FEATURE: The Forgotten & Unprotected - Rainbow Refugees
Most refugees are fleeing war or violence. But for rainbow refugees like Sulah, identifying as LGBTQ+ is reason enough to flee violence and persecution back home.
Sulah Mawejji, a refugee from Uganda, went to live with relatives after his mother and later father passed away—both from HIV. When those relatives learned he was gay, Sulah was bullied and told to leave at just 16 years old.
A friend helped Sulah flee to Nairobi where he found safety and support through Safe Place International. He smiles now and shares how Safe Place helped him reclaim his life. Now he serves as County Director for Kenya for the Dream Academy program at the organization.
“Being responsible for others has given me a new definition. I have been told I am nothing…These people love you with a lot of love. It’s a place where they let you be free. Every child deserves that,” Sulah says.
His experience is common for refugees who identify as LGBTQ+. Many come from countries, like Uganda, that punish or abuse individuals who identify as such, or migrate to countries where conditions are similar—receiving little support for both the emotional trauma they have endured or to safely transition into their new home. The war in Ukraine is shedding some light on the additional battle rainbow refugees face, regardless of country of origin or refugee status.
Uganda and other African nations have a history of LGBTQ+ discrimination, causing many to flee regardless of war. But Eastern Europe also shares a past of discrimination.
Hungary, for instance, passed a law in 2020 requiring all identification documents to state an individual’s gender at birth. This makes it almost impossible for those who identify as transgender to legally change their identity. The country, which is actively accepting refugees from Ukraine right now, adds additional elements of risk for those fleeing the war who identify as LGBTQ+.
There are 70 UN member states that criminalize consensual same-sex acts, according to the UNHCR, and 11 states where the death penalty is a potential reality for those who identify as LGBTQ+.
Lack of reporting and risk of persecution make it difficult to know how many refugees around the world identify as LGBTQ+. Doing so can lead to continued violence, rape and discrimination.
In Kenya though, Sulah was arrested. Sitting in a room of bright orange and yellow walls, he shares via Zoom how grateful he is for Nairobi, despite challenges as a gay man. Through the training and support services he received with Safe Place, he knew it was in his right to refuse anal testing if arrested—a common practice used as a dehumanizing tactic by authorities to provide evidence of homosexual activity. Kenyan courts made the practice illegal in just 2018.
“I still know who I am, but I still have doubts. I’m still self-conscious that I’m not a man and I feel intimidated…But we’re not bad kids,” Sulah says.
Gagotheko Gybian “GG” Mothai, originally from Zambia, now lives in Botswana and regularly struggles with an emotional and psychological burden all too common for rainbow refugees.
“My sexuality and identity has made it hard for me to find a job, so my finances are strained and my freedom of religion is also being deprived of me because I am always judged for who I am and no religious leader wants their church to be associated with an LGBTQ+ person…I have been made to feel that I am an outcast,” GG says.
Like Sulah, GG has found support through Safe Place. Speaking with them via WhatsApp voice messages due to internet connectivity issues, GG is optimistic that Safe Place will continue serving as their new family and support system, helping them find emotional relief and clarity from all they have experienced as LGBTQ+.
Rainbow refugees continue to face mental health struggles long after leaving their homes, and finding resources and services to help them cope is often limited.
According to the Center of Victims of Torture (CVT), many of their LGBTQ+ clients opt out of housing in refugee camps, preferring to stay in cities where they have to fend for themselves. Refugee camps are often in rural areas and contain the same issues of homophobia and discrimination or violence that rainbow refugees fled. They forgo registration which means limited access to basic services. All of these issues compound the treatment they dealt with back home.
“While we care for all survivors…we know that LGBTQ+ survivors have a very unique experience on persecution and therefore have unique needs in terms of healing and the kind of hope that we can help build with them,” says Simon Adams, Ph.D. and President and CEO of CVT.