2
Menu
Home
My Library
My Account
Pocketmags Plus+
Title A-Z
Category A-Z
Best Selling Magazines
Latest Offers
Gift Vouchers
Activate a Subscription
Blog
Help & Support
GB
0
Basket
My Account
My Library
Login
Plus+
BEST SELLERS
OFFERS
Hobbies & Craft
Aviation & Transport
Leisure
General Interest
Sport
SITE SETTINGS
GBP - £
USD - $
AUD - $
CAD - $
EUR - €
EUR - €
EUR - €
EUR - €
EUR - €
EUR - €
EUR - €
LIGHT MODE
DARK MODE
All Categories
Art & Photography
Art
Design
Architecture
Photography
Aviation & Transport
Motorbikes
Aviation
Automotive
Rail
Family & Home
Kids
Parenting
Animals & Pets
Food
DIY
Landscaping & Gardening
Property
Interior Design & Home
Food and Drink
Cooking & Baking
Drink
Vegetarian & Vegan
Gluten Free & Special Diets
General Interest
History & Fact
Astronomy
Education & Literary
Spiritual & Religion
Trade & Professional
National & Regional
Books
News & Current Affairs
Health & Fitness
Medical
Running
Women's Health
Men's Health
Slimming
Spirituality & Wellbeing
Hobbies & Craft
Collecting
Radio Control Modelling
Scale & Millitary Modelling
Sewing & Knitting
Woodworking
Arts & Crafts
Leisure Interest
Travel
Boating & Yachting
Poker & Gambling
Caravan & Motorhome
Camping & Outdoor
TV & Film
Tattoo
Horse Riding & Equestrian
Wildlife
Men's Interest
Lifestyle
Gay
TV & Film
Men's Fitness
Motorbikes
Automotive
Football
Fishing & Angling
Gaming
Gadgets
Newspapers
All
Music
Classical
Heavy Metal
Other
Rock
Pop
Practical & Playing
Hi-Fi
Sport
Football
Cycling
Rugby
Cricket & Golf
Football Programmes
Fishing & Angling
Shooting & Archery
Boxing & Martial Arts
Horse Riding & Equestrian
Other
Watersports & Board
Athletics & Running
Motorsport
Ski & Winter Sports
Outdoor & Adventure
Tech & Gaming
Apple
Gaming
Internet
Gadgets
PC
Mobile
Trade & Professional
Money & Investment
Building & Architecture
Military & Defense
Education
Media
Retail News
Farming & Agriculture
Catering
Business
Transport
Politics
Travel
Women's Interest
Hair
Celebrity
Weddings & Brides
Fashion & Lifestyle
Healthy Food & Slimming
Fitness
SITE SETTINGS
GBP - £
USD - $
AUD - $
CAD - $
EUR - €
EUR - €
EUR - €
EUR - €
EUR - €
EUR - €
EUR - €
LIGHT MODE
DARK MODE
Digital Subscriptions
>  
Blog
>
Gay asylum seekers
You are currently viewing the United Kingdom version of the site.
Would you like to switch to your local site?
Home
My Library
My Account
Pocketmags Plus+
Title A-Z
Category A-Z
Best Selling Magazines
Latest Offers
Gift Vouchers
Activate a Subscription
Blog
Help & Support
Gift Cards
£5
£10
£25
£50
View All
Read on any device
Safe & Secure Ordering
< 
Back to Blogs
Gay asylum seekers
Posted 22 December 2015   | 0 views
It’s no secret that gay people are fleeing from the 78 countries that’ve outlawed homosexuality. But on reaching the UK, LGBT asylum seekers face discrimination, detainment and violence. Is it time the law changed?
If you list friends of the gay community for this year, The Daily Mail probably won’t be high up. After dismissing plans for classes addressing homophobic bullying as “sex lessons” a few months ago, the paper has recently zeroed in on a new target – people forced to flee governments that could stone them to death because of their sexuality.
One story in particular stands out. The Mail recently claimed signs were plastered over the Calais migrant ‘Jungle’ encouraging people to fake being gay for an easy way into the UK, suggesting those previously escaping persecution by one of the 78 countries that outlaw homosexual acts are, in fact, liars.
The problems with this come thick and fast. When asked why a story was published without a photo of the posters, The Mail claimed it never took a copy because “it doesn’t make for a very interesting picture”, adding that if we checked now, there’s a chance the signs might’ve already been taken down.
But what happens if you ask Vice reporter Sally Hayden, who saw the exact location of The Mail’s apparent sightings at the time the story was published? “No, I didn’t see any posters like that.” And what about Dr Thom Davies, whose research involved spending recent months inside the camp? “No, I’ve never seen them.” It seems there’s simply no evidence of the posters The Mail is claiming were there.
Overall, the story is yet another distraction from the bigger problem – the terrible reality facing LGBT asylum seekers. Just for starters, there’s the many people refused refugee protection in the UK due to the inherently flawed decisions based on Home Office policy. “It’s unfair, pure and simple,” says Paul Dillane, executive director of the UK Lesbian and Gay Immigration Group.
