Day 3, Sunday: Lunch with "Mariposas sin Fronteras"

~ written by Tonya

During lunch today, we were introduced to pupusas by our hosts Sylvia and Brandon from Mariposas sin Fronteras. Pupusas are a traditional El Salvadoran dish, a sort of stuffed corn tamale topped with tangy cabbage slaw. Sylvia had prepared them for us while we were away, worshiping together with the Southside Church congregation. She and Brandon were ready to share food and their stories with us when we returned.

 

To begin, Sylvia explained that mariposa means "butterfly" but is also used to name LGBTQ people of Hispanic origins.  The group's name, Mariposas sin Fronteras, means Butterflies without Borders or Queers without Borders.  They formed to provide solidarity to LGBTQ people in detention through visits, letters, bond fundraising, case support, advocacy, and post-detention hospitality (as described on their Facebook page).  As she spoke about the plight of many queer people who are living through detention, Sylvia grew serious-intent upon helping us to truly understand what she was so passionately sharing.   One point that became painfully clear was that the LGBTQ people she knows have been persecuted in their own countries and come here seeking relief, only to experience much of the same treatment at the hands of detention guards and other detainees. They're given staggering bond amounts (usually $8500) to pay before they can be released.  This is the same amount required of non-LGBTQ people, but is much harder for many detained mariposas to raise because of broken family connections and cultural biases.  So, the people who most need to escape from mistreatment and violence are the least likely to be able to do so.

Brandon, a trans person and also Sylvia's partner, then told us that Sylvia had once been held in detention without much hope for release, until MSF offered to help.  The group raised money for Sylvia's bond then helped the young couple after Sylvia was released from detention.  When we asked Sylvia why she felt moved to join the group, she explained that the Mariposas sin Fronteras had reached out and embraced her when she was alone and vulnerable.  She seemed so touched that people who didn't even know her, weren't "from her home" as she put it, would sacrifice for a stranger.  Now, she is doing the same: visiting the detention centers to identify LGBTQ people who need help, advocating for their release, writing letters of encouragement, and giving them shelter when they emerge. Both she and Brandon meet with people like our group at Borderlinks to tell their stories and ask for our friendship and support. 

As Sylvia spoke about her experiences with the people of MSF, I realized that she had seen the face of God in their actions...and that we were seeing the face of God as we received the blessing of a shared meal and stories from Sylvia and Brandon, two beautiful and -for now- free mariposas.