Winter, ‘The “L” in the LGBTI “alphabet soup”‘, 2015

Bronwyn Winter, ‘The “L” in the LGBTI “alphabet soup”: issues faced by lesbian asylum seekers and other non-Western lesbian exiles in France’, 2015 Contemporary French Civilization, 40, (2), 179–198

Abstract

The recent emergence of a global LGBTI human rights model has had both positive and negative impacts. Among the positives has been the granting of asylum in Western countries based on persecution because of sexual orientation and gender identity. Among the negatives has been the imperative to assimilate to a “one-size-fits-all” model of “LGBTI-ness,” not only in terms of institutional stereotypes but also in terms of a culture of male dominance, which marginalizes lesbian asylum seekers. This article discusses these issues as they are present in France.