Garcia Rodriguez, ‘You are a gay man, and you’re also Christian – how is this possible?’, 2025

D. Garcia Rodriguez, ‘You are a gay man, and you’re also Christian – how is this possible? Homosecularism, religion and LGBTIQ+ asylum in the UK’, Ethnic and Racial Studies, 2025 1–19

ABSTRACT

This article explores how secular assumptions influence asylum-claim assessment for LGBTIQ+ claimants who identify with a religious faith. Drawing on fifty-one semi-structured interviews with LGBTIQ+ people seeking asylum in the UK, it develops the concept of homosecularism to analyse the biases that emerge when faith and queerness intersect. Despite guidance discouraging discriminatory attitudes, evidence suggests that asylum credibility assessments often misunderstand the coexistence of religious belief and diverse sexual and gender identities. This scepticism can result in intrusive questioning and emotional distress for claimants. However, LGBTIQ+ religious people seeking asylum challenge these assumptions by insisting that ultimate judgement belongs to God rather than to secular or state institutions. Through their experiences, this article reveals how homosecular discourses perpetuate Western-centric standards of “authentic” LGBTIQ+ identities. The findings highlight the need for alternative asylum assessment practices that account for the diversity of religious, gender, and sexual identities.

KEYWORDS: Asylum, LGBTIQ, refugees, credibility, secularism, religion