Three ways you can make a difference this LGBT+ History Month

As we celebrate our history this month, we shouldn’t lose sight of the injustices still faced by some of our community in the UK today. 

Right now LGBTQI+ people are being held in immigration detention, with no idea when they might be set free. We know that LGBTQI+ people face bullying, harassment and abuse in detention, but still this government won’t recognise that they should not be detained. 

Instead, they plan to increase the use of detention – leading to even more LGBTQI+ people being locked away, and for longer periods. 

Here are three ways you can help make sure LGBTQI+ people in detention aren’t forgotten this LGBT+ History Month: 

1. Educate your friends about immigration detention. We have made a 1 minute video explaining the issue – would you share it with 3 friends who might not know about LGBTQI+ people in detention? 

2. Get your community involved. Going to an LGBTQ community centre or venue this month? Why not take some No Pride In Detention flyers and ask them to display them – just let us know you want some and we’ll send them in the post. 

3. Write to your local paper. Sending a short letter to the editor of your local paper is a great way to raise the profile of an issue. Our online form makes it really easy to do – you just need to edit the copy to show why you personally care about LGBTQI+ people in detention.

Whichever way you choose to help, thank you for your solidarity with LGBTQI+ people locked up in immigration detention.


LGBT+ History Month: Celebrating LGBTQI+ solidarity in our No Pride In Detention campaign

In our first blog for LGBT+ History Month we’re celebrating the queer solidarity shown by partners in our No Pride In Detention campaign. 

No Pride In Detention calls for an end to the detention of LGBTQI+ people, who experience bullying, harassment and abuse while held in immigration detention. It’s an experience that has devastating consequences, but is so often overlooked or ignored – in part because detention only affects people subject to immigration control in the UK.  

That’s why it’s so inspiring to see LGBTQI+ groups and organisations across the country join forces to say that we won’t stand for anyone in our community being locked up and subjected to bullying and abuse. 

Our Executive Director Leila, Campaigns Advisory Group member Arthur Britney, and Manono who appeared in our campaign film discuss LGBTQI+ detention at a panel debate hosted by National Student Pride

The organisations that make up the coalition are a diverse group – from big charities to radio stations and poetry groups. What brings us together is a sense of solidarity with LGBTQI+ refugee communities. 

This LGBT+ History Month we want to showcase some of the amazing contributions these groups have made to the campaign. 

Starting with Sahir House, who hosted us in Liverpool for two days while we worked with them and Many Hands One Heart on a film exploring the experiences of lesbian women in immigration detention. 

A still from the campaign film we made with Sahir House and Many Hands One Heart

That film has enabled us to show LGBTQI+ audiences what detention is really like for those who are locked away. We have been honoured to screen it to the community in LGBTQI+ venues that are supporting the campaign, with events at the Ledward Centre in Brighton and London LGBTQ+ Community Centre. 

A film screening and discussion hosted by the London LGBTQ+ Community Centre

Other partners have joined in by taking the campaign to events – like Refugee Buddy Project campaigning at Hastings Pride and Trans Sober talking to the community at Brighton Trans Pride. And when it comes to influencing politicians, it is fantastic to have the backing of Stonewall, who included ending LGBTQI+ detention as one of their priorities for a new government in their Back On Track plan for LGBTQ+ equality in the UK. 

The Refugee Buddy Project take the campaign to Hastings Pride

Spurred on by the injustices at Larne House Short Term Holding Facility near Belfast – where more than 5,000 people have been detained since it opened in 2011 – the campaign is also supported by 5 groups in Northern Ireland. Here NI, Rainbow Refugees NI, and End Deportations Belfast have been supporting tirelessly on social media to keep the issue in people’s minds. 

If your group or organisation agrees that no LGBTQI+ person should be locked up indefinitely and subject to bullying and abuse, join us and become part of the movement to end LGBTQI+ detention. Check out the full list of organisations involved and sign you own group up today.

Together, we will win this!


people waving lgbt flags

Rwanda Bill returning to Parliament

Ahead of the Rwanda Bill returning to Parliament this week, together with JCWI we have produced a submission to the Joint Committee on Human Rights on the Safety of Rwanda Bill.

We strongly urge the Committee to recommend that MPs reject the safety of Rwanda Bill entirely, as it would put lives at risk and violate the UK’s constitutional, international and human rights law obligations.

Among other issues, we have raised concerns about the safety of LGBTQI+ people seeking asylum if they are sent to Rwanda.

Innocent, a gay man from Rwanda who came to the UK 20 years ago, said: “Having experienced the discrimination faced by LGBTQ+ people - or those perceived to be sexual minorities in Rwanda - I am shocked that the UK would deport people from our community there.”

