VIGNETTE

Jay was born in Nigeria where same-sex behaviour between adults is punishable by up to 14 years’ imprisonment. Although she identifies herself as a lesbian, she was pressured into marriage and has one child, now 10 years old, who remains in Nigeria and who she has not seen for seven years. Jay rarely goes out as she is frightened of meeting people from the Nigerian community, fearing harassment or violence if they find out about her sexuality. She has attempted to self-harm on several occasions and is receiving anti-depressant medication from her general practitioner (GP) although she has not disclosed that she is gay.

Introduction

The experiences of lesbian, gay, bisexual and trans (LGBT) asylum seekers have attracted little attention in social work literature in the United Kingdom (UK), reflecting the somewhat marginal status of both asylum seeking and LGBT issues in mainstream practice and literature. However, growing interest in human rights and social work (Cemlyn, 2008; Ife, 2012) has drawn attention to the need for social work to address human rights and social justice issues for LGBT people nationally and internationally.

Globally there are unequal protections for LGBT people in United Nations (UN) member states, despite the UN Resolution on Human Rights, Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity (UN Human Rights Council, 2011). The death penalty is in force in six UN member states and same-sex relationships are criminalised in approximately 76 countries (ILGA, 2013). Even with legal protection, homophobia and transphobia are experienced in many countries (Bach, 2013). The case for international human rights for LGBT people has been stressed by the UN Human Rights Office (2012) in the report Born free and equal, setting out the core legal obligations to:

• • prevent torture and inhuman treatments;

• • repeal laws criminalising homosexuality;

• • prohibit discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity;

• • safeguard freedom of expression and association.

It is the lack of these human rights protections for LGBT people in many countries that leads them to the decision to flee persecution and seek safety in another country.

This chapter explores the experiences of LGBT asylum seekers after they have arrived in the UK. Reference will be made to health inequalities and human rights and the significance of these issues for social work practice, relating this back to Jay's story.