Prof. Alvarez-Hernandez & Colleague Center Chicana & Latina Feminisms to Reimagine Trans Latinas’ Mental Health
While understanding that cultural theories can help social workers understand clients whose lives differ from their own, stereotyping is a common pitfall that keeps people in marginalized groups from getting the help they need. To combat this pattern among trans Latinas, Prof. Luis Alvarez-Hernandez from BU School of Social Work co-authored a paper on their individual experiences through the lens of Chicana and Latina feminists. This recontextualization allows social workers to decolonize their approach to trans Latina mental health interventions and enrich cultural theories.
Chicana/Latina Feminists, Comadres, & Trans Latinas
The authors explain that in social work, Latinas are usually seen from a marianismo perspective. “Marianista” refers to the Catholic patriarchal stereotype that women should be self-sacrificing in service of their families and communities. “Given that these relationships are embedded in a traditional context of cisheteronormativity, little is known about how trans Latina women may or may not enact traditional gendered expectations for caretaking,” say the authors. This gap can lead to misunderstanding and misrepresenting trans Latinas’ needs in research and practice when social workers rely on limitingmarianista stereotypes.
Since much of existing Latina social work research relies on marianismo, the authors use the writings of Chicana and Latina feminists to inform their conversations and takeaways. “Chicana feminists who emphasize liberative work often use the term comadres, or comothers, to explore Latinas’ roles and relationships,” says the authors. “Comadres” refers to a more empowered and collaborative role that reflects how trans Latinas are enacting community change in the southern United States. “As comadres, they serve and care for others as equals, not as devoted caretakers,” he adds. “Using Chicana/Latina feminisms, we hope others will move beyond marianismo to understand the significance of comadre and co-mothering relationships.”
Trans Latinas’ Testimonios
“Many Latinas fill our classrooms, work and research alongside us, and thrive in our communities,” say the authors. “If social workers and other practitioners are going to help advance their work alongside them, then we will need to sit, listen, and center their testimonios.” To this end, his paper includes transcripts and quotes from conversations with three trans Latinas discussing their comadre roles.
The discussions show the endless give-and-take nature of identity: “For all participants, their relationships were reshaped depending on the context in which they generate change and others’ perceptions of their identities and roles.” By perceiving trans Latinas outside of prescriptive gender roles and listening to their unique experiences, social workers can better understand them and meet their needs. “We think Anzaldúa would agree that the women in our study are valiant nepantleras, ‘threshold people, who move within and among multiple worlds and use their movement in the service of transformation.’” In order to understand this movement, no one definition can encapsulate all that trans Latinas experience. Instead, the authors urge social workers to inverse the research process. They should set aside their assumptions about Latina gender roles in favor of listening to them as individuals, and let their stories inform the theories.
Entre Madres y Comadres: Trans Latina Immigrants Empowering Women Beyond Marianismo was co-authored by Prof. J. Maria Bermudez from the University of Georgia.