The Network salutes Gay Star News on its exclusive that highlighted Jet Airways thwarting a particularly unpleasant deportation attempt of a genuine LGBT asylum seeker — the Network being Proud to play a direct role in conjunction with GSN in support of the victim:
UK: Pilot ‘saves life’ of gay asylum seeker by refusing to fly him to Nepal
LGB&T Dorset Equality Network has provided vital information to our friends in Gay Star News on the attempted forcible deportation of a legitimate LGBT asylum seeker who had been allowed to reapply for asylum, of an LGBT community member by the current UK immigration services.
As supporters of the Network are aware from our news updates (below), the Network was one of the key supporters of Gay Star News initiative, Rainbow Rush Scandal (detailing the perceived, de-facto persecution of LGBT community members who are genuine asylum seekers / refugees / visa applicants, by the UK immigration authorities. The Network was one of the key signatories to the GSN Open Letter to the Home Secretary (still unanswered, just as our own supportive representation has also remained unanswered): https://www.gaystarnews.com/article/read-this-open-letter-demanding-uk-to-stop-sending-lgbti-asylum-seekers-to-their-deaths/
On Sunday 5th August, the Network was contacted by Jagat (a gay Nepali man and well-evidenced genuine asylum-seeker in fear of his life) on his horrific experience at the hands of four UK immigration services employees. We promptly contacted Gay Star News, who today (6th August 2018) issued the following Exclusive: UK: Pilot ‘saves life’ of gay asylum seeker by refusing to fly him to Nepal.
The Network is concerned that there seems to be indifference to LGBT safety & human rights abuses, or even the courtesy of acknowledgement of representations such as the GSN open letter (this is rightly commented on in the article) and is mirrored in much of the mainstream news media, as rightly commented on in the GSN exclusive. This treatment contrasts starkly with swift action by our Home Secretary on for example the disgraceful scandal of the Forced Marriages visas granted by UK immigration officials https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/sajid-javid-acts-after-times-investigation-into-forced-marriage-nskl7hsfl
Joining with Gay Star News, the LGB&T Dorset Equality Network salutes the courage and humanity of the Jet Airways Pilot and his crew, that refused to condone the brutal conduct of the immigration officials involved: we wish to associate with GSN in sending our appreciation & congratulations to Jet Airways, that through this action joins with the principled stand against de-facto bullying and injustice that Virgin Airlines has recently also taken. We hope that British Airways may follow suit, especially as BA publicly state their LGBT human rights supportive position through funding, for example Brighton Pride, something All Out has recently drawn to the LGBT public’s attention.
The Network commenting on the Home Office immigration authorities statement at the end of the GSN exclusive, notes:
‘If it looks like homophobia, tastes like homophobia, and smells like homophobia, it is a 1000 to 1 that it is actual homophobia. … clearly the nameless spokesperson using this [Home Office] oft repeated position statement, has no awareness of the Indirect Discrimination particulars of the Equality Act 2010. These were included in the Act precisely to combat such perceived [homophobic/racist, etc.] indirect discrimnation malpractices and abuses of processes as the GSN Rainbow Rush Scandal has graphically illustrated. As it stands, the Home Office statement can only be perceived as, as tasteless — in such circumstances as the GSN article reveals — as it is disingenuous.
It may be that the Home Secretary is comfortable with civil servants [Home Office officials] making such statements on behalf of his Department, but the Network doesn’t believe so. Rather, it feels it is much more probabable that he may not have even been consulted before an unnamed, unelected civil/public servant made what in effect is a major government position statement. This in the circumstances is, in light of the facts of operational level performance, protections abandonment, and abuses of process, as exposed by Jagat’s horrific experience, and by Gay Star News through the Open Letter on the Rainbow Rush Scandal, not acceptable.