UK Gay Equality Organizations say Asylum Seekers are being Turned Away

According to a leading UK gay equality organization, gay asylum seekers who have been raped, tortured and threatened with death because of their sexual orientation in their home country are being deported. They say that they are being deported because of systemic discrimination in the asylum system.

One report, called NO Going Back, featured for the first time some detailed evidence of this claim. These claims are not just from lesbian and gay asylum seekers but also from staff within the UK Border Agency.

The organization said that they acknowledge that they receive no guidance on interviewing gay applicants from countries such as Uganda, Malawi, and Jamaica. Determinations are often made on the basis of out-of-date or inadequate information about an asylum seeker's country of origin.

The report, which was supported by the law firm Herbert Smith, said that details of shocking abuse and persecution that bisexual, gay and lesbian people face in many countries can be found in this report. It exposes specific disadvantages to their cases faced as a direct consequence of their sexual orientation.

The report even goes as far as to claim that the UK Border Agency does not know how to question lesbian and gay people about their experiences and often assumes that they are either lying or will be able to avoid detection if they return to their home country. However, this is, of course, not always the case.

The report suggested that the information about these countries should be improved and more up-to-date. It should also included the 80 member states of the United Nations where consensual acts between same sex adults are criminalized.