Rainbow Pathways: Navigating the Journeys of LGBT+ Asylum Seekers

Summary:

Join us for a 90-minute ICEMiC event where we’ll explore the experiences of LGBT refugees and asylum seekers. Our panellists will share stories of resilience, courage, and hope as refugees and asylum seekers navigate a complex and often hostile system in search of safety. From the challenges they face in their home countries to the struggles they encounter in the asylum process, we'll gain a deeper understanding of their journey.

Location and Time:

This event will be held online on May 31, 2023, at 5 PM UK time.

Why attend:

Have you ever wondered what it’s like to flee your home and seek asylum in a foreign country? Have you ever thought about the unique challenges faced by LGBT+ refugees and asylum seekers? This event will provide you with an opportunity to learn more about the experiences of these individuals. By attending, you'll gain a deeper understanding of the struggles they face and the resilience they exhibit vis-à-vis emerging challenges resulting from government policies and legislation.

Don’t miss this chance to learn, grow, and support those who have been forced to leave their homes in search of safety and acceptance.

Participants and presentations:

Mehran Rezaei-Toroghi is a Research Fellow at the University of Sussex, where he is working on the “Negotiating Queer Identities Following Forced Migration” Project, a multi-country study of Iranian queer refugees.

His talk “Experiences of Iranian Queer Refugees in Turkey, the UK and Canada” will share preliminary findings from his ESRC-funded project to examine how migration journeys affect queer Iranian refugees’ negotiation of sexual and gender identity, and how they may be misrecognised, retraumatised, or silenced in that process.

Laura Harvey is Senior Lecturer in Sociology at the University of Brighton. Her research explores gender, sexualities, youth cultures and digital media.

Laura’s talk, “LGBTQI+ people’s experiences of immigration detention”, will discuss a pilot study exploring the experiences of LGBTQI+ people held in UK immigration detention. The findings indicate that detention centres continue to be dangerous places for LGBTQI+ people.

Alex Powell is a Lecturer in Law at Oxford Brookes University. His research deploys critical and socio-legal methods to expose how law creates, sustains, and disrupts identities.

Entitled “Queering Refugee Law: Sexual Diversity Asylum Claims in the UK”, Alex’s talk will briefly outline the legal framework through which asylum claims in the UK are made, with a

particular focus on claims by sexually diverse people. Building on this, the core issues and vulnerabilities that asylum claimants face will be identified both within and as a result of the UK’s approach to refugee status determination.

Victor Hugo is an independent scholar with more than 15 years of experience in research, teaching and training in program management and human rights development projects in Europe, Latin America and the Caribbean.

Victor’s presentation, “Gender and LGBTIQ+ Populations in Migratory Processes at the Southern Border of Mexico”, will focus on the challenges faced by migrant communities during their transit both through the Central American region and across Mexico. The discussion will delve into the impact of non-conforming gender identities and expressions, highlighting how they increase the danger of violence and marginalisation, resulting in situations of “immobility” for these groups.

Diego Garcia is a Research Fellow at the University of Nottingham. His current research, funded by the Leverhulme Trust, explores the experiences of LGBTQ (lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer) religious refugees and asylum seekers living in the UK.

Diego’s talk, “The State of Research on LGBTQ Refugees and Asylum Seekers”, presents a review of existing literature on the experiences of LGBTQ refugees and asylum seekers. Drawing on an analysis of 863 articles, the review identifies five major themes, including (a) arts and participatory approaches; (b) everyday experiences; (c) health; (d) legislation and policy; and (e) religion, faith, and spirituality.