200 Years of LGBTQIA+ History

From Shadows to Pride — UK & Global Timeline

Source Record

Guidelines on International Protection No. 9

Why this source is used

UNHCR legal guidance on refugee-status claims based on sexual orientation and gender identity under the 1951 Refugee Convention and 1967 Protocol.

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
UN High Commissioner for Refugees / Refworld
Type
legal
Reliability
high
Cited by
3 pages

Source Links

Open original source https://www.refworld.org/policy/legalguidance/unhcr/2012/89548 Accessed 2 June 2026 Open archived copy https://web.archive.org/web/*/https://www.refworld.org/policy/legalguidance/unhcr/2012/89548

Used by Topics

LGBTQ+ Asylum and Refugee Protection

Used by Questions

How did LGBTQ+ asylum protection develop?

Used by Timeline Events

1981 LegalInternational

Netherlands Grants First Asylum Based on Sexual Orientation

The Dutch Council of State ruled that persecution on account of sexual orientation could constitute persecution under the Refugee Convention, making the Netherlands the first country to formally recognise sexual orientation as grounds for refugee status. The case involved a gay man from Poland. This principle was later incorporated into EU law.