refugees
Australia urged to accept Ukrainian LGBTIQ+ refugees
National lobby and advocacy group Just.Equal Australia wrote to Immigration Minister Alex Hawke last week urging him to accept Ukrainian LGBTIQ+ refugees. Previously, a US diplomat warned of a Russian kill list that includes LGBTIQ+ community members. Many Ukrainian LGBTIQ+ community members remain in the country following the Russian invasion. Some enlisted in the Ukrainian …
Gay Afghanistan man’s boyfriend murdered and mutilated by Taliban
A gay man in Afghanistan has described how the Taliban murdered his partner and “cut his body into pieces” to “show him what they do with gay people”. The 26-year-old, using the pseudonym of “Gabir”, told UK outlet the i he and his boyfriend rushed into hiding after the Taliban seized Kabul on August 15. …
For a man of many cross words: the Peter Dutton crossword
Peter Dutton leaped into the headlines this last week with cross words for Dr Annaliese van Diemen, Kristina Keneally, and Annastacia Palaszczuk. So to honour his moment in the sun, here’s the Peter Dutton crossword. Scroll down for Peter Dutton crossword Dr van Diemen annoyed both the Murdoch papers and Dutton with just a few …
Brunei court sentences gay defendant Shahiran in absentia
A court in Brunei yesterday sentenced Shahiran, ‘the Brunei refugee’, to eighteen months jail for sedition. Shahiran now lives in Canada after the government there granted him asylum in 2018. The case was only the second use of the sedition law in Brunei and the first full trial of a sedition case in the country. …
LGBTIQ activists visit detained gay Saudis
Just.equal co-founder Ivan Hinton-Teoh and Switchboard Victoria CEO Joe Ball spoke on Friday with the two detained gay Saudi men locked up in Australia after fleeing Saudi Arabia. The couple flew to Australia on legitimate visas after fleeing Saudi Arabia. They left their homeland following police investigations into their sexuality. The pair, known as Sultan …
LGBTIQ Australians pressure Qantas on refugees
Prominent LGBTIQ Australians joined a campaign pressuring Qantas to stop forced deportations of asylum seekers from Australia. The Department of Home Affairs uses Qantas to transport asylum seekers between detention centres and additionally for involuntary deportations. But refugee advocates say the Australian system for assessing asylum claims for asylum doesn’t meet international standards. Also, Qantas …
Gay Refugees Finally Settle Into A Loving Home In Canada
It’s been a long, daunting journey but love has finally prevailed. Alireza, who is from Iran, and his partner Kiran, who is from India, arrived in Canada last week, greeted at the airport by members of the Vancouver Rainbow Refugee group who sponsored them. The couple were forced to flee their home countries so they …
From Royalty To Refugees: Why Uganda is so anti-LGBTIQ
Australia recently (July 2018) accepted 50 mainly Ugandan LGBTIQ refugees from Kenya under the Refugee Visa (subclass 200) for people fleeing persecution in their home country. But why is Uganda such a dangerous country for its LGBTIQ communities? Ugandan law criminalises both male and female homosexuality. Males especially risk life imprisonment for ‘carnal knowledge against …
Federal Government Fears Refugees Will Pretend To Be Gay If Laws Eased
The Department of Home Affairs has said a push to make seeking asylum easier for LGBTIQ refugees could lead to “large numbers” of refugees pretending to be gay. The department’s warning was in response to a call from the federal Labor Party to make it easier for asylum seekers to meet the test for LGBTIQ …