“One in five LGBT asylum cases involved stereotyped questions in a situation where it’s often a matter of life and death. We’ve had cases where people have been asked where they go clubbing in order to determine their sexuality. They assume that the first thing LGBT migrants – people living on ?5 a day – would do when arriving to the UK is go to a gay club.”
It’s this failure to understand the complexities of LGBT life that can rip apart people’s lives. Aderonke Apata, a lesbian from Nigeria, was refused asylum when interviewing officers unearthed some past heterosexual relationships. This decision was upheld, even though she showed the Home Office a DVD and photographs of her sex life with her current female partner.
The absurdity of Aderonke’s story doesn’t even touch the most gruelling aspect of many LGBT asylum seekers’ everyday life – the UK’s Detained Fast Track system. It’s a process allowing the Home Office to lock up innocent people into centres offering little privacy, lengthy integrations and open homophobia – both from other inmates and guards.
“On one occasion I was threatened by a cell mate,” says Kato, a gay asylum seeker from Uganda. “After calling me all manner of derogatory names, he said, ‘I will rape you, fuck you to death and make sure I kill you if they ever allow you to stay a night in my cell.’ It all happened in front of a prison official.”
Kato is not alone. Akiiki, another Ugandan refugee, faced the same reality in the centres: “One of the guards called me a poof and there were Jamaicans who kept hurling abuse at some Iranian guys – calling them batty men.” Another, Tahir, a gay man from Pakistan eventually granted refugee status, was sexually assaulted during his detainment.
This is precisely the environment in which gay people are expected to gather evidence that may prove their sexuality, or phone a lawyer about their case in front of other inmates. Worse still, they have only two weeks to put together their case – 14 days to come up with a lifetime’s worth of proof in a place where the threat of violence is not only real, but rife.
It’s little wonder that John Vine, the chief inspector of Borders and Immigration, expressed concerns in a report last year about the quality of decision making, when more than a quarter of initial LGBT asylum decisions were overturned at appeal. In other words, it’s a system seemingly set up to fail.
Although there’s no official statistics, the pass rate in the Home Office is well known. “We knew that for about every ten LGBT asylum seekers, only one would get through,” says Gareth Gross, who from 2001 spent ten years as an immigration officer. “A few times I’ve had unsuccessful asylum seekers contacting me just to say I was wrong. All I could do was sincerely apologise.”
Fortunately, the unfairness of the process has been acknowledged by the government and, in July this year, the centres were “temporarily suspended” by the Minister for Immigration, James Brokenshire. But it might not be long before LGBT people escaping punishment in their own country may again face being locked away guilty before proven innocent.
“I’d be very surprised if the Home Office didn’t revisit the Detained Fast Track system,” says S Chelvan, one of the country’s leading asylum lawyers. “They very much consider this the most effective way of dealing with cases they deem to be simple.”
Although it may only be a matter of months before the centres come back, we shouldn’t ignore the progress made. Before it was ruled unlawful in 2010, gay asylum seekers could be sent back to their country of origin if it was thought it was tolerable to hide their sexuality.
And thanks to Chelvan, gay asylum seekers will never have to prove their sexuality using their knowledge of the Village People, after the Home Office adopted his interview guidelines based on stigma from their societies, rather than crude stereotypes.
However, real equality is still a long way off for gay asylum seekers. If the LGBT community turns its back on this issue, then thousands will have to return to countries like Uganda, whose homosexuality death penalty was born out of the remnants of British colonial rule.
We must remember that the rainbow flag has a place in every country, no matter how much The Daily Mail has a problem with it. n
Some names of asylum seekers in this article have been changed to protect their identities
Most read articles this month
Doctor Who: The Complete History
“Whole worlds pivot on acts of imagination.” If you are a hardened Whovian - you probably recognise that quote.
More...
Basket -
0 items
Your basket is currently empty.
Continue Shopping
Basket Total:
£
0.00
 Earning
0
Loyalty Points
Each Point is worth 1 penny or unit of currency and can be redeemed against future purchases here at Pocketmags.com
Got a discount code? Add it in the next step.
Checkout Securely
Continue Shopping
Or, read for just
99p
with
You can enjoy:
The issue in your basket
Instant access to 600+ titles
Thousands of back issues
30 days for just 99p
TRY PLUS+ FOR 99p
30 days access, then just £9.99 / month. Cancel anytime. New subscribers only.
Learn more
Chat
X
Pocketmags Support
Contact Us
Use the form below, and we’ll get back to you as soon as possible.
Send a copy of chat messages
Send Message
Message Sent
Many thanks for your enquiry.
One of our support staff will get back to you soon.
Start New Chat
Close Chat
Error In sending Email
We could not send your ticket at this time, please try again later
Start New Chat
Close Chat