Pride month fundraiser: LGBT Asylum Support
the pink cube. is less than a month old, and pride month already presents itself. Naturally we can’t let this go by unnoticed. But we’re also still in the early stages of developing our platform, deciding what it’s supposed to be and what kind of projects we’d like to do. So what better way to kick off our very first pride month than giving back to the community?
For the entire month of June, the pink cube, along with a group of talented LGBTQ artists, will be raising money for LGBT Asylum Support. We’ve collected artworks that will be available for pre-order throughout the entire month and shipped out to you once the fundraiser is over on June 30th. Aside from the necessary production costs, all proceeds will be donated to LGBT Asylum Support. If you don’t see anything you like but you’d still like to make a contribution, it is also possibly to simply donate an amount of your choice. Throughout the month we will be adding more works by more artists, so be sure to check back regularly!
About LGBT Asylum Support
Trigger warning: anti-LGBTQ violence, suicide
The Netherlands has a worldwide reputation as a progressive, LGBTQ-friendly country and a safe haven for LGBTQ individuals. Unfortunately, many LGBTQ refugees who seek asylum in the Netherlands don’t find the safety they were looking for. There are many ways in which refugees are met with resistance once they arrive here, not just from fellow, straight asylum seekers, but even from the Dutch institutions that are supposed to guide them in their search for housing. The IND (Immigration and Naturalisation Service) subjects each LGBTQ applicant to an interrogation to find out if they are really what they say they are. A gay man will be asked to provide proof that he is really gay, and in some cases, not even a relationship with another man will be deemed enough to grant asylum in the Netherlands. In a 2018 report by COC, researcher Sabine Jansen found that between October 2015 and April 2016, 119 of 267 asylum applications by LGBTQ applicants were denied. The unfortunate reality is that many of these asylum seekers end up right back on a plane to the country they just fled from.
Meanwhile, LGBTQ people staying in refugee centers are housed according to nationality. This results in unsafe environments for gay or transgender refugees who will be placed amongst perpetrators of the violence they were trying to get away from. Research by LGBT Asylum Support found that 85% of LGBTQ asylum seekers face discrimination and harassment in their living quarters. Last summer, Nigerian refugee Happy was visiting her girlfriend in the facility where she was staying. One of the other residents, after continuously harassing the couple over their sexuality, ended up attacking Happy with boiling water. Happy was left with multiple second-degree burns and placed on a 5 hour train ride back to her own facility the next day, all by herself. Despite all this, a few months later Happy’s sexuality was still ruled implausible and her application was initially denied. After protest from LGBT Asylum Support, Happy’s case was reviewed and she was granted asylum in the Netherlands.
Chinese trans woman Marlon/Angel similarly faced continued harassment from fellow residents in her facility, which eventually resulted in rape. The COA (Central Agency for the Reception of Asylum Seekers) did not allow her to press charges while separated from her abusers and she was forced to stay in the same facility. On February 26th, Marlon committed suicide at 23 years old.
These are just two examples of the problems and danger that LGBTQ refugees face upon arrival in the Netherlands, where they were supposed to be safe. LGBT Asylum Support is a non-governmental organization that provides guidance and social support for LGBTQ asylum seekers in the Netherlands. In the years since the organization’s conception in 2015, LGBT Asylum Support has, among other things, made it easier for Russian applicants to get asylum, supported asylum seekers in court, and even provided a year of separate, safe housing for a group of LGBTQ refugees who had gone on hunger strike to protest the dangerous environment they were living in. This June, they will launch the petition #NietGayGenoeg 3.0, protesting the IND’s policy of judging if an asylum seeker is ‘gay enough’ to be granted asylum. As the title of the petition suggests, this is LGBT Asylum Support’s third attempt at doing so. Unfortunately the members of the organization work 10 to 12 hours a day for no personal gain and with minimal results. Their tireless efforts for this incredibly vulnerable group deserves recognition and support. A lot of their achievements, like the emergency housing for the refugees that went on hunger strike, are entirely funded by donations. We are honored and proud to utilize our platform, as small as it is right now, to bring more awareness to this cause and provide financial support.
Go to our fundraiser page and make a contribution! Also be sure to follow LGBT Asylum Support on Facebook and Instagram. Sign their petition #NietGayGenoeg 3.0 (tba), and spread the word! Happy pride!
