Demonstrators rallied in Manhattan on March 19 to remember the life of Faby Federick, a transgender refugee who died earlier this month, and urge the Biden-Harris administration to protect LGBTQ asylum seekers and immigrants.
According to the Queer Detainee Empowerment Project, Federick fled Costa Rica for the United States, but wound up experiencing homelessness in Los Angeles and endured an entire year in ICE detention. Federick, who died on March 7, eventually ended up in New York and trained as a chef.
Marchers sought to shed light on Federick’s story — and broadly highlight the experience of queer asylum seekers — as they stepped off at Foley Square and proceeded through Manhattan before stopping at the Stonewall Inn, where there was a candlelight vigil.
The Queer Detainee Empowerment Project, Caribbean Equality Project, TransEmigrate, VOCAL-NY, and Rise and Resist were among the organizations involved in the event, along with several individuals who helped produce it.
