{"id":88191,"date":"2025-03-06T15:56:52","date_gmt":"2025-03-06T15:56:52","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/intercardiff\/?p=88191"},"modified":"2025-05-13T01:51:25","modified_gmt":"2025-05-13T00:51:25","slug":"lgbt-asylum-seekers-in-uk","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/intercardiff\/politics-social-justice\/lgbt-asylum-seekers-in-uk","title":{"rendered":"Silent struggles of LGBT+ asylum seekers in Cardiff"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Persian LGBT+ Asylum Seekers are having a meet-up in Cardiff next week. How hard is it being an LGBT+ asylum seeker in the UK?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"1000\" height=\"563\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/intercardiff\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/12\/2025\/03\/image-1-1.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-88196\" srcset=\"https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/intercardiff\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/12\/2025\/03\/image-1-1.jpg 1000w, https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/intercardiff\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/12\/2025\/03\/image-1-1-300x169.jpg 300w, https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/intercardiff\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/12\/2025\/03\/image-1-1-770x434.jpg 770w, https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/intercardiff\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/12\/2025\/03\/image-1-1-293x165.jpg 293w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1000px) 100vw, 1000px\" \/><noscript><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"1000\" height=\"563\" src=\"https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/intercardiff\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/12\/2025\/03\/image-1-1.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-88196\" srcset=\"https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/intercardiff\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/12\/2025\/03\/image-1-1.jpg 1000w, https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/intercardiff\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/12\/2025\/03\/image-1-1-300x169.jpg 300w, https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/intercardiff\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/12\/2025\/03\/image-1-1-770x434.jpg 770w, https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/intercardiff\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/12\/2025\/03\/image-1-1-293x165.jpg 293w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1000px) 100vw, 1000px\" \/><\/noscript><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">LGBT+ people often flee from their home countries to avoid getting persecuted and seek asylum in the UK where they feel safe.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>When Mehreen, a university student in the UK, came out as a lesbian to her family in Pakistan, they threatened to kill her for &#8216;committing a sin.&#8217; Back home, she was pressurised to marry her cousin. The punishment for being a homosexual in Pakistan can be life imprisonment or even death.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cWhen I told my family the truth, they threatened to kill me. If I go back, they will do it in the name of honor,\u201d says Mehreen who now lives in Cardiff as an asylum seeker in shared accommodation. <br>She is waiting every day for an answer that could change her life, but the answer is yet to come.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Her asylum status is currently under appeal after her initial application was rejected. \u201cThe process is exhausting. You live in uncertainty, not knowing if you\u2019ll be sent back to a place where your life is in danger,\u201d says Mehreen<a>.<\/a>\u00a0 \u201cMy life would never be truly mine.\u00a0I had no choice but to live and seek safety somewhere.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Mehreen is not an isolated incident of LGBT+ person seeking asylum in the UK. According to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.gov.uk\/government\/statistics\/immigration-system-statistics-year-ending-june-2024\/asylum-claims-on-the-basis-of-sexual-orientation-2023#:~:text=Data%20in%20this%20section%20refer,claim%20(%20LGB%20asylum%20applications\">UK Home Office Report of 2023<\/a>, 2% of asylum claims in the UK included sexual orientation as part of the basis for the claim with a grant rate of 62% down from 73% in the previous year. Asylum seekers from Pakistan, Bangladesh, Nigeria, Iraq, Iran and Uganda constituted a major chunk of the LGBT+ Asylum seekers in the UK.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"1000\" height=\"563\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/intercardiff\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/12\/2025\/03\/image-6.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-88262\" srcset=\"https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/intercardiff\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/12\/2025\/03\/image-6.jpg 1000w, https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/intercardiff\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/12\/2025\/03\/image-6-300x169.jpg 300w, https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/intercardiff\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/12\/2025\/03\/image-6-770x434.jpg 770w, https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/intercardiff\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/12\/2025\/03\/image-6-293x165.jpg 293w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1000px) 100vw, 1000px\" \/><noscript><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"1000\" height=\"563\" src=\"https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/intercardiff\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/12\/2025\/03\/image-6.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-88262\" srcset=\"https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/intercardiff\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/12\/2025\/03\/image-6.jpg 1000w, https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/intercardiff\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/12\/2025\/03\/image-6-300x169.jpg 300w, https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/intercardiff\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/12\/2025\/03\/image-6-770x434.jpg 770w, https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/intercardiff\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/12\/2025\/03\/image-6-293x165.jpg 293w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1000px) 100vw, 1000px\" \/><\/noscript><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Persian LGBT+ Asylum Seekers Organization was started in 2008 by Mazyar Shirali(first from the left). But, it came into working only by 2012.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>Mehreen, however found strength after connecting with the Persian LGBT+ Asylum Seekers Organization, led by founder Mazyar Shirali. A victim of ethnic discrimination himself, Mazyar created the organization in 2012 to assist others. The organization, despite its title, is open to all people and identities.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cIt\u2019s not about making asylum easy. It\u2019s about making it fair,\u201d says Mazyar, 40 who came to the UK along with his family as an asylum seeker in 2001. He traversed across countries in flights, lorries and on foot due to the political turmoil in his country.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Alma, a bisexual who came from Botswana after recovering from severe injuries which were caused due to an assault by her boyfriend when he came to know about her sexuality is also a member of Mazyar\u2019s organization. She says that she cannot go back to her country because of the issues with her family.