“Me Llamo Luchadora Social”: Trans Latina Immigrants as <i>Nepantleras</i> Generating Change in the Southern United States

Abstract Many trans Latina immigrants have utilized their individual and collective strengths to resist oppression and generate change in their communities; however, their efforts remain largely invisible to those outside of their communities. The current study aimed to explore the meaning trans Latinas make of their experiences as agents of change in the southern United States. Informed by Chicana feminisms, authors used interpretive phenomenology to explore the testimonios of six trans Latina immigrants living in Georgia, Louisiana, North Carolina, and Texas. Three themes were constructed: (1) the burden of discrimination, violence, and unmet needs; (2) luchadoras being and doing social change; and (3) finding strength in caring for each other. Anzaldúa’s nepantlera concept informed how authors situated findings as acts of resistance to societal violence, discrimination, and struggles at the micro, mezzo, and macro levels. The participants’ sense of agency was a response to the complexity of their identities within hostile contexts, and their resilience and resistance hinged upon building caring communities and becoming luchadoras sociales to affect empowerment and change. The authors offer suggestions for guiding social work researchers, practitioners, and educators to engage in strengths-based approaches to advocate for the human rights, needs, and strengths of trans Latina immigrants and their communities.