R.F. is a young gay man from Honduras who is seeking asylum in the United States. Growing up, R.F. was physically and emotionally abused by his grandmother and uncles because he didn’t conform to gender stereotypes. At school he was also targeted by older children, and when he would try to seek help from his teachers or the principal, he was told that he needed to behave more like a “man” so that the other kids would stop harassing him. By the time he was 13- years-old, his neighbors perceived him as gay and physically assaulted him in public, and he was not safe at home with his family. When he was 17-years-old, he left his home town or the capital, hoping to find a safe environment; instead, he encountered even more violence. There was a particular police officer who would frequently arrest him and then take him to an isolated area, beat him, and rape him.

After months of this abuse, R.F. fled his home country and after months of travel, finally arrived in San Francisco where a friend referred him to NCLR. His application was submitted in February 2009, and it was granted in April 2009.