What's up with UK's gay asylum-seeker system?

[Tsukasa Buddha]

I've been hearing things about this for a while now, but I found a nice article that adds the results of a recent report:

The report, No Going Back, found that between 2005 and 2009 almost all cases involving people claiming asylum on the basis of their sexual orientation were refused by the Home Office. During the same period the general refusal rate for asylum-seekers in the UK was 76.5 per cent.

The report quotes one UKBA staff member admitting: "Someone from Jamaica claiming they're gay will just automatically be disbelieved." Another said "Colleagues have said that they don't know what questions to ask; we feel rude prying and embarrassed about asking these questions."

Many cases are turned down simply on the basis that someone fleeing a country where homosexuality is punishable by death or hard labour could simply "live discreetly" – in other words, go into hiding. UKBA staff admitted this was discriminatory.

UKBA staff also showed a lack of understanding and training, the report says. One case worker asked an asylum-seeker: "Why do you choose to be homosexual when you know it is illegal in your own country?"

Another senior caseworker suggested the type of books a person read could determine if they were gay. "I would look at how they've explored their sexuality in a cultural context," he said, adding, "reading Oscar Wilde perhaps, films and music".

Linky.

Now, I'm not well versed in immigration and asylum issues, but it sounds messed up.

 

[Puppycow]

Sounds messed up to me too.

Where are these people coming from though?
Are gays persecuted more than is normal in Jamaica?

 

[funk de fino]

The Labour govt was seen to be soft on immigration. How ironic.

Seems to be a biased survey to me though. I knew people who lied about being gay to get out of the military on an admin discharge, there is no doubt that many asylum seekers lie about being gay to get into the UK.

 

[KDLarsen]

Are gays persecuted more than is normal in Jamaica?

It's pretty extreme: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/LGBT_rights_in_Jamaica

Look up Battyman / Batty boy as well while you're at it. Jamaica is not a friendly place to be if you're Homosexual.

 

[Just_Me]

some african countries are making life hard for homosexuals . http://www.afrol.com/articles/35744
i can see it getting worse with the conservative goverment in power in the uk .

 

[Jekyll's Guest]

They obviously want to dodge a headline in the Sun paper of:

Barmy Brit Gov green lights Batty Boy bum banging bonanza!


(I don't think America has anything comparable, just research the Sun newspaper and you'll get it)

 

[ponderingturtle]

They obviously want to dodge a headline in the Sun paper of:

Barmy Brit Gov green lights Batty Boy bum banging bonanza!


(I don't think America has anything comparable, just research the Sun newspaper and you'll get it)

Well the NY Post might come close.

Daily Show comments on it

 

[Last of the Fraggles]

Don't really know what the answer is here. Can't have homosexuality as a free pass to asylum status or everyone would claim it. There is no test to determine if someone is gay or not.

I'm strongly in favour of more liberal immigration policies but I can't help but think that if you happen to be gay in a country where its likely to get you persecuted then it might just be your bad luck and not really the UK's problem to deal with. No more than say being female in an Islamic state for example.

 

[Jekyll's Guest]

There is no test to determine if someone is gay or not.

Oh I don't know, I'm sure the gay JREF posters can think of one pretty definitive one

 

[Mashuna]

Don't really know what the answer is here. Can't have homosexuality as a free pass to asylum status or everyone would claim it. There is no test to determine if someone is gay or not.

I'm strongly in favour of more liberal immigration policies but I can't help but think that if you happen to be gay in a country where its likely to get you persecuted then it might just be your bad luck and not really the UK's problem to deal with. No more than say being female in an Islamic state for example.

Except that being female isn't punishable by life imprisonment or death.

 

[Jekyll's Guest]

Except that being female isn't punishable by life imprisonment or death.

That's bloody Liberals for you, soft on crime.