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"1000\" height=\"563\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/intercardiff\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/12\/2025\/03\/image-4.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-88264\" srcset=\"https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/intercardiff\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/12\/2025\/03\/image-4.jpg 1000w, https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/intercardiff\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/12\/2025\/03\/image-4-300x169.jpg 300w, https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/intercardiff\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/12\/2025\/03\/image-4-770x434.jpg 770w, https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/intercardiff\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/12\/2025\/03\/image-4-293x165.jpg 293w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1000px) 100vw, 1000px\" \/><noscript><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"1000\" height=\"563\" src=\"https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/intercardiff\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/12\/2025\/03\/image-4.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-88264\" srcset=\"https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/intercardiff\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/12\/2025\/03\/image-4.jpg 1000w, https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/intercardiff\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/12\/2025\/03\/image-4-300x169.jpg 300w, https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/intercardiff\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/12\/2025\/03\/image-4-770x434.jpg 770w, https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/intercardiff\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/12\/2025\/03\/image-4-293x165.jpg 293w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1000px) 100vw, 1000px\" \/><\/noscript><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">The organisation engages in various community-building activities and helps them to access mental health and legal support for asylum.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>Along with resistance from the family, homophobia among asylum seekers\u2019 community and ignorance from the authorities and the system is prevalent. \u201cSome officials don\u2019t even know what LGBT stands for, let alone how to assess an asylum claim fairly,\u201d says Mazyar. \u201cImagine having to sit across from a Home Office officer who asks, \u2018When did you decide to be gay?\u2019 or \u2018Can you prove you\u2019re gay?\u2019 How do you answer that?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Many struggle to talk about their identities because they come from cultures where such discussions are taboo. Mazyar says that such people often lead a dual life in their countries. \u201cA person with two children, a wife, and a family back home may come here and finally feel free. But for someone who has never lived this experience, it is difficult to understand what\u2019s going on in their mind.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Mazyar says that by rejecting an LGBT+ asylum seeker\u2019s case, they face deportation to a country where they could be imprisoned, tortured, or killed. Asylum seekers from the LGBT+ community often face <a href=\"https:\/\/www.rainbowmigration.org.uk\/news\/4-facts-about-lgbtqi-people-seeking-asylum-in-the-uk\/\">harsh imprisonment or death penalty<\/a> in their home countries . \u201cWhen asylum seekers get refused, it\u2019s not just a legal issue, it\u2019s a safeguarding crisis. Their lives are in danger.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large wp-duotone-unset-2\"><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"576\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/intercardiff\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/12\/2025\/03\/Source__FairPlanet__2024_2-1024x576.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-90700\" srcset=\"https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/intercardiff\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/12\/2025\/03\/Source__FairPlanet__2024_2-1024x576.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/intercardiff\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/12\/2025\/03\/Source__FairPlanet__2024_2-300x169.jpg 300w, https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/intercardiff\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/12\/2025\/03\/Source__FairPlanet__2024_2-770x433.jpg 770w, https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/intercardiff\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/12\/2025\/03\/Source__FairPlanet__2024_2-1536x864.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/intercardiff\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/12\/2025\/03\/Source__FairPlanet__2024_2-293x165.jpg 293w, https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/intercardiff\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/12\/2025\/03\/Source__FairPlanet__2024_2-1400x788.jpg 1400w, https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/intercardiff\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/12\/2025\/03\/Source__FairPlanet__2024_2.jpg 2000w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><noscript><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"576\" src=\"https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/intercardiff\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/12\/2025\/03\/Source__FairPlanet__2024_2-1024x576.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-90700\" srcset=\"https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/intercardiff\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/12\/2025\/03\/Source__FairPlanet__2024_2-1024x576.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/intercardiff\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/12\/2025\/03\/Source__FairPlanet__2024_2-300x169.jpg 300w, https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/intercardiff\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/12\/2025\/03\/Source__FairPlanet__2024_2-770x433.jpg 770w, https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/intercardiff\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/12\/2025\/03\/Source__FairPlanet__2024_2-1536x864.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/intercardiff\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/12\/2025\/03\/Source__FairPlanet__2024_2-293x165.jpg 293w, https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/intercardiff\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/12\/2025\/03\/Source__FairPlanet__2024_2-1400x788.jpg 1400w, https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/intercardiff\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/12\/2025\/03\/Source__FairPlanet__2024_2.jpg 2000w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/noscript><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Countries with the possibility of capital punishment for homosexuality <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>While awaiting asylum decisions, many live in shared government housing often facing discrimination from housemates. \u201cYou escape one kind of discrimination only to face another. It\u2019s exhausting,\u201d says Mehreen who is often criticized for her ways of cooking, cleaning and dressing. \u201cThere are people from certain countries who don\u2019t see Black people as equal. They treat us as dirty, as less deserving,\u201d adds Alma.