They consider themselves doubly marginalized — a vulnerable subset of an already maligned population.
Of the estimated 11 million people who are in the country illegally, more than 267,000 are LGBT — lesbian, gay, bisexual or transgender — according to a 2013 report by the Williams Institute, a gender identity and sexual orientation think tank at UCLA. Many suffered persecution in their home countries because of their sexual identity and allege humiliation and mistreatment at U.S. immigration detention centers.
For years, many did not openly press their concerns, fearing that might derail comprehensive immigration reform that could benefit millions.