In Oregon, LGBT lives are at a crossroads

Non-immigrant transgender people and undocumented cisgender people share a problem with getting accurate and usable driver's licenses in many states. What this means for both groups is that something that many people can take for granted, namely getting in a car to complete mundane and sometimes urgent errands is impossible or exposes them to the risk of detention. Imagine what it is like for those who are both trans and undocumented. Causa, an immigrant rights organization in Oregon has enlisted the help of leaders like Bamby Salcedo, a powerful activist who founded the Translatina Coalition and speaks out nationally about trans rights to educate the larger communities who do not know what their own neighbors may be facing. Causa has released a video that features Salcedo and local Oregonian LGBT people, both immigrant and not, to demonstrate the impact that not having access to licenses has had on all Oregonian people.

Causa's LGBT liasion, Christian Baeff, a gay Argentenian man who has personally felt the impact of policy decisions on his own life as the recently married spouse of an LGBT veteran is passionately committed to immigration reform.

The video Baeff shared with us is part of Causa's effort to complete a difficult course by November; they have to get voters to understand the need for all drivers in the state regardless of immigrant status, and/or gender identity to have licenses to drive. Only 10 states, the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico currently allow undocumented drivers licenses according to the National Immigration Law Center. Two states, Nebraska and Arizona passed laws to deny non-citizens driver's licenses, but the Arizona law was overturned this year. Oregon is a special case because although their Governor signed a provision into law, that law has now been made into a referendum.