06/23/2008
UK Home Secretary: Iran Safe for Gays if They're 'Discreet'
Details of a letter sent from UK Home Secretary Jacqui Smith to Lord Roberts of Llandudno, a Liberal Democrat peer, published by The Independent, have angered gay activists.
The letter followed Smith's rejection of a call for the immediate halt of deportation for gay and lesbian asylum seekers whose safety might be threatened by return to Iran, following the granting of asylum to gay Iranian teen Mehdi Kazemi.
Said Smith in the letter: "We recognise that the conditions for gay and lesbian people in Iran – and many other countries – are such that some individuals are able to demonstrate a need for international protection. We do not, however, accept that we should make the presumption that each and every asylum-seeker who presents themselves as being of a particular nationality or sexuality, regardless of their particular circumstances, should automatically be ... allowed to remain in the UK...With particular regard to Iran, current case law handed down by the Asylum and Immigration Tribunal concludes that the evidence does not show a real risk of discovery of, or adverse action against gay and lesbian people who are discreet about their sexual orientation."
Said Ben Summerskill, chief executive of gay rights group Stonewall: "You only have to listen to people who were terrorised by the Metropolitan Police in the 1950s and 1960s to know that telling gay people to live discreetly is quixotic."
Sphere: Related ContentPosted 6:40 PM EST by Andy in Great Britain, Iran, News | Permalink
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if they're discreet huh? well that's pretty much what a trick from dubai told me when I asked him about gays in arab world... he said the men fooled around with each other but were expected to get married, etc... and that after marriage they still fooled around with one another and that only the "stupid" ones got caught... arabs on the downlo... that kind of thing ya know...
Posted by: the queen | Jun 23, 2008 6:53:36 PM
Let's send Jaqui off to Saudi Araba so she can have a nice lesson on how to be discrete.
Posted by: homer | Jun 23, 2008 7:00:47 PM
She's in a bad spot here. They can't just come out and say they'll accept gay Iranian refugees, as people would just start claiming that to avoid going back, but on the other hand they know how bad it really is.
The moral thing would be say they'd do it, but practically, Britain probably already has more immigrants than they can deal with NOW.
Posted by: Sgt. Sausagepants | Jun 23, 2008 8:39:33 PM
Of course you must be discreet....this is Iran, for god's sake!! Wtf do you expect as a gay Iranian, to walk around with a feather boa and the rainbow flag??! Get serious, you stupid all-or-nothing reactionary activists. Get real.
Posted by: nikko | Jun 24, 2008 2:49:59 AM
Of course you must be discreet....this is Iran, for god's sake!! Wtf do you expect as a gay Iranian, to walk around with a feather boa and the rainbow flag??! Get serious, you stupid all-or-nothing reactionary activists. Get real.
There's always some self hating jerk who's more than ready to tell someone else how to live. I'm absolutely sure that the people needing asylum weren't wearing feather boas in the street. In case you haven't ever looked around there are plenty of gay and lesbian people who are always going to be in the cross hairs in societies like that no matter what they do. Let's all ask you WTF...and by the way, you're the reactionary. Look it up.
Posted by: Patrick | Jun 24, 2008 3:09:56 AM
You'd think the Labor party would be more supportive, but apparently not.
Posted by: anon | Jun 24, 2008 12:55:39 PM
It's not just Iran - it's their policy everywhere.
gayasylumuk is supporting a number of people at threat of return to torture, persecution and possible death - in Iran they will find you, discretion is irrelevant. And in Uganda.
Prossy Kakooza is a 26-year-old lesbian woman seeking asylum in the UK. She fled Uganda after suffering vicious sexual, physical and verbal attacks due to her sexual orientation
Please sign the international petition for her
http://www.ipetitions.com/petition/ProssyKakooza/
Posted by: paul canning | Jun 24, 2008 7:17:07 PM
I've been to Iran and seen gay men with full make-up and feminine attire walk peacefully during the day and at night, undisturbed by passersby. US and UK STOP anti-Iranian propaganda NOW ! Remember the infamous "Not without my Daughter" that was published during Reagan years (and Irangate)and turned out to be a bunch of crafted lies.
On the other hand I went to Croatia, the postcard-heaven-on-earth country shortly after and was beaten up on the street for looking "too gay", and the police stood there doing nothing ! It should be Croatian gays seeking asylum, not Iranians !
Posted by: Diamond | Jun 28, 2008 6:55:15 PM