Conversation on LGBTQ+ refugees and asylum seekers. Status and practice of asylum process. How is it to be a queer refugee in Norway?

Norway has vouched to prioritize asylum applications of LGBTQ+ people and promised to protect the life and welfare of people who are being discriminated and harassed because of their gender and sexual identities. Several Norwegian cities have also said that they are putting money and effort in making their cities to be liveable for queer refugees.  But is Norway really working on its promise? With the new political shift that is happening in Europe and in Norway, are these promises still favorable for people with minority backgrounds who seek for protection?

In this discussion, we will talk about the status of queer refugees in Norway, the process of application and the political climate that affects this vulnerable certain group.

The conversation will be headed by Erwin Rapiz Navarro, manager of Skeiv Verden Vest, and Juan Grajales, a writer and refugee who is residing in Tromsø.

Juan Grajales

Erwin Rapiz Navarro