Stonewall: “Being gay is about who you are, not what you do”
Gay asylum-seekers who’ve been raped, tortured and threatened in their home country routinely face deportation from the UK because of systemic discrimination in the country, a new research by a leading British charity suggests.
The research “No Going Back”, published by Stonewall, shows that consensual acts between same-sex adults are criminalised in 80 member states of the United Nations and homosexuality results in the death penalty in six of these countries.
It shows that lesbian, gay and bisexual people face execution, torture, rape and murder from people in their own community or from their government.
While people who face the threat of this type can seek sanctuary in the UK, many are not granted protection because of fundamental errors of judgement and presumptions made by UK Border Agency (UKBA) staff and judges about sexual orientation.
Consequently, lesbian and gay people seeking asylum experience significant and specific disadvantages as a direct consequence of their sexual orientation.
The report revealed that UKBA staff and judges often conclude that gay people can return to their home country and no longer be at risk if they are ‘discreet’ about their sexual activity or identity. This approach has been condemned by the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR).
“At Stonewall we know that being gay is about who you are, not what you do – too often our asylum system and those who implement it take the opposite approach. There is a systemic ignorance of the many barriers that gay people who’ve suffered persecution face in talking about their experiences. As a result vulnerable people in grave need of our protection are being regularly turned away. Failure to rectify this situation raises deeply uncomfortable questions about our own society and proud national culture,” said Ben Summerskill, Chief Executive of Stonewall.
