On a June night at the White House, two days before the U.S. Supreme Court paved the way for marriage equality nationwide, Jennicet Gutiérrez interrupted President Barack Obama. He was speaking at a reception to celebrate LGBT Pride Month.
“Release all LGBTQ detention centers,” Gutiérrez called out during the president’s opening remarks. The room was packed with LGBT-movement leaders, allies and members of Congress who had been invited to the event.
Gutiérrez, who describes herself as an undocumented trans Latina leader with Familia: Trans* Queer Liberation Movement, was immediately met with a wave of shushing that turned to booing and chants of “Obama.”
“This is not for you, this is for all of us,” an audience member can be heard saying in a video of the event posted to YouTube by the Not One More campaign to end deportation.
“I’m tired of the violence we’re facing,” Gutiérrez continued.
“You’re not going to get a response from me by interrupting,” Obama said.
In less than three minutes, Gutiérrez was escorted from the room. But she sparked a lasting discussion, including at local organizations in Philadelphia like Juntos, a Latino human-rights organization, and GALAEI: A Queer Latin@ Social Justice Organization.
“A lot of the conversations were around the concept of respectability politics,” said Erika Almiron, executive director of Juntos. “A lot of people said, ‘Well if Jennicet would’ve just said things nicer.’ Nobody would’ve been talking about Jennicet had she not done it the way that she did it.”
Gutiérrez will speak at 6 p.m. Nov. 13 at Juntos, 1537 S. Sixth St. The event is free and open to the public. Almiron said her organization expects a full house, and she advised people to arrive early.
GALAEI partnered on organizing the event, which will last two to three hours. Members of local organizations will speak alongside Gutiérrez, and they will open the floor for a question-and-answer session at the end.
“It was clear that the immigrant-rights movement had to make space for LGBTQ issues and also that the LGBTQ movement had to make space for the immigrant-rights movement,” Almiron said.
Elicia Gonzales, executive director of GALAEI, said she hopes the event offers an entry point into the work for attendees. She would also like to address movement vision and strategy and noted the need to look at how community members have their rights violated in the prison system.
“Helping our communities connect the dots is something I’m really looking forward to,” Gonzales said. “It’s about seeing patterns of injustice that we can disrupt.”
“Sometimes it can feel daunting only looking at injustices,” she added. “Jennicet is an example of making a dent in these systems of oppression in a tangible way.”
Less than a week after Gutiérrez’s interruption, Immigration and Customs Enforcement announced it would house detained transgender immigrants in facilities that match their gender identities.
Gonzales called Gutiérrez’s visit to Philadelphia timely: Later this month, advocates plan to march in Harrisburg to call for the state Department of Human Services to shut down the Berks County Residential Center. The facility, which detains undocumented immigrant families, had its license called into question last month by Human Services.
For more information, search “An Evening with Jennicet Gutiérrez” on Facebook.