The (not so) straight story: Queering migration narratives of sexual orientation and gendered identity refugee claimants

Abstract

Canadian media coverage of sexual orientation and gendered identity (SOGI) refugees presents a relatively uniform story of these queer newcomers. While LGBT media have identified problems in some Canadian Immigration and Refugee Board (IRB) decisions, the hegemonic narrative remains one of 'migration to liberation nation'. In this article I argue that this hegemonic narrative is produced in relation to particular socio-cultural and juridical-legal categories which are themselves historically produced in and through the bureaucratic machinery of the state, human rights organizations, and some legal scholarship. The effect of this model narrative is to reinscribe what Ahmed (2010) calls the 'happy migrant', that is, someone who espouses national ideals which are couched in terms of empire, the new twist being that sexual diversity is now held aloft as justification of empire's liberation from abjection. Based on interviews with SOGI refugee claimants in Toronto.

“It’s for us –newcomers, LGBTQ persons, and HIV-positive persons. You feel free to be”: a qualitative study exploring social support group participation among African and Caribbean lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender newcomers and refugees in Toronto, Canada

“…Some studies suggest LGBT newcomers and refugees may not anticipate experiencing marginalization based on LGBT identity in Canada, as Canada is viewed as having human rights and protections for LGBT people, particularly compared to countries of origin where LGBT people may face punitive laws against homosexuality [ 13 , 14 ]. Murray’s qualitative study with 54 LGBT refugee claimants in Toronto, Ontario found LGBT refugees’ expectations of safety and freedom, versus the realities of immigrating to Canada, including experiencing stigma and discrimination based on their LGBT status and race/ethnicity, contributed to disappointment and stress [ 14 ]. Addressing LGBT newcomer and refugee expectations, facilitating access to the SDOH, and reducing social isolation are important factors in optimizing the health and wellbeing of LGBT newcomers and refugees.…”

Percepciones de la comunidad educativa sobre estudiantes migrantes en Chile: trato, diferencias e inclusión escolar

“…Los discursos de rescate en el caso de las y los migrantes queer se refieren a aquellos discursos que se elaboran como 'salvataje' de una minoría que se encontraría en necesidad de protección, elementos que se ven potenciados aún más por una concepción homonacionalista de la sociedad de acogida, como abierta a lo queer, en contraposición a las sociedades homofóbicas de origen, contribuyendo, de este modo, al nacionalismo (Butler, 1993). El homonacionalismo y los discursos de rescate constituyen un campo relativamente novedoso de investigación sobre la movilidad transnacional, el que ha estado enfocado principalmente en las y los migrantes refugiados queer (Puar, 2007;Murray, 2014). Es revelador apreciar cómo estos conceptos ya aparecen en los discursos de docentes chilenos, lo que contribuye directa o indirectamente, en el caso nacional, a la racialización de la población migrante queer, más aún respecto de niñas y niños transgénero, como se observa en el siguiente relato:…”

“…Claramente, y como se ha discutido a través de la evidencia internacional, la liberación de países homofóbicos de parte de las y los migrantes queer transita por la asimilación a un contexto nacional supuestamente abierto -y blanco en el caso europeo y estadounidense-, pero que invisibiliza los crímenes de odio y la discriminación de la comunidad LGBTIQ+ (Peltonen y Jungar, 2018). Ciertamente, estas situaciones de exclusión se habían encontrado en el Norte Global, específicamente en solicitantes de refugio por orientación sexual, principalmente en los países nórdicos (Murray, 2014;Akin, 2016;Peltonen y Jungar, 2018;Eggebø, Stubberud y Karlstrøm, 2018;Keskinen, 2018). A continuación, se presenta el mapa semántico de esta categoría.…”

Legally Queer: The Construction of Sexuality in LGBQ Asylum Claims

“…First, it is more pragmatic to leave undisturbed the notion that sexuality is inborn and immutable for most cases; the Immigration Equality Asylum Manual even advises lawyers to avoid phrases like "sexual preference" or "lifestyle" so as not to imply choice. These risk-reduction strategies fit readily with prevailing notions of sexuality in the Western world and are easily digestible for adjudicators (Berger 2009;Murray 2014). Second, many asylum seekers themselves view their sexualities as inborn and constitutive of their true selves.…”