When gay refugees are placed in mainstream shelters, they often face the same discrimination and homophobia they were trying to escape in their home countries.
“LGBT people are not part of the groups excluded [from deportation],” a Border Authority spokesperson said. “Each case will be examined on its merits.”
Isaac Mugisha, co-ordinator of Pride Uganda, tells The Daily Beast he is confident an event will be held, without a crackdown by authorities. Indeed, he wants their stated support.
A planned protest at the Cape Town Pride festival was averted yesterday after organisers and members of a group of protesters decided to hold 15 minutes of silence in honour of two lesbians who were killed recently.
Private companies managing asylum accommodation in the UK are facing urgent calls to protect LGBTI individuals who say they are being physically, verbally and sexually assaulted in shared homes.
On Saturday, Sydney's famous Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras marks its 40th anniversary - and its first celebration since Australia legalised same-sex marriage. Much has changed since violence marred the first parade, writes Sharon Verghis in Sydney.
Within a little more than a decade following the 1978 riot, the Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras Festival and Parade nourished the emergence of a budding gay and lesbian tourism industry.
Many refugees have experienced trauma — the trauma of being expelled from home, of watching loved ones get killed, of being wounded, of living with a painful past and an uncertain future.
“It’s pretty clear to us that what the town did here was a blatant and overt violation of the First Amendment,” Kaplan said. “You can’t deny people the right to speak publicly based on the contents of their speech.”
