Author: Bertie Hernandez

Berto (Bertie) Hernandez is an undocuqueer, gender non-conforming scholar, organizer, and activist exploring the impacts of the immigration system on undocumented queer and gender variant communities of color. They use a feminist abolitionist perspective, centering joy, resiliency, and queerness. Berto works on highlighting the embodied knowledge of queer people and changing the narratives of how we are perceived. They utilize their embodied experiences to interrogate the impacts of gender-based violence within structural systems that enable it. Berto focuses their work on the abolition of the Immigration and Criminal Justice System and decarceration efforts. Currently, Berto works at The California Immigrant Youth Justice Alliance as a Deportation Defense Coordinator, working daily to liberate as many community members as they can with the help of the community while double majoring in Sociology & Women’s Gender and Sexualities Studies at California State University Los Angeles. They hope to continue serving the communities they are part of upon completing their degree. Berto hopes to show the beauty and Joy of being QUEER, FEMME, and BROWN in a world that continuously tries to take that away. Berto continues the work of teaching the general community that Undocumented folks come in many forms and can thrive if given the proper resources.