Difference, abandonment and precarity in the (im)mobilities of Brazilian LGBT migrants living in New York City

• Grant number: 23/16034-3
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships abroad - Research Internship - Doctorate
• Start date: May 31, 2024
• End date: May 30, 2025
• Field of knowledge: Humanities - Anthropology
• Principal Investigator: Isadora Lins França
• Grantee: Bruno Nzinga Ribeiro
• Supervisor: Ruth Wilson Gilmore
• Host Institution: Instituto de Filosofia e Ciências Humanas (IFCH). Universidade Estadual de Campinas (UNICAMP). Campinas , SP, Brazil
• Institution abroad: City University of New York (CUNY), United States
• Associated to the scholarship: 21/14686-8 - "Building up onself in America": sexuality, gender, and difference in the (im)mobilities of LGBT Brazilians living in New York City, BP.DR

Abstract

The Research Internships Abroad project (BEPE) is dedicated to conducting fieldwork for the doctoral research project "Building up oneself in America: sexuality, gender, and difference in the (im)mobilities of LGBT Brazilians living in New York City" (process no. 21/14868). In this study, I delve into the intersection of sexuality, gender, race, class, and nationality in shaping the migratory experiences of LGBT Brazilians in New York. This subject has gained increased prominence amid the growing strictness of anti-immigration policies, particularly following the Covid-19 pandemic. This trend significantly influences the routes chosen by Brazilians heading to the United States, encompassing visa restrictions, changes in asylum and refugee status, increased border detentions, and a more stringent deportation policy. Confronted with this scenario, LGBT migrants employ various strategies, such as exploring the matrimonial market, engaging in artistic activities, tourism, and participating in educational and work programs, with the aim of navigating legal barriers. The study specifically targets the LGBT group, aiming to comprehend how the dimension of sexuality, in interaction with other differences, shapes these migratory experiences. The adopted methodology follows the networks of interlocutors identified during my master's studies (process nos. 18/02183-9 and 19/14435-5), employing a multi-situated ethnographic approach where I will accompany my interlocutors and conduct semi-structured interviews. In collaboration with The Center For People Culture and Politics at the City University of New York (CUNY), under the guidance of Professor Ruth Gilmore, the intention is to share the progress of the fieldwork in the CPCP seminar and collectively construct an analysis focused on the precariousness and state abandonment experienced by Brazilian LGBT migrants, especially those who are undocumented and refugees from different networks.