LGBT asylum

Year in review: A roundup on LGBT asylum and refugees

Paul Canning – LGBT Asylum News
December 31st, 2011

In May a Spanish academic estimated that 6000 LGBT Africans flee to Europe each year.

In the UK, authorities bureaucratically codified the landmark Supreme Court decision of 2010 ending the concept that refused asylum seekers could (and should) “go home and be discreet” or relocate to avoid repression. They also began to record sexuality-based asylum claims.

This “discretion” argument, widely employed to refuse asylum, was rejected by a U.S. Ninth Circuit court in March but used in cases elsewhere.

Norway to gay Iraqi seeking asylum: "Go home and be discrete"

Paul Canning – LGBT Asylum News
December 13th, 2011

(Editor's note: This story has been corrected by LGBT Asylum News to reflect new information that another Iraqi Kurdish asylum seeker, whose story had strong similarities and had also been reported in the Norwegian media, was in fact a different person. That Iraqi has been granted asylum. His name and picture have been removed from this story at his request.)

A gay Iraqi has been refused Norwegian asylum and told to “go home and be discrete.”

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ACTION ALERT: Help San Diego musician from Uganda seeking asylum get out of detention for Christmas

Ken Williams - SDGLN Editor in Chief
December 7th, 2011

SAN DIEGO – Joseph Bukombe, a professional musician who has been living in San Diego for several years, has been in federal detention in Otay Mesa for two years fighting deportation to Uganda, where his return could endanger his life. His attorney is unable to prove to the government that Bukombe is gay, which could help Bukombe’s request for asylum.

Next week, San Diegans are invited to a fundraiser for Bukombe in an attempt to raise $10,000 for his bail and to give him a fair trial. They hope to have Bukombe home for the holidays.

Did political reasons block U.S. asylum for gay Saudi diplomat?

Paul Canning – LGBT Asylum News
November 9th, 2011

A gay Saudi diplomat has been denied US asylum in what observes believe is a political move.

Arab news website Rasheed's World quotes a Saudi dissident living in Washington DC Ali al-Ahmed:

Breakthrough: United Kingdom to record sexuality-based asylum claims

Paul Canning – LGBT Asylum News
July 20th, 2011

LGBT Asylum News has learned that information on sexuality-based asylum claims have been imputed into the Central Information Database of the UK Border Agency (UKBA) since 1 July.

The UK joins only five other countries which record data on the number of LGBT persons benefiting from
asylum/subsidiary protection due to persecution on the ground of sexual orientation: Austria, Belgium, Cyprus, Latvia and Estonia.

The Home Office say as well that:

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