2016
'No Safe Refuge' Report Exposes Abuse of LGBTQ+ Asylum Seekers in Detention
Discrimination UK
Stonewall and the UK Lesbian and Gay Immigration Group published 'No Safe Refuge', documenting discrimination and violence against LGBTQ+ asylum seekers in UK immigration removal centres including Yarl's Wood and Brook House. Detainees were bullied, harassed, and physically attacked. LGBTQ+ people were housed alongside people from the communities they were fleeing, and trans women were placed in male facilities.
Impact & Significance
Provided stark evidence of the failures in the UK's immigration detention system and strengthened calls for alternatives to detention for LGBTQ+ asylum seekers.
Reference Record
- Date
- 2016
- Era
- 2010-2019
- Sources
- 1
This timeline entry is being migrated into the reference platform. Source metadata and editorial review status will be strengthened as each topic is upgraded.
Questions This Event Helps Answer
Q How did international law change LGBTQ+ rights? International law changed LGBTQ+ rights by challenging criminalisation, creating partnership recognition, protecting sexual orientation in constitutions and opening marriage equality. Q How did LGBTQ+ asylum protection develop? LGBTQ+ asylum protection developed as refugee law recognised persecution based on sexual orientation and gender identity, then tested whether asylum systems treated claimants safely and fairly.
