I am a new immigrant to Canada and I lead the Canadian HIV/AIDS Legal Network's LGBTQI initiative. I'm privileged when compared to many other LGBT migrants and refugees to this country. Coincidentally, tomorrow I sit my Canadian citizenship test here in Ottawa. I am a gay Jamaican, and the path to this glorious day was possible because of my Canadian marriage to my husband, Tom.
While our marriage led to multiple death threats upon my return to Jamaica, forcing me to flee to Canada, I did not have to endure the challenges of an Immigration and Refugee Board hearing, which so many already traumatized individuals find dehumanizing and unjust.
Approximately 400 million LGBT persons live under the threat of criminal imprisonment, violence, or even death. The IRB faces thousands of refugee claimants each year who are trying to escape persecution in their home country simply because of who they are or who they love. While strides have been made to improve the cultural sensitivity of IRB members, more could be done to improve their cultural competence.
LGBT claimants report that the IRB still requires—