200 Years of LGBTQIA+ History

From Shadows to Pride — UK & Global Timeline

Source Record

HJ (Iran) and HT (Cameroon) v Secretary of State for the Home Department

Why this source is used

Official UK Supreme Court case page for the 7 July 2010 judgment ending the expectation that gay asylum seekers should conceal their sexuality to avoid persecution.

Start with the answer

Start with the answer 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. Read the topic guide LGBTQ+ Asylum and Refugee Protection LGBTQ+ asylum protection developed through refugee-law precedents, EU qualification rules, UK Supreme Court case law, inspection findings and detention-policy scrutiny.

Source Status

Publisher
UK Supreme Court
Type
legal
Reliability
high
Cited by
3 pages

Source Links

Open original source https://supremecourt.uk/cases/uksc-2009-0054 Accessed 2 June 2026 Open archived copy https://web.archive.org/web/*/https://supremecourt.uk/cases/uksc-2009-0054

Used by Topics

LGBTQ+ Asylum and Refugee Protection

Used by Questions

How did LGBTQ+ asylum protection develop?

Used by Timeline Events

7 July 2010 LegalUK

UK Supreme Court Rules Gay Asylum Seekers Cannot Be Expected to Hide Sexuality

The UK Supreme Court unanimously ruled in HJ (Iran) and HT (Cameroon) that gay asylum seekers could not be expected to conceal their sexual orientation to avoid persecution. Lord Hope described the previous 'discretion' requirement as a 'fundamental error'. The ruling established that to compel a person to hide their sexuality would deny their fundamental right to be who they are.