Our stories: Evans
My name is Evans Izuchukwu Chukwumah. I’m originally from Nigeria. Growing up in my country didn’t give me any opportunities to embrace my sexuality, and I had to suffer in isolation. I was afraid to talk about my situation as I didn’t feel confident, nor was I comfortable enough to share my experience with anyone […]
Our stories: Ranjan
My name is Ranjan. I come from Bangladesh and I belong to a Hindi community where I was rejected because of my sexuality. It was very tough growing up in my community as I constantly had to conceal my sexuality for fear of rejection and physical attacks. Because of a long time of concealment, I […]
Our stories: Diana
My name is Diana. I live in a government provided accommodation for asylum seekers in Southall but I’m originally from Kenya. I fled from my country, where homosexuality is illegal and unacceptable everywhere. My family was very religious and completely opposed my sexuality. They attempted to perform exorcism/traditional healing to fix me. After going through […]
Our stories: Elvis
My name is Elvis, I am a 62-year-old Nigerian man. I first came to the UK in August 2011, fleeing for my life. Before I came to England, I was living a decent life in Nigeria. I was married but also had a concealed relationship with my same-sex partner. In April 2011, however, our relationship […]
Our stories: Naznin
My name is Naznin, I am a Muslim woman originally from Bangladesh. Being a woman in my country brings it own challenges, but even the little freedom I had left was taken away and my respect and identity denied because of being a lesbian. Growing up was very tough but I had managed to conceal […]
Our stories: Nadim
My name is Nadim and my pronouns are he/him. I am 30 years’ old and am originally from Bangladesh Back home, I was a closeted gay man. I cried many nights on my own because I had no one to speak to about my sexuality, and the unbearable pain I went through. When I reached […]
Our stories: Kazi
I am Kazi. I am friendly, fun-loving, passionate about photography and love to observe people surrounding me by visiting various places as a tourist. I was born in Dhaka, the capital city of Bangladesh. During my childhood, I was a shy and calm person. I always chose my friends very carefully. When I was 13, […]
Our stories: James
I am James. I come from Nigerian originally and I have lived in the UK since 2009. I am an openly gay man and the reason why I left my country is because of circumstances surrounding my sexuality. Although I am a gay man, I lived in a heterosexual relationship and I have three children […]
Our stories: Ruth
My name is Ruth, and I’m from Nigeria. For me, growing up was not fun at all. I was bullied and I was not shown love from parents. They said they loved me but I was always treated different from my siblings. I went through a horrifying experience, and came to the UK to find […]
Our stories: Baganza
My name is Baganza. I was originally from Uganda, where I was living a normal life just any other young, ambitious woman. I was looking forward to building my life, and with a great, loving family, I couldn’t see anything that would hinder my dreams. My situation changed when I began to realise that I […]