Global Constructions of Gender, Sexuality, and Migration: An Analysis of Five Immigrant Memoirs

Author

Grace Halvorson, CUNY Graduate CenterFollow

Date of Degree

6-2025

Document Type

Master's Capstone Project

Degree Name

Master of Arts

Program

International Migration Studies

Advisor

Els de Graauw

Committee Members

Richard Ocejo

Subject Categories

African Studies | Gender and Sexuality | International Relations | Migration Studies | Near and Middle Eastern Studies | Other International and Area Studies | Politics and Social Change | Public Affairs | Public Policy | Social Control, Law, Crime, and Deviance

Keywords

LGBTQ+, migration, LGBTQ+ migrants, transnational borders, national identity, border control

Abstract

This capstone analyzes five memoirs by LGBTQ+ migrants—Jose Antonio Vargas, Edafe Okporo, Staceyann Chin, Danny Ramadan, and Samra Habib—to explore how governments weaponize gender and sexual orientation to construct national identity and exert control over both citizens and migrants. Their diverse migration experiences highlight how “gender border control” operates across families, communities, and national government systems, reinforcing heteronormative structures that regulate queer identities. My analysis of their memoirs reveals how both formal tools, such as immigration policies, and informal tools, such as social exclusion, make individuals outside heteronormative identity categories susceptible to state and societal violence. These personal narratives shed light on marginalized immigration and integration experiences and offer alternative stories that foster resistance and shift public perceptions.

Recommended Citation

Halvorson, Grace, "Global Constructions of Gender, Sexuality, and Migration: An Analysis of Five Immigrant Memoirs" (2025). CUNY Academic Works.
https://academicworks.cuny.edu/gc_etds/6204