The German Lesbian and Gay Association (Lesben und Schwulen Verband Deutschland) estimates that out of the nearly 1.6 million refugees that have been registered in Germany between 2015 and 2018, approximately 60,000 are LGBTQI+ individuals from countries in the Middle East, Africa, South Asia and the Caribbean. Like many other people who are currently waiting for their asylum interview or asylum decision, they are predominantly housed in rural areas in Germany in former hotels, community centres, and even barracks. “They sent me to the mountain”, one transgender claimant from Iraq said.
This presents many problems for LGBTQI+ asylum seekers as Germany uses a mechanism called the “Königssteiner Schlüssel” to proportionally distribute asylum seekers across the country’s sixteen federal states. This means that LGBTQI+ claimants often end up in very remote areas. Furthermore, since people who seek asylum on the grounds of their sexuality and/or gender identity are not separately registered, they are often housed together with the very people they fled from in the first place.
“You live in the closet because you don't know who is your neighbour.”
Safe LGBTQI+ accommodation is rare and only exists in urban areas such as Berlin and Frankfurt. The great majority of gay, lesbian, bi, intersex, trans, and non-binary individuals seeking asylum will never have the privilege to be housed in a safe space or to be within reach of community support. They know they are at risk of violence and fear coming out. As a result, LGBTQI+ people seeking asylum in Germany often face extreme isolation. “I don’t talk to anyone. I keep to myself”, one young lesbian from Tanzania said. “I am afraid that if the others find out, everything will get worse.” Another young gay man from Uganda echoed his fears. “When we're in the reception centres we try to hide”, he said. “You live in the closet because you don't know who is your neighbour.”
