Migrant Puerto Rican Lesbians: Negotiating Gender, Sexuality, and Ethnonationality

This article is based on a study with thirty-two Puerto Rican lesbians who migrated from Puerto Rico to either New York City (NYC) or Hartford, CT. It addresses these women's experiences in dealing with their gender, sexuality, ethnonationality, race/color, socioeconomic status, and migration. Social science research on Latina lesbians, in particular migrant Puerto Rican lesbians, has been scant to nonexistent. Their experiences, however, help us to understand the complex relationship between multiple minority statuses, points of oppressions, and lived experiences. The data were collected and analyzed using a feminist standpoint perspective as well as an intersectionality framework. The findings show how these women's negotiation of their multiple identities and sexuality is influenced by socioeconomic status, gender performance, race/color, and geographical locations. While these women exhibited varying levels of resilience, almost all of the women found it difficult to obtain acceptance or a place for their multiple identities to be equally addressed or respected.