ABSTRACT
This chapter narrates the stories of Lesbian immigrants crossing geographical and identity borders. Maritza and Olga are both Cuban. They both migrated to the United States when they were 22 years of age, during the 1970s. In the United States, Maritza lives a very private life and refuses to participate in any form of lesbian activism. Olga left Cuba because of her disagreement with the Revolution. She came to the United States with her family in one of the "freedom flights" instituted after 1968. For lesbians who are immigrants, such as Maritza and Olga, the crossing of geographical borders and the subsequent crossing of lifestyle and sexual identity boundaries provide opportunities for developing new identities. The immigrant lesbian acculturates as an immigrant and sometimes as a lesbian at the same time. For lesbians who are not immigrants, the process of coming out requires a transformation that parallels the acculturation process of those who migrate.
