Transgender refugees are especially vulnerable to violence as their gender nonconforming behavior and presentation can sometimes increase their risk of being identified by community members, resulting in persecution, he added. HAI has observed that resettlement agencies have also resettled a significant number of transgender refugees, according to Weyl. Weyl, a HAI program associate, who manages HAI’s Rainbow Welcome Initiative, a technical assistance program funded by ORR, to support and assist LGBT refugees, asylees, and service providers. For this reason, they are more visible, more prone to targeted attacks, and more likely to seek refugee status on the basis of their sexual orientation,” said Daniel J. “In many refugees’ countries of origin, men's position in society often allows them to engage in and be more open about their sexual relations. But most importantly, this second chance allowed Agasha to be her true self, in a safe environment.Īlthough they accept every member of the LGBT refugee community, HAI and resettlement affiliates across the country have predominantly worked with gay males. But it’s much better here and I feel safe most of the time,” said Agasha.Īs soon as Agasha received asylum in the United States, Heartland Alliance International (HAI)-funded in part by ACF’s Office of Refugee Resettlement-helped her gain a solid footing with a job, an apartment and new friends. “About safety, honestly, it's better but sometimes I still have these insecurities. “This knowledge makes me so sick.”Īlthough the pain and torment now lie 8,000 miles away, her traumatic experience still remains with her as she attempts to rebuild a life in the United States. “I am sad to say that all the news I hear from back home about the LGBT community is not good because people are being tortured and killed,” said Agasha. Many known or perceived LGBT citizens have been attacked or murdered. Ugandan tabloids have begun running names, photos and addresses of alleged LGBT people, putting private citizens in danger. But now the media has become their latest enemy. If the bill becomes law, Uganda would join Iran, Mauritania, Sudan, Saudi Arabia and Yemen as nations that can arrest anyone on the basis of their sexual orientation and sentence them to death.Īgasha, and many like her, have long lived in the shadows and used privacy as a shield. Politicians are now working to pass a bill that seeks the death penalty for gay sex for repeated offenders or people with HIV. Uganda, along with more than 70 other nations, already has laws on the books that criminalize homosexuality. State-sanctioned oppression is a daily occurrence as the public follows the lead of elected officials who regularly speak out against lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) citizens. “I left my country because my life was in danger after a number of people learned about my sexual orientation,” said Agasha, a 25-year-old lesbian from Uganda granted asylum in the United States.īeing openly gay in the east African nation of Uganda will not only bring on society’s scorn, but condemnation from the government too. Her closely-kept secret was out and the consequences were dire. Public Assistance Reporting Information System (PARIS)įor Agasha Linda*, there was no other choice but to leave.Office on Trafficking in Persons (OTIP).Office of Planning, Research & Evaluation (OPRE).Office of Legislative Affairs and Budget (OLAB).Office of Human Services Emergency Preparedness and Response (OHSEPR). Office of Child Support Enforcement (OCSE).
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