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Available Open Access digitally under CC-BY-NC-ND licence
Across many jurisdictions in the Global North, lack of credibility is the primary basis for rejecting sexual orientation, gender identity/expression and sex characteristics (SOGIESC) asylum applications. This edited collection examines how disbelief poses one of the most complex challenges for queer asylum seekers worldwide.
The contributions in this book highlight how assessments in various asylum systems in the Global North are based on stereotypical, feeling-centric and western-centric models, that fail to reflect the complexities of sexual and gender diversity, often perpetuating unlawful bias and leading to unjust decisions. Bringing together theory and practice, the collection explores these issues across diverse geographical contexts, employing a multidisciplinary approach.
Crucially, the collection offers a variety of critical and empirical interventions, advocating for a fairer and more inclusive asylum system and adherence to human rights and refugee law.
Sabine Jansen, asylum lawyer at COC Netherlands, the Dutch LGBTIQ+ rights organisation.
Sophia Zisakou, asylum lawyer, PhD candidate at the Department of Sociology of Law at Lund University.
Andrea Vige Grønningsæter, Associate Professor at the Faculty of Law, University of Oslo.
Claire Fletcher, Visiting Fellow, Oxford Brookes and Policy Manager at Micro Rainbow International Foundation.
Aino Gröndahl, asylum lawyer at RFSL, the Swedish Federation for Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer and Intersex Rights.
Preface
1. Introduction: Queerness, Asylum, and the Politics of (Dis)belief - Sabine Jansen, Sophia Zisakou, Andrea Vige Grønningsӕter, Claire Fletcher, Aino Gröndahl
2. Unravelling the Knot of Credibility Assessment in SOGIESC Asylum – Nuno Ferreira
Part I: Proving SOGIESC
3. How Credible Is Your Love Life? Profundity in the Dutch Credibility Assessment in LGB+ Cases – Louisa Bergsma and Roos Geurts
4. A Child Rights-Based Approach to the Assessment of Credibility in Children’s SOGIESC Asylum Claims – Elias Tissandier-Nasom
5. On Heteronormative Bordering – Annelie Neumann
6. Challenging Homosecularism: Faith, Spirituality and LGBTIQ+ Asylum in the UK – Diego García Rodríguez
Part II: Challenging Stereotypes
7. Queer Enough for the Netherlands? The Role of Stereotypes in Queer Asylum Decisions and Their Outcomes – Million Kassa Bekele, Ester Driel and Roy Gigengack
8. Credibility Assessments and Experience-Informed Methods – Raawiyah Rifath
9. Overcoming Rape Mythology: A Critical Analysis of Asylum Claims by LGBTIQ Refugees in Greece - Ifigeneia Intzipeoglou
10. The ‘cycle of rejection’: How has the digitisation of the UK asylum system impacted LGBTQ+ asylum seekers? – Jessica Walmsley
Part III: Interventions, improvement and more inclusive assessment
11. Opening Up Possibilities for SOGIESC Asylum Seekers: (In)credible Stories Between Judicial Biases and European Sexual Imaginaries - Davide Tomaselli
12. Disrupting Sexuality: Cultural Translation and Transnational Sexual Diversities – Alex Powell
13. Preventing Stereotyping by Decision Makers in Credibility Assessments with SOGIESC Asylum Claimants: a Toolbox Approach – Leens van Kessel
14. Re-envisioning Terminology for a more Inclusive Credibility Assessment – Abby Field
15. From a Norm of Invisibility to a Norm of Visibility – Andrea Vige Grønningsæter
16. Concluding Remarks – Sabine Jansen, Sophia Zisakou, Andrea Vige Grønningsӕter, Claire Fletcher, Aino Gröndahl