Yesterday the news was covered in reports that the UK Home Office declared in a stunning display of ignorance that Aderonke Apata cannot be a lesbian because she has children. I ended up having a lot of feelings about it since it highlighted a growing issue in our immigration system, and the lovely Autostraddle published my piece which can be read here:
UK Home Office Says Aderonke Apata Can’t Be Gay Because She Has Children, Duh
The UK government seem to really like playing the role of an obnoxious Victorian villain – we made laws that criminalised homosexuality throughout the world and then, when we face the inevitable consequences of those actions, we stick our fingers in our ears and go “la la la la”. Unfortunately the treatment of LGBTQ asylum seekers is just the tip of the proverbial iceberg when it comes to the system we have in place – it is something that I hope will not get worse as UKIP continues to drag the political discussion around the topic further to the right.
Rushaa Louise Hamid 