Queer Detainee Empowerment Project

The Queer Detainee Empowerment Project (QDEP) was established in January 2014 in New York to fill a service gap for trans and queer migrants incarcerated in detention centers in the US. Since then, we have worked to elevate and empower 800 members.

QDEP works with Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Queer, Two-Spirit, Trans, Gender Non-Conforming (GNC), and HIV+ immigrants currently in detention centers, immigrants recently released from detention centers, and those at risk of entering immigration detention in the New York tri-state area. Currently, we are serving 70 members in NYC and 120 members incarcerated in detention centers.

We organize around the structural barriers and state violence that LGBTQIA and GNC detainees face in relation to their immigration status, HIV status, race, sexuality, and gender expression/identity. QDEP is one of the few organizations in NYC focused on building leadership among LGBTQIA, GNC, and HIV+ immigrant communities and working to change policies that impact our community.

The Queer Detainee Empowerment Project (QDEP) is a project of the non-profit 501(c)(3) Center for Transformative Action (CTA).