In this Nov. 2, 2018 photo, members of the LGBTQ community who are traveling with the Central American migrants caravan hoping to reach the U.S. border, wait on the side of the road for a ride to Donaji, Mexico. Fearful of being attacked violently or sexually assaulted, they've stuck by each other's side 24 hours a day, walking and sleeping in a group. (AP Photo/Rodrigo Abd)
The Associated Press
MATIAS ROMERO, Mexico (AP) - Dozens of transgender women and gay men in the caravan moving through Mexico with hopes of seeking asylum in the United States have banded together for protection - not from the uncertainty of a journey fraught with danger from the gangs who prey on migrants but from their fellow travelers.
They are fleeing violence and discrimination back home because of their gender identity or sexual orientation, and the LGBTQ migrants have found the journey north to be just as threatening amid catcalls and even physical abuse.
Many of the migrants in the caravan say they joined because it offers safety in numbers. The 50 or so LGBTQ migrants stick together, and say that they, too, have banded together for safety - a sort of caravan within the caravan.
In this Nov. 3, 2018 photo, Honduran transgender Alexa Amaya, who is traveling with the migrant caravan hoping to reach the U.S. border, tries on a pushup bra she selected from a pile of donated clothing left alongside the road to Sayula, Mexico. Fleeing violence and discrimination back home because of their gender identity or sexual orientation, about 50 LGBTQ migrants, including Alexa, have found the journey north to be just as threatening and have banded together for protection against mistreatment from their fellow travelers. (AP Photo/Rodrigo Abd)w travelers. (AP Photo/Rodrigo Abd)
The Associated Press
In this Nov. 2, 2018 photo, members of a LGBTQ group who are traveling with the Central American migrants caravan hoping to reach the U.S. border, run towards a truck who stopped to give them a ride, on the road to Sayula, Mexico. Much of the trek has been covered on foot, but hitching rides has been crucial, especially on days when they travel 100 miles or more. For the LGBTQ group, it's been tougher to find those rides. (AP Photo/Rodrigo Abd)
The Associated Press