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LBGT refugees in general
Prepared by: Sean, Nell, and Luke, January 2021.
Updated by: Charlotte, Robin and Ariadna, January 2023
LGBT refugees hold a pride event inside a refugee camp in Kenya (June 2018). https://www.thepinknews.com/2018/06/18/pride-event-takes-place-inside-refugee-camp/
09/06/2020 – LGBT asylum seekers’ claims routinely rejected in Europe and UK
News article from The Guardian states that migrants entering the UK and Europe are routinely rejected, with one in three being rejected on the basis of officials not believing their sexuality or gender identity, 4 in 10 because decision-makers did not believe that they were being persecuted/at risk of being persecuted in their home country. researchers hypothesised that it is easier for them to turn people away on a sexuality or gender basis as they are less likely to have evidence to support their claims
02/09/2019 – Home office refused thousands of LGBT asylum claims
Blog post from University of London News article from the Guardian showing that the UK home office has refused claims from 3,100 LGBT nationals from countries where consensual same-sex acts are criminalised. At least 1,197 LGBT Pakistanis, 640 Bangladeshis and 389 Nigerians between 2016-2018. application for asylum on grounds of sexual orientation was also denied for nationals of Cameroon (136), Ghana (144), Iran (124) and Uganda (145) as well as Iraq, Jamaica and Malaysia. includes a case study of a man who claimed asylum from Nigeria but was denied because the judge did not think he had a gay ‘demeanour’
04/09/2019 – Interviews with Asylum seekers
News article from The Conversation by PhD student interviewing LGBT asylum seekers. It argues that if the UK is to genuinely recognise sexual minorities in a manner compatible with the refugee convention, decision-makers must recognise the role of culture in shaping one’s sexual identity (or non-identity) and note that individuals from different cultures may not present a narrative consistent with Western conceptions.
October 2014 – Investigation into the handling of Asylum claims based on the grounds of sexual orientation
Report by the independent chief inspector of Borders and immigration – a list of both pros and cons about the guidance and training, interview conduct, and decision making and the appeals process for asylum seekers
Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity Claims of Asylum
Website for project based at Sussex University trying to enact change for LGBT migrants, the project has sought to ‘determine how European asylum systems can treat asylum claims based on the claimant’s SOGI more fairly.’ with numerous links to individual stories from asylum seekers from different countries, in various formats such as podcase and webpages
24/09/2020 – Experimental statistics
UK government statistics on asylum claims based on sexuality. finding that Pakistani nationals are the largest group of LGB asylum seekers in each of the last 5 yrs (making up 20-30% of all claims.) Most countries have a low proportion of LBGT Applications however for Malaysia and Uganda their numbers make up almost half (40 and 43% respectively) of all applications from the country.
28/01/2020 – Sexualisation, stereotypes, statistics
Blog post from the University of London – different case studies of different asylum seekers including stories from a lesbian from Uganda who was forcibly married in her home country, she says that she was rejected on the basis that she has a husband and so ‘could not be a lesbian.’
30/07/2019 – Homonationalist/orientalist negotiations
A paper looking at tensions between the UK as LGBT protectors and asylum claims of LGBT persons, it explores the contradictions between the representation of the UK as a promoter of LGBT rights and its policy approach towards sexuality-based asylum claims.
2020 – Ilga world – Sexual Orientation laws maps
Map of sexual orientation laws around the world which is updated yearly to reflect any law changes – ‘A useful tool for LGB human rights defenders
2022 – LGBTQ refugees and asylum seekers
A paper on all LGBTQ refugees follows the causes of leaving, experiences and problems they face trying to find a home. specifically focusing on the challenges specific to LGBT refugees as they are more likely to face harassment, violence and discrimination in transit zones – the report highlights that in many cases they hide their identity in order to avoid abuse or violence.