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NEWS & BLOG
09 July, 2025 - By Nita Gula
Pride Month at WLW: Solidarity and the Fight for Justice
At West London Welcome, Pride Month is a time to celebrate the strength and resilience of our LGBTQ+ community members—many of whom have faced discrimination, persecution, or violence simply for being who they are. For refugees, migrants, and people seeking asylum, arriving in the UK can offer safety, but it also brings new challenges. Some have been forced to hide their identities their entire lives and are now navigating a system that continues to disbelieve and endanger them.
“This year was full of challenges and struggles for many of us. Despite the hard times, we managed to stay strong and move forward.”
For almost five decades after the 1951 Refugee Convention, LGBTQ+ people were not recognised as eligible for refugee protection. At last, in 1999, the UK courts recognised LGBTQ+ people as a social group eligible for asylum. In 2010, the landmark appeal case of HJ and HT vs the Home Office led to the decision that no LGBTQ+ person seeking asylum could be expected to hide their sexual orientation in order to avoid persecution in their home country, as had been expected of them until then.
Despite these developments, the 2022 Nationality and Borders Act introduced an even higher standard of proof required for all refugees, making LGBTQ+ people provide even more evidence to provide their sexual orientation or gender identity.
The UK asylum system remains deeply flawed in many ways:
– Disbelief and Dehumanisation: Asylum claims based on sexual orientation or gender identity are often met with suspicion. Applicants are expected to “prove” their identity through invasive, stereotyping questions and unrealistic demands for evidence—putting them at risk of being returned to countries where their identity is criminalised.
– Detention and Deportation: LGBTQ+ people are sometimes placed in unsafe immigration detention centres, or deported to countries where they face the threat of violence or imprisonment.
– Hostile Environments: Many LGBTQ+ asylum-seeking people are housed in accommodation where they face ongoing homophobia or transphobia, often for years while awaiting a decision.
– The Rwanda Policy: The previous Government’s plan to send asylum-seeking people to countries like Rwanda—where LGBTQ+ people face documented abuse—created further fear and uncertainty under the guise of protection.
“At Speakers’ Corner, the stories were interesting. In the bar, we laughed so much. I don’t remember the last time I laughed like that.”
We see the human cost of this broken system every day. At West London Welcome, we strive to create an inclusive and affirming space where everyone feels seen, safe, and supported. From LGBTQ+ queer history walking tours, kayaking routes down the Camden canal, to theatre trips, fundraising pub quizzes for trans+ people, queer comedy clubs and film screenings here at our centre, we strive to include something for everyone. We of course also facilitated our LGBTQ+ community members, volunteers and staff to attend the annual Pride march on the 5th of July.
It’s very important to us that we stand by our members as they navigate trauma, assert their rights, and rebuild their lives with dignity. This Pride Month, we recommit to that legacy; fighting the systems that marginalise and harm, and celebrating the freedom, strength, and joy of living openly and authentically.
Happy Pride—from all of us at West London Welcome.
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Nita Gula is Communications and Administration Officer at West London Welcome.