West Pride the LGBTQ cultural festival in Gothenburg, Sweden is demanding that the Swedish government guarantees a legally just asylum process for LGBTQ people in their country. The current Swedish model is based on stereotyping that all LGBTQ people have the same experiences of growing up in homophobic & transphobic societies. They are therefore expected to be able to tell in detail about their experiences in asylum investigations which can be very difficult for people who are raised in cultures where LGBTQ is considered taboo, sinful & associated with legal sanctions. Emma Gunterberg Sachs, General Manager of West Pride stated, “Letting an arbitrary process decide if LGBTQ refugees are approved asylum or not is inhumane. Far too many are wrongly sent back to a lifetime of persecution, imprisonment or death. We need to stop this now.” On June 1st West Pride launched a new campaign & petition to highlight the problems with the current asylum process by highlighting six different LGBTQ refugees' stories about their path through the Swedish asylum process. They have appointed them as Pride ambassadors & honorary members of West Pride to give them the credibility they currently need to stay. In connection with the campaign West Pride is starting a petition that will be handed over to Minister for Migration Anders Ygeman on World Refugee Day on June 20th. 'Serena' from Iraq stated, "I have seen friends stoned to death because of their sexual orientation & I would never be able to return to Iraq & live as who I am. I have the courage to take my own life if I have to return."
Sign Petition... West Pride runs from June 13th to 19th.
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