LGBT Asylum News: Sri Lankan gay man granted asylum in the Belgium

Thursday, 27 October 2011

Sri Lankan gay man granted asylum in the Belgium

Image by lanchongzi via Flickr

We are pleased to announce another success in our Asylum cases. Gamini’s (not his real name) excited Skype message reached us on 4th October 2011 and read:

“I am very happy to inform you, that I was granted my gay asylum in Belgium. As I know I am the first [Sri Lankan] person who was granted an asylum based on my sexual orientation in Belgaum. As GaySriLankan and you personally helped me a lot on this matter. I am thanking you very much, because you helped me in every way not only giving supportive documents, but also personally taking your own time and advising me on skype about my problems which happen to me because of my gay life in Sri Lanka…”

We are happy for Gamini and wish him all the luck for his new life in the Belgium.

He personally contacted us and asked for help for his gay asylum in Belgium. When we go through his life story we came to know that he was going through lot of trauma and depression.

We did counsel with him a lot to come out of his current situation because he was a closeted gay person when he was living in Sri Lanka. Sri Lankan community around him had discriminated, harassed and threatened him because of his sexual orientation. One police officer had done death threats to him too.

When he was 10 years old he was raped by a man and the entire villagers pointed finger at him that he was responsible for being raped because of his feminine appearances. When he was going to a reputed College in Kandy, he was discriminated and exterminated from the leadership of his College debate team because of his girly voice. At that time he was the leader and their debate team was about to participate in all island level finals which was scheduled to be telecasted on national television.

He was kick out of his two jobs because of his feminine appearances and discriminated when some of his co-workers found out that he was a gay person. When he was in a relationship, his partner’s friend; a police officer found out about them.

Police officer had threatened him to death and told about his sexual orientation to his family and made them kick him out of his own home. When he was working overseas, these people made telephone threats at his work place and made his job discontinued.

Most of the gay people living in Sri Lanka, when found out that they are gay, are going through situations like this because of the discrimination and persecution from their own community. They are helpless and most of them have to fight for their lives or have to live in fear.

We sincerely hope that there will come a time when wonderful people such as Gamini don’t have to flee Sri Lanka because of the way they are treated there for being (gay) who they actually are. We hope in time, the laws will change in Sri Lanka and people are more accepting.

In the meanwhile, we will do our utmost to assist those who need our help.