End racist immigration raids, border profiling and turn backs

End racist immigration raids, border profiling and turn backs

A South East Asian transgender woman profiled at the border in 2024 was denied access to essential medical care including hormones for the first 8 weeks of her time in immigration detention, and subjected to live under constant visual scrutiny by male guards, without any privacy or personal space, for a further 11 weeks.

“There are four trans women in our unit but they put six male officers inside our unit too. We really feel suffocated.”

After working for years as a flight attendant, discrimination from her employer on the basis of her gender identity led to her unemployment. Upon flying into Australia in July 2024, Border Force agents racially profiled her, detained her and searched her phone. They found ‘sexy videos’ and a listing on an escort website and on that basis placed her in immigration detention pending deportation.

These human rights violations on the part of the Federal Government threaten her dignity, safety, and her life. Suddenly ceasing hormone replacement therapy without medical advice is dangerous.

Placing transgender women in detention is not only psychologically traumatic but puts these women at significant risk of physical and sexual violence.

While in detention, she has experienced sexual violence including having her breasts grabbed and has experienced being unfairly separated from other detainees. Isolation and separation are not a solution.

“We are the only trans women in here, we feel like they don’t know what to do with us, like we are some kind of experiment.”

This campaign is endorsed by more than 40 community organisations

A South East Asian transgender woman profiled at the border in 2024 was denied access to essential medical care including hormones for the first 8 weeks of her time in immigration detention, and subjected to live under constant visual scrutiny by male guards, without any privacy or personal space, for a further 11 weeks.

“There are four trans women in our unit but they put six male officers inside our unit too. We really feel suffocated.”

After working for years as a flight attendant, discrimination from her employer on the basis of her gender identity led to her unemployment. Upon flying into Australia in July 2024, Border Force agents racially profiled her, detained her and searched her phone. They found ‘sexy videos’ and a listing on an escort website and on that basis placed her in immigration detention pending deportation.

These human rights violations on the part of the Federal Government threaten her dignity, safety, and her life. Suddenly ceasing hormone replacement therapy without medical advice is dangerous.

Placing transgender women in detention is not only psychologically traumatic but puts these women at significant risk of physical and sexual violence.

While in detention, she has experienced sexual violence including having her breasts grabbed and has experienced being unfairly separated from other detainees. Isolation and separation are not a solution.

“We are the only trans women in here, we feel like they don’t know what to do with us, like we are some kind of experiment.”

This campaign is endorsed by more than 40 community organisations

Demand freedom, dignity and safety for trans women in detention

Compose your email

Email Tips +

Emails like this work well when you can explain your personal connection to the issue.

What is it about racial and gender profiling that you think is unfair?

Why do you care about how trans women are treated in detention?

You can edit and amend any/all parts of the email before you send it, or send it as is!