Innocent also said: “On 15 November 2023, I was delighted to learn that the UK’s highest court had ruled that Rwanda was not a safe country to which the government could send people seeking asylum to. The LGBTQIA+ community in Rwanda was ecstatic, we were glad that LGBTQIA+ people seeking asylum were not going to be subjected to the suffering that we have endured and that some of us still living in Rwanda continue to endure.

However, our sense of happiness and relief was quickly diminished when we learned that the British government is prepared to do everything in its power to send people seeking asylum to Rwanda.”

What can you do?

Email your MP to call on them to vote against this cruel bill

Read our full submission to the Joint Committee on Human Rights on the Safety of Rwanda Bill


queer person showing a 'stop' on their hand

Stop LGBTQI+ people being sent back to India and Georgia

queer person showing a 'stop' on their hand

This week our government is quietly amending legislation so that people from India and Georgia will be unable to have asylum or human rights claims considered in the UK.

Instead, this government will try to immediately return them to those countries without a proper assessment of whether it is safe for them. But these countries are not safe for LGBTQI+ people. Their lives will be at risk if this change is made.

There is evidence of widespread human rights abuses against LGBTQI+ people in both countries. And as recently as last month, Noah, a gay man who fled persecution in Georgia was granted asylum here.

Noah was physically attacked by family members, forced to stay in a hospital for people with mental illnesses, and had an exorcism performed on him at church. His partner was attacked too, but the police in Georgia would not protect them.

You cannot live openly as a gay man in Georgia, or feel protected. If they hear that you are gay, they will kill you.

Noah, gay man from Georgia

Noah was extremely fearful of being returned to Georgia, he said his life would be in danger and he would rather take his own life than go back and face persecution.

Refusing to consider someone’s need for protection because of their nationality is dangerous. Everyone should have the right to seek safety here if they need it, no matter where they come from.

Imagine experiencing violence for being LGBTQI+ in your home country and fleeing to the UK hoping to find safety, only to be told that your country is deemed safe for everyone and you’ll be sent straight back. It’s utterly cruel.

Most of us would welcome LGBTQI+ people who can’t be themselves in other countries and are hoping to rebuild their lives in the UK. They should be welcomed and supported to live safely here, regardless of their country of origin.

If you agree with us, please ask your MP to speak up when this change is debated on 10 January.


A group of people waving a rainbow flag in a city.

Stop the Rwanda Bill!

Despite being found unlawful by the Supreme Court, this government still wants to go ahead with its plan to send people seeking safety here more than 4,000 miles away. The new Rwanda Bill is dangerous and disgraceful and cannot be passed by Parliament. Email your MP to call on them to vote against this cruel Bill.

We all want to live in a society where everyone is treated with care and respect. But this government is trying to divide us in an attempt to weaken our rights and freedoms and prevent us from holding them accountable for their actions.

Its Rwanda Bill will strip human rights away from people who come to the UK in the hope of safety for them and their loved ones.

A group of people waving a rainbow flag in a city.
Email your MP

If this bill goes ahead, LGBTQI+ people who come to the UK seeking protection could also be sent to Rwanda. We have repeatedly warned that Rwanda is a country where LGBTQI+ people are subjected to discrimination, violence and abuse. The UK government’s own website states that LGBT people in Rwanda are abused, including by local authorities. The situation for LGBTQI+ people in Rwanda is so poor that people have sought asylum in the UK based on their sexual orientation.

People who arrive in the UK seeking asylum have fled persecution or conflict, and sending them 4,000 miles away to a place where they have no connections will only cause them further suffering.

As Innocent, a gay man who grew up in Rwanda and experienced first-hand abuse, said: “The UK government should reflect more on its policy, hear out and take into account the public sentiment and what the civil society and other people representing vulnerable groups are saying. Most people seeking protection are fleeing for their lives and they need help, not punishment. I do hope that LGBTQIA+ people seeking safety will not be sent to Rwanda to face discrimination.”

We will not be divided. Email your MP today to stop the Rwanda Bill.

Email your MP

A silhouette of a person in front of a sunset.

Brook House Inquiry findings: A gay man faced verbal homophobic abuse and was outed by staff in detention

The first public inquiry into immigration detention in the UK, released today, found evidence that a gay man from Morocco had received verbal homophobic abuse from staff while held in immigration detention.

The man told the Inquiry that “he did not feel detention was an environment where it was safe to be open about his sexuality” and that “he believed staff were hostile towards gay people”. The report details an incident where a member of staff at the Brook House immigration removal centre told him that he needed to change his clothes “because [he] looked gay” in front of other people in detention, which effectively outed him and caused him to feel unsafe in detention. The report found that the remark was “probably made with the express intention of humiliating” him, and that the officer was likely to know “that his specific choice of words could have placed [the gay man] at risk of harm”.

