Evaluations of whether lesbian, gay and bisexual (LGB) asylum claimants have a well-founded fear of persecution frequently require Country of Origin Information (COI) on the state of LGB people in the country of origin. However, information on LGB populations in…
Criminalisation of same-sex sexual acts around the world In 2012, 78 countries out of 193 still have legislation criminalising same-sex consensual acts between adults. This is an increase from the previous year (up to 78 from 76). “Though one ‘new…
There are two main categories of gender identity: ‘normative’, where one’s biological sex and felt gender are in alignment, and ‘transgender’, where one’s felt gender differs from one’s biological sex. Though transgender issues are often lumped together with lesbian, gay…
Despite Kosovo being one of only ten European states to have constitutionally banned discrimination on the ground of sexual orientation, its society remains deeply traditional and even hostile towards sexual minorities. This contrast between progressive legal protection and conservative social…
Bogotá is the primary destination of those internally displaced by violence in Colombia. The places of origin of the population displaced by violence are also the areas with the highest levels of violations of the rights of LGBT people, mainly…
Resettling to a new country is a formidable task for any refugee. Like other marginalised populations, LGBTI refugees face added challenges. Many have been abused or discriminated against due to their sexual orientation or gender identity, and if they do…
For more than two decades, the US has recognised persecution due to sexual orientation as grounds for refugee status. Despite this, the number of self-identified lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) refugees entering the US remains much smaller than predicted…
Increasingly, states detain irregular migrants as a means, they believe, to control migration flows and deter further irregular migration. Despite this trend, detention has not deterred migrants from crossing borders. Furthermore, conditions in immigrant detention facilities have been widely criticised…
In 2011, the first official multi-plaintiff complaint was lodged with the US Department of Homeland Security’s Office of Civil Rights and Civil Liberties (CRCL) on behalf of 17 lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and/or intersex (LGBTI) asylum seekers and other migrants…
Sexual minority refugees and asylum seekers interviewed in Israel and Kenya had fled countries such as Armenia, the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), Ethiopia, Morocco, Somalia, Sri Lanka and Sudan where the LGBTI discourse is almost non-existent: “There is no…