Carla Manso from Rainbow Migration highlights the critical role of support groups for LGBTQ+ asylum seekers in the UK. These gatherings offer a vital space for individuals to build community, share experiences, and find a sense of belonging. Despite stories of resilience and solidarity, there is growing concern regarding the government's increasingly hostile stance towards migrants, which threatens these support networks. Manso underscores the importance of community while lamenting the return of rhetoric that criminalizes those seeking safety and acceptance in the UK.
Every two weeks, we welcome service-users to our office to come together and catch up on life, over tea and biscuits.
At one of our recent support groups, a casework co-ordinator said "there were a couple of tears shed because everyone felt so safe and so welcome".
Mina, a lesbian from Uganda, told us that we had provided not just legal support but a sense of community and belonging.
It is heartbreaking to see the rhetoric of hostility and criminalisation return, echoing the darkest moments of past governments.
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