‘The Applicant’s Contention That He Is Gay Is Not Accepted Credible’

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From top: Sunday’s Pride March in Dublin; A recent decision from an International Protection Officer at the Department of Justice in respect of a 19-year-old Muslim man seeking asylum in Ireland.

‘Overall, the applicant’s account of the discovery of his sexual orientation lacks detail and specificity of someone who is gay…’

Movement of Asylum Seekers in Ireland tweetz:

This (above) is a decision issued by an International Protection Officer in the Department of Justice on 14th June 2019. He’ll have to prove his sexual orientation when he appeals.

People were actually happy when the Department of Justice  put up rainbow flag & paid for asylum seekers to go to #Pride…

Previously: Misplaced Pride

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25 thoughts on “‘The Applicant’s Contention That He Is Gay Is Not Accepted Credible’

  1. Rob_G

    Lots of asylum claims are objected to, for a variety of reasons.

    From having read that brief snippet, it doesn’t seem that convincing to me, either.

  2. SOQ

    The repercussions of being returned to a homophobic country are the same, irrespective of whiter he is actually gay or not. Once he claims asylum on those grounds, up return, he is already a marked man, or in this case near boy. And what if someone is bisexual. of which there is just as many, if not more?

    I just don’t understand why these poor people are getting such a hard time. The numbers are not huge and they would be delighted to integrate into our culture because its not like they will be attempting to replicate anything from where they came from.

    1. Rob_G

      Do you not see how this policy would be problematic? If we allowed in every person who claimed to be gay, even if they weren’t, and this became widely-known, every red-blooded Georgian who doesn’t even like the Eurovision would rock up claiming to be gay.

      1. SOQ

        My point is that when someone applies for asylum, the Irish State has a duty of care and I expect there are international laws governing this. If the department puts someones safety at risk by returning them to a country where violence and possibly death may occur, then they should be held liable.

        And further more, from countries which are deeply homophobic, it is unlikely that someone else would claim to be gay because it is so abhorrent to their religious beliefs.

        1. Joe Small

          I’ve talked to officials who work in the area. Sometimes they hear near identical stories from several asylum seekers that have clearly been rehearsed and memorized. Its their job to go into detail and look for inconsistencies. Its clear that there are economic migrants who simply want a better life for themselves and their families who feel they have to try game the system by inventing stories for some type of persecution. The process takes way too long but this is, in part, due to the checks and balances provided for to appeal decisions against the asylum seeker.

    2. A Person

      Are you seriously saying that anyone claiming to be gay (and it seems a try on in this case) should be granted asylum status?

  3. eoin

    So, it will no longer be acceptable for asylum seekers to simply claim they’re gay and therefore subject to human rights abuses in their own country which might justify an asylum claim here, they’ll have to provide some sort of evidence?

    Seems about right.Otherwise all asylum seekers from most of Africa, Asia and the Carribbean need do to get citizenship is simply say they’re gay.

    How much did this seemingly bogus appeal cost us in legal fees and direct provision (€36 a day excluding allowance according to DoJ recently) costs?

    1. Zaccone

      +1

      There are a limited number of people Ireland can take in. Its best to prioritize those who really need the help – and to do this its necessary to assess the merits of every application.

      1. SOQ

        How and by whom? A 19 year boy with little or no experience from a deeply homophobic culture is grilled by adults, some of whom may even hold homophobic views themselves- this is NOT impartial or objective assessment.

        At that age I would have buckled myself and that is with a lot less brainwashing. What qualifications do these people hold on the subject or training received before making such potentially life or death decisions? And again, training by whom?

        And if you doubt my cynicism, just look at the case of Sylva Tukula. Even from pictures I am pretty sure that she was trans and that is not even taking into account the testimonies of her friends. Her case was open and shut and still, she died alone. Not good enough.

  4. Holden MaGroin

    A tough line to walk for the person assigned to judge whether the person is gay or not. I do not envy them their task.

  5. Janet, I ate my avatar

    what boxes exactly do you have to prove to tick to be labeled gay ?
    How do even pass judgement on that ?

    1. SOQ

      It really is a comedy sketch writing itself.

      Kylie or GaGa?

      3 on-trend items of clothing?

      Bear or twink?

      Etc etc.

      I’d probably fail the interview myself.

    2. Daisy Chainsaw

      Obviously a limp wrist, flamboyant clothes and very pronounced “s” /sarcasm

      Are they supposed to mount the nearest person of the same sex to prove their homosexuality?

  6. darren

    You wonder sometimes who is so self aware that they don’t sometimes doubt their own sexuality or as the man above said, find both sexes to be of at least some passing interest. Reading the passage it seems that his being young and still attending school is working against him because as if the leaving cert and asylum are not enough, this guy has to find a date and get a couple’ selfie and at least a flavour of the joys of same sex touching before he is considered a credible gay. Probably when things come down to such ridiculous measures, the real story is located somewhere else. As an aside.. this lad is presumed heterosexual for legal reasons, so then can’t we all be? That would sort a variety of inequalities left over from our having so thoroughly mixed up convention and church wisdom. No maybe not but hopefully he will find the legal loop hole, maybe even make acquaintance with a man who knows about these things.. so that then like the civilized people we claim to be, he can decide for himself. All the best to him

    1. A Person

      Are you seriously saying that anyone claiming to be gay (and it seems a try on in this case) should be granted asylum status?

Comments are closed.

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