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Being Gay & Undocumented in America

by EMMA GABBERT, CSU Public Relations Assistant

The LGBT Center at Minnesota State University, Mankato, is presenting a screening of “The Immigration Closet: Being Gay & Undocumented” on Monday, Nov. 4, at 7:00 p.m. in Ostrander Auditorium. The night will include special guests Tyler Thom and Eddie Fernandez, who are featured in the new Netflix documentary series, “Living Undocumented.”

“Living Undocumented” is a Netflix documentary series, (also called a docuseries), about the obstacles undocumented people face on a day-to-day basis. Tyler and Eddie are the subjects of episodes 5 and 6 of the series. The episode mainly focuses on Eddie’s battle with the intersectionality of his identity: being undocumented and a member of the LGBT community.

David Gardner, the director of the LGBT Center at Minnesota State University, Mankato, met Tyler Thom while he was a graduate student at the University of Wisconsin – Eau Clarie. David was involved in LGBT programming, where he met Tyler, who was, at the time, an undergraduate student involved in LGBT community outreach.

David was informed in 2015 that Tyler and his partner, Eddie, had issues with the federal government regarding Eddie’s undocumented status. Eventually, the couple made the decision to move to Canada to avoid prosecution.

David commented on how this event could change the negative assumptions associated with undocumented immigrants.

“I think if they share their story, the audience can walk away with a better understanding of the plight that undocumented individuals go through.”

David Gardner, Director for the LGBT Center

Tyler will be at the presentation in person. However, because Eddie is no longer allowed in the United States, he will skype in for a discussion on his experience. A question and answer session will wrap up the night.

This event is free and open to all students as well as the surrounding community. To find out more information, check out the LGBT Center’s Facebook event in the link below.

https://www.facebook.com/events/387688915507293/

Published by Emma Gabbert

Emma Gabbert is a junior with a major in Mass Communication and a double minor in Political Science and Marketing. She started working for the CSU Communications team in September 2019 as the Public Relations Assistant and now works as a media consultant for the Centennial Student Union. She has been involved with media since high school where she was a member of her high school news and video production team. She is currently a College of Arts and Humanities Senator for Student Government at Minnesota State Mankato and also serves as the Media Manager for Student Government. Emma G. is involved in a large number of organizations such as; Public Relations Student Society of America (PRSSA), Maverick Machine Pep Band, Women for Global Leadership Board, SAGE, Women of Action, College Democrats and iGNiTE MNSU: Women in Politics. In March 2020, Emma G. started working for Whisker Media, a pet public relations agency, as a Digital Content Specialist. She plans to continue this job after graduation. Her ideal future career is to be the Public Relations Director for a political campaign or a Public Relations Manager at a large corporation in the Twin Cities or Washington D.C.

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