The federal government has awarded Heartland Alliance $250,000 to create the country's first LGBT refugee resource center. The Administration for Children and Families (ACF) announced June 15 that the Chicago-based organization will be charged with creating a national strategy for resettling LGBT asylum-seekers.
"The Obama administration has issued a clear mandate that comprehensive human rights include the elimination of violence and discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity," said ACF Acting Assistant Secretary David A. Hansell in a recent press release.
Dr. Sid Mohn, president of Heartland Alliance, called the news "historic," not just for Heartland but for LGBT people internationally.
"This marks the first time that the U.S. government has identified that there are LGBT refugees and that LGBT refugees need to be served in an inclusive, respectful and fair fashion, Mohn said. "So I think it's one of those markers in LGBT rights."
The one-year contract between Heartland and the Office of Refugee Resettlement (ORR), a division of ACF, charges Heartland with publishing a report on LGBT refugees in the U.S., creating a resource website, and drafting trainings for refugee services providers on LGBT issues.
Ultimately the project will result in two pilot resettlement projects for LGBT refugees. The locations will be determined once Heartland completes its research.
"The current resettlement network has limited understanding of the LGBT community," said Eskinder Negash, ORR director, in recent news release. "In addition, no information exists in the context of available resource materials specifically for LGBT refugees. The need for these services is critical to ensure their successful resettlement in the U.S."
Heartland had been instrumental in convincing the federal government to create an LGBT refugee resource center. The organization met with White House officials just after President Obama took office and made recommendations on policy priorities.
Negash praised Heartland for its refugee advocacy in the release and said the organization was a clear choice for creating the new center.
"Heartland Alliance has taken the lead in promoting education, awareness and resources in support to resettlement for LGBT refugees, and has developed a great deal of expertise in this area," said Negash. "Furthermore, their focus on treatment of survivors of torture has well positioned Heartland to develop materials and resources that will be adapted to the specific needs of the LGBT refugee population."
Heartland Alliance has been working with LGBT refugees for more than 15 years. The organization also produced the first national model for HIV-positive refugees and has been active on immigrant and refugee cases for 125 years.
The contract will require Heartland to hire at least two new staffers for the year.
In remains unclear just how many LGBT asylum-seekers will be affected by the new policy because statistics on LGBT refugees had not previously been recorded.
"We know that every year there are 300 minimally," Mohn said, adding that those numbers are based on information from lawyers who represent asylum-seekers. "That is really just the tip of the iceberg."
As of 1980, the United States grants asylum to people whose governments either endorse or ignore their persecution.
Mohn expects that asylum-seekers will come from parts of Africa, the Middle East, central and south Asia, as well as Latin America. Still, he said, refugees will likely hail from all over the world.
"There is probably no continent that doesn't have a situation of danger for LGBT individuals," he said.
While much media attention has focused on hate violence against LGBT Puerto Ricans recently, Mohn said they will not be eligible for asylum. Because Puerto Rico is part of the county, U.S. protections for LGBT people should apply there. In order for LGBT Puerto Ricans to be relocated to another country, they would have to argue that the United States is turning a blind eye to their persecution.