“These findings show, once again, how dangerous immigration detention is for LGBTQI+ people”, said Leila Zadeh, Executive Director at Rainbow Migration, and continued “LGBTQI+ people face high levels of harassment, abuse and violence from others who are detained or, as this Inquiry shows, even staff”. On top of that, facing abuse in detention can retraumatise LGBTQI+ people, as many will have fled persecution and are already trying to cope with experiences of trauma from their past.

The case of mistreatment detailed above is one among a total of 19 incidents of mistreatment that were found by the Brook House inquiry in just a five-month period between April and August 2017. The report also catalogued a deeply troubling list of issues at the centre, including a dysfunctional safeguarding system, excessive and inappropriate use of force and the use of racist and abusive language towards people detained.

Under the recently passed Illegal Migration Act, this government plans to increase the use of detention, which will put LGBTQI+ people seeking protection in even more dangerous situations.

Recent UNHCR report findings suggest that supporting people who might otherwise be detained to navigate the asylum and immigration system in the community instead is better for their mental health and wellbeing, costs less than detaining them, and does not affect compliance with Home Office directives.

“This government urgently needs to end the use of immigration detention and instead invest in tried and tested community-based approaches that do not carry the same human cost”, said Leila Zadeh.

Further findings about the report have been reported by The Guardian and The Independent.


Two women talking on a couch in an office.

"It's like comparing night and day": community-based alternatives to detention

Imagine a world in which people trying to make the UK their home were met with a supportive environment, not a hostile one. A world where people without immigration status were supported to understand their options and make informed decisions about their next steps, rather than being detained and threatened with removal. 

This approach is not only possible, but tried and tested within the UK. Following a recommendation from Stephen Shaw’s second report on immigration detention in 2018, the Home Office commissioned a series of pilot projects to test community-based “alternatives to detention”, both of which have now concluded and been subject to an independent evaluation.

The results of both initiatives are clear. Supporting people who might otherwise be detained to navigate the asylum and immigration system in the community instead: 

  • is better for their mental health and wellbeing 
  • costs less than detaining them, and
  • does not affect compliance with Home Office directives. 

 

We must remember that detaining people going through the asylum and immigration system is a choice our government makes. It’s a choice that destroys lives, tears communities apart and has devastating consequences for those who are locked up with no idea when they might be set free. It puts LGBTQI+ people in a dangerous situation where they face bullying, harassment and abuse. 

Nobody benefits from detention, except the private contractors who are paid millions of pounds a year to run the UK’s detention centres. But we could all benefit from an approach that sees people supported in our communities and empowered to make decisions that are right for them. For LGBTQI+ people who have fled persecution and could otherwise be detained here, it would mean having the chance to live openly and with dignity while they claim asylum in the UK. 

With an alternative on the table that is compassionate, humane and cost-effective we cannot let this government continue its plans to re-open Campsfield and Haslar detention centres and tender for three new centres as well. 

Help spread the word about compassionate alternatives to detention by emailing your MP. 

Read on to learn more about the two pilot projects. 

 

King’s Arms Project – Refugee and Migrant Advice Service 

Last month UNHCR published the evaluation of a pilot project delivered by the King’s Arms Project (KAP) in Bedford. Between 2020 and 2022, 84 people without immigration status who were liable to detention were supported in the community through KAP’s Refugee and Migrant Advice Service (RMAS).  

People taking part in the pilot received free, high-quality legal counselling and one-to-one support from a caseworker. That one-to-one support was flexible and tailored to individual needs – for example help with accessing healthcare, setting up bank accounts, social inclusion or accessing training/volunteer opportunities. 

By the end of the pilot, 80% of people had been offered viable options to regularise their immigration status. They experienced better self-esteem and wellbeing, a better understanding of their legal options, and increased confidence and ability to access entitlements. As a result they were able to make informed decisions about their situation. 

NatCen, who evaluated the project, estimated the pilot to be two-thirds cheaper than it would have been to detain the individuals supported. 

It’s like comparing day and night. King’s Arms Project is like the day where the sun is out and my life before was like in the night, without stars. 

Action Foundation – Action Access 

RMAS was preceded by Action Access, delivered by the Action Foundation in Newcastle from 2019 – 2021. That project supported women seeking asylum in the UK, most of whom were detained in Yarl’s Wood prior to joining the pilot. As with RMAS, the women were given legal counselling and one-to-one support, however the Action Access pilot also provided them with shared accommodation and subsistence payments. 

Unsurprisingly, the women moved from detention to this project experienced immediate improvements to their health and wellbeing. They experienced greater stability while on the pilot, and were better able to understand their options and make informed decisions about their asylum cases. 

Despite being hampered by the coronavirus pandemic and having to run below capacity, Action Access was cheaper per participant per night than detention. In the evaluation NatCen estimated that potential savings from extending the pilot (e.g. running it at capacity and entering into longer leases to save on rents) could see the cost come down to less than half the cost of detaining someone. 

