Topic: LGBTQ Refugees

Jun 30, 2020

With more and more transgender women approaching HIAS for help, particularly in Latin America, we have made their well-being a top priority.

Jun 25, 2020

In honor of LGBTQ Pride Month, three experts discuss the unique needs and vulnerabilities of this population, and how HIAS and our U.S. and international partners have stepped up to advocate for the human rights of our LGBTQ clients and provide lifesaving support.

Jan 10, 2020

A support group run by HIAS Kenya is helping lesbian, bisexual, and queer women who have experienced gender-based violence.

Jun 16, 2017

“Creating these training materials was a three-year process, and the results reflect all that we learned along the way. I hope that anyone who works with refugees will consider using them to improve their outreach to survivors of SGBV,” Levitan said.

Sep 12, 2016

Henry started his business with just five hand-sewn tote bags made from pieces of traditional East African fabric. They were an instant hit, and he has been expanding ever since. Over the past 11 months, he has hired 20 LGBT refugees to do piece-work, cutting the fabric he uses to make his bags. By working from home, they stay safe and are still able to earn a living.

Oct 22, 2015

In a little-noticed shift, the Obama administration has taken steps to ensure that the long-term relationships of couples who were not able to be legally married in their home countries or while in flight are nevertheless recognized by the U.S. family reunification program. “Refugees with same-sex partners will finally have the opportunity to reunite with them and to make their families whole again,” said HIAS CEO Mark Hetfield.

Sep 8, 2014

Throughout the interview she managed to remain candid and confident, even hopeful, as she told me about her dreams of going to school for design and starting a career in fashion.

May 15, 2014

The application for my clients–a gay married couple from Jamaica seeking asylum in the U.S–runs 50 pages. It is the product of hours of the hard but rewarding assistance I provide as a staff attorney for HIAS. Thanks to someone like me, who also worked for HIAS, my great-grandmother, my family's matriarch, came to the U.S. in 1919. I wonder what she would make of my clients’ application.

Jan 13, 2014

Raising the Red Flag on LGBTI Asylum Obstacles in the U.S. Jan 13, 2014 HIAS works diligently to defend LGBTI refugees from the Middle East and Africa. With 76 countries having severe criminal penalties for being gay, the most vulnerable group in the world today is refugees who are sexual minorities. They are the marginalized […]

Nov 27, 2013

New UNHCR Legal Guidelines Step Forward for LGBTI Refugees By Rachel Levitan Nov 27, 2013 This year’s historic election-day wins in Maryland, Maine, and Washington supporting gay marriage are emblematic of the dramatic strides that the U.S. has taken to recognize the social and legal rights of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and intersex (LGBTI) individuals. […]