Many are from countries where homosexuality is unacceptable – such as Iran, Cameroon and other African nations.
Alexandra McDowall, the UNHCR’s legal officer in London, says the discretion test “introduces an element that shouldn’t be there”.
She says it forces failed gay and lesbian applicants to live “under a veil of secrecy” back home.
People facing threats because of their sexuality count as a “protected group,” alongside those facing religious or political persecution, she adds.
The Home Office have denied telling gay asylum seekers to ‘man up’.
One refugee this blog spoke to, known only as HP, said…
They told me to be a man and stop whinging. They said that my life would be a lot more exciting back in my own country, better than the daily drudge here in Britian. I would be like a spy, living a double life. “Who doesn’t want to be like James Bond, they said.”
Another asylum seeker, currently waiting to hear the result of his appeal on his failed application was told to “learn to keep a fucking secret”.
When approached for comment, an unofficial Home Office spokesman said…
Get teh fuck out my face, faggot