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Asylum seekers in the UK are paid \u00a349.18 per week and they often find it difficult to get a job. Mehreen says that she lost her right to find a job when she applied for asylum, and she has to work in an exploitative work environment to support herself where she is paid almost half the national living wage. \u201cI used to have ambitions, career goals. Now I just think about how to survive the next month\u201d she says.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Shahrukh(name changed), an asylum seeker who is gay and from Pakistan tries taking a different path by not choosing to live in asylum house and find a full time job instead. He is jobless for several months now. \u201cIf we were granted asylum, we would have opportunities for full-time jobs. But right now, we are just stuck, waiting, and hoping,\u201d he says.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"1000\" height=\"563\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/intercardiff\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/12\/2025\/03\/image-2-1.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-88263\" srcset=\"https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/intercardiff\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/12\/2025\/03\/image-2-1.jpg 1000w, https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/intercardiff\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/12\/2025\/03\/image-2-1-300x169.jpg 300w, https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/intercardiff\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/12\/2025\/03\/image-2-1-770x434.jpg 770w, https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/intercardiff\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/12\/2025\/03\/image-2-1-293x165.jpg 293w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1000px) 100vw, 1000px\" \/><noscript><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"1000\" height=\"563\" src=\"https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/intercardiff\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/12\/2025\/03\/image-2-1.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-88263\" srcset=\"https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/intercardiff\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/12\/2025\/03\/image-2-1.jpg 1000w, https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/intercardiff\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/12\/2025\/03\/image-2-1-300x169.jpg 300w, https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/intercardiff\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/12\/2025\/03\/image-2-1-770x434.jpg 770w, https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/intercardiff\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/12\/2025\/03\/image-2-1-293x165.jpg 293w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1000px) 100vw, 1000px\" \/><\/noscript><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">The goal of the organisation is to create a safe space for all irrespective of their ethnicities or sexual orientation. Mazyar (right) says that the smile of the members keeps him going for years.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>Organizations such as the Persian LGBT+ Asylum Seekers organization help stranded asylum seekers such as Mehreen, Shahrukh, Alma and hundreds other. They help the members find counselling, therapy and legal support thus acting as their family in the UK.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Mehreen says that everyone in the community needs to learn about each other, be family, and create bonds. By listening to other people&#8217;s problems and helping them, she gets a sense of belonging. \u201cThis is the first time in my life I feel safe. It took 34 years, but I finally feel like I belong somewhere.\u201d Shahrukh adds, \u201cWhen I felt alone, rejected, this organization became my family. It connected me to people who understand my struggle.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"1000\" height=\"563\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/intercardiff\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/12\/2025\/03\/image-5.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-88265\" srcset=\"https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/intercardiff\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/12\/2025\/03\/image-5.jpg 1000w, https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/intercardiff\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/12\/2025\/03\/image-5-300x169.jpg 300w, https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/intercardiff\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/12\/2025\/03\/image-5-770x434.jpg 770w, https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/intercardiff\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/12\/2025\/03\/image-5-293x165.jpg 293w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1000px) 100vw, 1000px\" \/><noscript><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"1000\" height=\"563\" src=\"https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/intercardiff\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/12\/2025\/03\/image-5.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-88265\" srcset=\"https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/intercardiff\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/12\/2025\/03\/image-5.jpg 1000w, https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/intercardiff\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/12\/2025\/03\/image-5-300x169.jpg 300w, https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/intercardiff\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/12\/2025\/03\/image-5-770x434.jpg 770w, https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/intercardiff\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/12\/2025\/03\/image-5-293x165.jpg 293w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1000px) 100vw, 1000px\" \/><\/noscript><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">The organisation is holding a meet-up in Cardiff on 14 March 2025 at 36-38, Cathays Terrace, Cardiff.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>Mazyar\u2019s organization is holding an event in Cardiff on 14 March where they are expecting lots of good things. He says that they have become a family now, and this event is an opportunity to meet new people from every part of the country. \u201cNow, many organizations are becoming more diverse and accepting members from different backgrounds. This is what the rainbow is about &#8211; every colour, inclusivity under one umbrella.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><br><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Persian LGBT+ Asylum Seekers are having a meet-up in Cardiff next week. How hard is it being an LGBT+ asylum seeker in Cardiff?<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1221,"featured_media":88262,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":"[]"},"categories":[14],"tags":[197,277,303,767],"coauthors":[1297],"class_list":["post-88191","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-politics-social-justice","tag-equality","tag-human-rights","tag-lgbtq","tag-refugees"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v25.2 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>Silent struggles of LGBT+ asylum seekers in Cardiff - InterCardiff<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"noindex, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_GB\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Silent struggles of LGBT+ asylum seekers in Cardiff - InterCardiff\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Persian LGBT+ Asylum Seekers are having a meet-up in Cardiff next week. 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