Sacramento State women’s studies Professor Tristan Josephson led a discussion titled “Trans-migrants in Immigration Detention” in the University Union Orchard Suite 2 at noon on Oct. 21.

The talk was part of the Brown Bag Lunch Series: Queer Studies in Conversation sponsored by the PRIDE Center.

“Tyler Arguello, a social work professor, and I wanted to create an intellectual space for research, to raise the profile of queer and LGBT studies on campus,” Josephson said.

The Brown Bag Lunch Series is a space in which faculty, staff, students and community members can come together to present research within queer and LGBT Studies. The discussion focused on how trans-migrants are treated in the immigration detention centers.

“I am interested in furthering my knowledge about trans issues and to talk about how immigration detention within the prison system and how it affects everyone’s lives,” said ethnic studies and women’s studies double major Vrindavani Avila.

Josephson’s research shows trans-migrants are criminalized and given barriers toward becoming citizens.

“Even though detainees are often housed with folks that are serving criminal sentences, they are actually in an administrative proceeding,” Josephson said. “That means you have no constitutional right to legal counsel. You have no definitive length of sentence. Sometimes people spend months or years in detention centers.”

Faculty and students are encouraged to participate in the conversation and are asked if they would like to present one of the future Brown Bag Lunch Series events.

“Lifting up research that focuses on the queer and trans communities is important for the center, because the LGBT community is marginalized in the community as well as in academics,” said Chris Kent, PRIDE and Women’s Resource Center Program coordinator. “Faculty are presenting this semester though I would like to see students get involved next semester.”