Carmichael, civil rights activist 

Stokely Carmichael was a civil rights activist who played a key role in the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC) and the Black Panther Party of the 1960s. Born in Trinidad, he became a naturalized American citizen in 1954. Carmichael graduated from Howard University with a philosophy degree and joined the 1964 “Freedom Summer” campaign to register black voters in the Deep South. In 1967, after visiting with revolutionary leaders abroad, Carmichael became Prime Minister of the Black Panther Party. He devoted his life to writing articles on Pan-Africanism and building a community of black unity. 

Irving Berlin, musician 

Irving Berlin was a prolific 20th century songwriter who penned over 1,000 songs, including “White Christmas” and “Cheek to Cheek.” Berlin was born in present day Belarus and fled the country with his family in 1893 to escape religious persecution. He arrived in New York City as a refugee, and he worked as a street singer to support his family. Berlin was later employed as a lyricist for Waterson & Snyder, a successful sheet music publishing company. Aside from his work on popular songs, Berlin also wrote the scores for Broadway musicals. His credits include Annie Get Your Gun, Call Me Madam, and Face the Music. 

Ming-Na Wen, actress 

Ming Na is a Chinese American actress who is best known for playing Dr. Deb Chen in the drama TV series ER. She was born in Macao, China and immigrated to the United States, where she became a successful actress and the first Asian American woman to land a contract role in a daytime soap opera with ER. Na’s other notable roles include June in the film adaptation of Amy Tan’s The Joy Luck Club, Fennec Shand in the Star Wars series, and Mulan in the Disney animated film. Recently, she played Melinda May in Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. 

Ocean Vuong, writer  

Ocean Vuong is a New York Times bestselling author and poet who was born in Vietnam and raised in Hartford, Connecticut. Vuong and his family lived in a refugee camp in the Philippines prior to gaining citizenship in the United States. He has channeled his experiences as a refugee into his work, winning the T.S. Eliot prize for the poetry collection Night Sky with Exit Wounds. Vuong’s other titles include Time Is a Mother and On Earth, We’re Briefly Gorgeous. He currently teaches in the M.F.A. Program for Poets and Writers at the University of Massachusetts Amherst. 

Gloria Estefan, musician 

Gloria Estefan is a seven-time Grammy Award winner and the former frontwoman of the chart-topping band Miami Sound Machine. When Fidel Castro rose to power, Estefan and her family fled their home in Cuba and arrived in Florida as refugees. Estefan was granted citizenship in 1974. As a member of Miami Sound Machine, she became an international star and recorded four Spanish-language albums. Estefan also has a successful solo career, and she has channeled her creativity into writing two children’s books. 

Ayn Rand, writer 

Ayn Rand was the bestselling author of the novels The Fountainhead and Atlas Shrugged. When Rand was a child, Bolshevik soldiers seized her father’s pharmacy shop in St. Petersburg, Russia. The family fled to Crimea, where they lived in poverty and dreamt of a better life. She applied for a visa to the United States and established roots in Hollywood to become a screenwriter. During her lifetime, she wrote both fiction and nonfiction and developed the “objectivism” system of philosophy.

Madeleine Albright, diplomat 

Madeleine Albright was the first woman to serve as U.S. Secretary of State. Under President Clinton, she also served as the U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations. Albright and her family fled their home in Czechoslovakia twice: once to escape Nazi occupation during World War II, and once to seek exile from the 1948 communist coup. When she was 11 years old, she arrived in Colorado as a refugee. This experience sparked her lifelong devotion to human rights and democracy.  

Yao Ming, basketball player 

Yao Ming is a Chinese American basketball player who became internationally recognized as a center player with the NBA team the Houston Rockets. Prior to moving to the United States, Ming played for the Chinese basketball team the Shanghai Sharks. Between 2003 and 2009, Ming earned six all-star honors and guided the Houston Rockets to five playoff games. He retired from professional basketball in 2011 and was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 2016. Ming bridged the gap between the United States and China and proved that immigrants could be successful both on and off the court. 

Albert Einstein, physicist 

Albert Einstein was a ground-breaking physicist and Nobel Laureate best known for developing the theories of relativity and quantum mechanics. He was also a refugee who escaped Nazi persecution in Germany and sought asylum in the United States. In addition to his work as a physicist, Einstein left his mark as a humanitarian. In 1933, he urged the creation of an organization to support refugees. The International Relief Association was formed, which would become the modern-day International Rescue Committee.