Op-Ed: sexual orientation, gender identity and asylum in the UK: is ‘discretion’ ever a choice?

Asylum seekers fleeing homophobia and transphobia to claim refuge in European countries have a difficult time. They experience many of the problems that all asylum seekers face – the abuses and injustices that forced them to leave their homes in the first place, combined with what was probably a difficult journey, followed by having to engage with a complex and unsympathetic asylum system in whichever European country they ended up in. However, LGBTQI+ people often encounter additional hurdles. Because their persecution may take place in private at the hands of family members or people in the community rather than state officials, it may be difficult to provide evidence to support their claim for asylum. And they are unlikely to be able to seek support from community organisations and their diaspora to the same extent as other refugees. They are particularly vulnerable to discrimination and violence, especially if they are detained pending a decision on their claim