CAMPAIGN 31 WEEK 11

A Tale of Protection: Gustavo

Homophobia and Discrimination in Bill C-31
they fear. They also have to fit these experiences into western definitions and expectations of what it means to be a member of the LGBTQ community which often dont translate cross culturally. To convince multiple officials of the genuineness of their sexual identity, refugees must often show active and outright participation in the LGBTQ community. These individuals need to drape themselves in a cultural experience that is both foreign to them, and exactly that which they have been forced to internally oppress or actively avoid. These tasks are an incredibly difficult feat for someone fleeing discrimination, persecution and trauma. Now, with Bill C-31, people in these situations will need to do all of that in a fraction of the time. Under this new law, the Minister of Citizenship and Immigration has the sole power to establish a list of designated countries of origin. Refugees from these countries are expected to present their case in 45 days 15 days for an initial interview and then 30 days after that for their hearing. This means that people like Gustavo have just over a month to collect evidence, tell their stories and prove their sexual identity essentially making the hidden visible. As well, they need to mentally and emotionally prepare themselves to revisit sexual experiences that may have been steeped in intense feelings of shame and fear. All of this in an effort to deter refugees from making bogus claims. The criteria for countries on the DCO list are those that are seen as democratic, and dont commonly produce refugees. Sadly, a countrys record of human rights is not part of the criteria. Brazil is a democratic country that is considered to have a thriving LGBTQ community, but also has the highest rate of homophobic and transphobic murders in the world. Failing to take these elements into consideration not only exacerbates the negative experiences of sexual minority refugees, but is considered by many to be a giant step back for Canada. Our immigration systems lack guidelines to consider the plight of sexual minority refugees. As we can see with Bill C-31, the system is in many ways steeped in implicit and explicit homophobia. While millions of people are attending PRIDE celebrations around the world this summer, we need to consider the effects this bill will have on the more vulnerable members of our communities. We need to urge the government to instil practices that reflect Canadas diversity and multiculturalism.

Even though Brazil boasts having the largest gay pride parade in the world, Gustavos life was shrouded in homophobia and fear. Identifying as a gay man caused Gustavo to be outcast from his family, denied work, threatened and abused. When a close friend of his was murdered, and he was told he would be next, he decided to come to Canada and make a refugee claim. Unfortunately, Gustavos experience with homophobia didnt stop when he arrived in Canada. To make a refugee claim here, he needed to recount his life and experiences as a gay man in Brazil. This was an incredibly difficult task, especially since Gustavo had tried hard to hide his sexual identity. Negative experiences such as these are amplified for members of sexual minorties. First, these people are forced to recount their experiences and sexuality to police and officials, who are often precisely the people