“In detention, you don’t have this kind of positive atmosphere. You just want to cry. You just want to stop eating. You just want to kill yourself. This is because you are so in trouble there, right. Then, when you come out, it’s like everything is going to be nice again… the atmosphere is very different, and I think you recover yourself.” 


A woman in a rainbow dress on stage with balloons.

"Rainbow Migration has a lot to celebrate!"

A woman in a rainbow dress on stage with balloons.

To celebrate our 30th anniversary, we spoke to many of the people who are an important part of our history. Below, Arthur Britney, a member of our campaigns advisory group, told us what Rainbow Migration means to them.

I first came across Rainbow Migration soon after I arrived in the UK in 2017. At the time I was identifying as a gay man. One of the very first things I did was research support for LGBTQI+ people seeking asylum. I found the Rainbow Migration website, which was so helpful and informative, and contacted them about their group meetings. Knowing an organisation like this existed, with in-person support, made me feel safer. 

I went to a meeting in Birmingham and met a support worker from Rainbow Migration. Even though my English was terrible, I was treated with so much kindness. The support worker was really helpful; she explained what I needed to do and helped me feel less panicked. When you start the asylum process, you’re not an expert, you don’t know anything. you don’t understand what will happen. I was very scared. The support worker really calmed me down and reassured me. It was exactly what I needed. I had just escaped my country. The support worker explained the asylum process to me and advised me to contact the Home Office. 

Thanks to the Rainbow Migration support worker, I contacted the Home Office, who moved me to Liverpool, and I began to feel a bit happier. Having faced persecution and discrimination in my country of origin, I was able to start exploring my gender identity in the UK. I felt free in Liverpool; I was able to wear what I wanted and to really be myself. Finally, I felt safe to come out as non-binary. I got granted refugee status in 2020. I was the first person to be granted asylum in the UK on the basis of being non-binary.  

Rainbow Migration has a lot to celebrate, and I am proud to be part of that. It Is so important to so many people and should be proud of all it does.”

In 2022 I began working with Rainbow Migration as a volunteer for their No Pride In Detention campaign. Kiki, one of the trustees, asked me if I wanted to be part of the campaigns advisory group; I was so grateful for the opportunity. As part of the group, I’ve contributed to the production of the campaign film, spoken at National Student Pride, recorded a podcast, and helped out at events. It has given me the chance to learn professional skills, to have a say about issues important to me, to express myself, and meet lots of new people. Being part of the campaign has also led to new opportunities for collaboration and has really helped me grow as a person. Being part of No Pride In Detention has had such a positive impact on my development.  

Rainbow Migration has a lot to celebrate, and I am proud to be part of that. We are on the right side of history. While rights are consistently under threat, in the UK, and the rest of the world, we will always fight to protect LGBTQI+ people who are seeking safety. It’s scary to go through uncertain times, but organisations like Rainbow Migration make such a difference to so many people’s lives. In the future, I really hope the organisation can keep expanding its services for trans people in the asylum system. Without that support, many would be invisible, and even more marginalised and isolated than they already are. Rainbow Migration Is so important to so many people and should be proud of all it does.  


A group of women sitting around a table eating a cup of coffee.

Tell your MP about alternatives to detention

We all know that immigration detention is unjust and inhumane. Now the UN Refugee Agency has published evidence showing that a new compassionate approach could be a reality in the UK.

We need MPs to see this report.

The report covers two UK pilot projects where people were supported with their asylum or immigration cases in the community rather than being detained.  

Compared to locking people up in detention, providing legal counselling and personalised support in the community was more humane and resulted in significant improvements in mental health and wellbeing. 

At the same time, there was no evidence of reduced compliance with the Home Office and the projects were both cheaper and offered better value for money than detention. So why is this government doubling down and planning to open three new detention centres? 

The harm that detention causes is unjustifiable. For LGBTQI+ people, being cut off from communities of support and subjected to discrimination and abuse inside can make it even worse.

Thank you for helping us spread the word that there is another way.


Thank you for speaking out

This week the government’s cruel Refugee Ban Bill was passed by Parliament and became law. We are angry and disappointed, but we won’t stop fighting to make the UK a safe and welcoming place for LGBTQI+ people seeking asylum.

This law will deny the right to asylum to thousands of people who need our protection. It will dramatically increase the government’s powers to lock people up while making it even harder to challenge their detention. And it will put LGBTQI+ lives at risk by allowing people to be sent to countries that are not safe for the LGBTQI+ community. 

We wanted to say thanks to each and every one of you who took the time to write to your MP last weekend. Because of you, the need to protect LGBTQI+ people from being sent to countries where they would be at risk of harm was raised by MPs throughout the debate. We were pleased to see the amendment drew support across political parties. 

We are sad to say that we could not change the bill on this occasion, but thank you for speaking out for LGBTQI+ people and showing that whatever this government says, these cruel laws do not represent us.