Monserrat Padilla (She/Her/Hers)
by Angel (She/Her)
In 2012, a young Monserrat Padilla shared her story at an immigrant solidarity march. Casting fear of what her immigrant community might respond with aside, she announced “I’m undocumented and unafraid, queer and unashamed.” and, to her surprise, received a roar of encouragement. It was then that she realized the importance of advocating for her intersecting identities as a queer transgender woman AND an undocumented immigrant. Padilla grew more unapologetic, coming out fully as transgender and committing to work advocating for herself and others in her communities through grassroots organizing.
Monserrat worked relentlessly to achieve what so many undocumented people are barred from accomplishing. Without access to financial aid, she took on as much as graveyard shifts to pay for her education at the University of Washington. In 2013, however, things changed. Monserrat received a scholarship from the Pride Foundation, a foundation that would not just help financially, but also decide what she was going to do after school. Having received this aid and care by a foundation that genuinely focused on and supported those like her, she felt moved and began her own work in the communities she comes from. Through the Pride Foundation, she eventually became a coordinator and then co-executive director for the Washington Immigrant Solidarity Network, or WAISN, which is Washington’s largest immigrant-led coalition and at the time was building a defense line for immigrants and refugees, especially those that were LGBTQ+. Montserrat knew that “LGBTQ+ detainees are 15 times more likely to be assaulted, and are often placed in solitary confinement.” and because of this, it was a priority for her to not only support her community, but to provide as much as she could for them. She did this by finding ways to bring housing and safe places for people to be in so they could comfortably manage through all the legal work. Furthermore, during the COVID-19 pandemic, Padilla worked to bring relief and aid to over 94,000 undocumented Washingtonians.
The work of Monserrat Padilla doesn’t stop there, she now works for the Washington Immigrant and Refugee Funders Collaborative where she continues her journey of fighting for her community and in turn, herself. Monserrat’s bravery in the face of all the transphobia, homophobia, and racism has led to a life of bringing light, support, and a voice to those who are in the same walk and fight as her. Her stories reveal just how real our intersecting identities are and the struggles we face are. Immigrant issues are LGBTQ+ issues that are women issues that are racial issues and so forth. Padilla is a woman who fought and fights for us to exist in that, “We’re all those things actively every single day and it’s through the intersections that we live our lives.” .
