Joanne Kim supports Intro 131 for immigrant survivors
Joanne Kim, assistant director at the Korean American Family Service Center, supports Intro 131. She says immigrant survivors of gender-based violence face compounded barriers and no one should have to choose between living authentically and living safely.
Thank you.
Good afternoon, Chair and members of the committee.
My name is Joanne Kim, and I'm an Assistant Director of Community Engagement at the Korean American Family Service Center, KAFSC.
For nearly four decades, KAFSC has supported immigrant survivors
of domestic violence, sexual assault, and other forms of gender-based violence through culturally responsive, trauma-informed services.
On behalf of KFSC, I am here today in support of Intro 0131-2026.
At KFSC, our work is rooted in a feminist understanding that gender-based violence is not simply an individual experience.
It is connected to broader systems of inequality, discrimination, and control over people's bodies, identities, and choices.
For immigrant survivors, these inequalities are often compounded by language barriers, cultural stigma, financial dependence, and fear of navigating unfamiliar institutions.
Consider an immigrant survivor who has experienced abuse and is seeking
safety.
They may already fear speaking out because of their immigrant status, limited English proficiency, or dependence on their abuser.
If that individual also faces discrimination because of their sex characteristics or intersex traits,
Another barrier is placed between them and the protection that they deserve.
While this is an illustrative example, the barriers are ones we encounter every day in our work with immigrant survivors.
No one should have to choose between living authentically and living safely.
Intro 131 is important because it is explicitly recognized as sex characteristics, including intersex traits, within the definition of gender under the city's human rights law.
From a feminist perspective, this is about bodily autonomy.
dignity, and the fundamental right of every person to exist without discrimination.
At KFSC, we believe that ending gender-based violence requires us to challenge the systems that make people vulnerable to abuse and exclusion in the first place.
We urge the City Council to advance Intro 131 and ensure that these protections are understood and accessible to immigrant communities, including
those with limited English proficiency.
Because safety, dignity, and freedom from discrimination should never depend on who you are, how you identify,
Or where you come from.