A rainbow flag sways in the wind outside a pink two-story house in an out-of-the-way Juarez neighborhood. Inside, 38 men and boys tell jokes, try on new skirts or dresses and help fix each other’s hair. The environment is cheerful, almost festive. Each laugh and smile helps these transsexual migrants from Central America overcome a lifetime of rejection, reproach and violence, says Grecia Herrera, who runs the house. “They come here with physical scars and deep emotional wounds. Some have suffered violence so ugly and degrading that they cannot bring themselves to talk about it,” Herrera said. “They come here without money, malnourished and sometimes sick. Our intent is to help them heal.”