- Conference
- 2007 National Black Members' Conference
- Date
- 21 September 2006
- Decision
- Carried
National Black Members Conference believes:
a)to be LGBT remains illegal in many countries across the world, with LGBT people facing life prison sentences, beatings, rape, torture and even death;
b)even in countries where the state does not officially sanction severe repression of LGBT people, homophobia and transphobia are rife;
c) the United Kingdom (UK) asylum system should provide safe refuge for anyone fleeing persecution, including LGBT asylum seekers;
d)the debate on immigration and asylum in the UK is driven by the right with politicians and the media lumping the two issues together and hyping up Fears and ignorance about failed “bogus” asylum seekers.
National Black Members Conference believes that defence of the rights of LGBT people are central to the defence of human rights throughout the world, and that the UK should provide a safe haven for those who cannot freely and safely live elsewhere because of their sexual orientation or gender identity.
National Black Members Conference welcomes the decision of UNISON National LGBT Conference 2005 to support anti-deportation campaigns by LGBT asylum seekers who ask for our help and to work with current LGBT anti-deportation campaigns. We note with grave concern the particular problems faced by lesbian women in Africa, Asia and the Caribbean.
We are concerned at the treatment and forced removal of a lesbian asylum seeker from Uganda who was returned back to Uganda in June 2006. In addition we are also shocked at the murders of two young Jamaican lesbians in Bull Bay in June 2006 and condemn these hate crimes and all violence towards women. We believe that these murders show why lesbian women seeking asylum in this country should be allowed to remain here.
Quite often lesbian women from these countries are refused asylum in the UK compared to gay men from these same countries, we would consider this as discrimination towards women based upon their sexual orientation, which is multi-oppression
We resolve to instruct the National Black Members Committee to
1)work with the National LGBT Committee, National Women’s Committee, International and European Committee and the National Executive Council to develop our support for lesbian asylum seekers;
2)research the experience of lesbian asylum seekers here in the UK and look at their experiences in the country of their origin and to use the results of this research to educate and inform our members and policymakers about these issues;
3)make links with campaigning organisations, such as Amnesty International and other bodies in order to pursue the issues raised in this motion.