Abstract
An oral history with Jennicet Gutiérrez,a transgender activist. This interview was conducted for the Women, Politics, and Activism Since Suffrage Oral History Project for California State University, Fullerton. The purpose of this interview was to gather information regarding her life and her pursuits of social justice. Specifically, this interview details her experiences growing up in Tuxpan, Jalisco, Mexico; her mother’s background, role as a housewife, and economic situation; her family dynamics and the importance of a family unit; immigrating to California, detention centers, and how the experience changed her life; discusses the importance of her grandmother; briefly shares her experiences with schools in Mexico and California; issues with language barriers and experiences with racism growing up in California; her childhood dreams of being a dancer and choreographer and the importance of dancing; transitioning to a woman and gender identity; surviving as transgender women in Los Angeles; her experiences in jail; her pursuits of social justice; discusses her most notable protest and act of civil disobedience, interrupting President Obama at a LGBTQ speaking engagement at the White House in June of 2015; explains the disconnect LGBTQ advocates have with the transgender community; she goes on to speak about issues that she advocates for; the experiences of trans and queer individuals in detention centers; her experiences in the trans-community; and her hopes for the future.
