We at Say it Loud Club are horrified by the changes to the UK’s asylum system being proposed by the Home Office.
Among the many proposed changes, the following proposals would disproportionately discriminate against LGBTQ+ people seeking asylum:
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Requiring all evidence to be submitted at the first point of asylum application.
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Fast-tracking the appeals process and limiting the right to challenge unfair decisions
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Forcing asylum seekers to stay in reception centres whilst their cases are pending – possibly in overseas locations.
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Setting a “higher standard” for testing whether an individual has a “well-founded fear of persecution”
These proposals punish those who take longer to establish their claim to asylum. this is often the case for LGBTQ+ refugees, who have concealed their identity up to this point, so do not have evidence to support their appeal and have only just begun a long and challenging ‘coming out’ process.
Say it Loud Club is a strong community of LGBTQ+ asylum seekers and refugees. We know how hard it already is for LGBTQ+ people claiming asylum in the UK. These changes will make it almost impossible for most LGBTQ+ asylum seekers to find safety here..
We stand in solidarity with other activists, human rights groups, lawyers, faith groups, and refugee organisations, all firmly opposed to these abhorrent new proposals.
We will be engaging in the Home Office’s consultation process and clearly outlining the ways in which these proposals threaten LGBTQ+ people. We will also be supporting our members to share their own experiences of the UK’s asylum process and we will be speaking out against these proposed changes.
We call upon our friends, supporters, and allies in the LGBTQ+ community, to stand with us in the face of this injustice.