N.A. is a young gay man from Saudi Arabia, who lived his life in fear that others would discover his sexual orientation. He knew that gay men were often detained by police, tortured and killed‚ and he also knew that his family would disapprove or even turn him in to the police if they found out about his sexual orientation.  N.A. fled Saudi Arabia, and upon arrival in the U.S. came to NCLR and applied for asylum. N.A. was granted asylum on September 23, 2009.

Y.G. is a transgender woman from Mexico who suffered severe physical and mental abuse from her family because of her gender identity. She went to the police, but they ignored her need for protection. In February 2007, Y.G. was badly beaten by gang members who left her bleeding from head wounds. Fearing for her life, she fled to the United States.

R.T. is a gay man from Peru who fled to the United States because he was the victim of severe harassment and violence in his home country. While in Lima, Peru, he was physically assaulted several times in public, and was subjected to sexual abuse as well. R.T. obtained a visa to come to the U.S. where he found NCLR and was able to apply for asylum, which was granted in July 2009.

While incarcerated in Idaho, Jenniffer Spencer, a transgender woman, made 75 requests for treatment for her gender identity disorder (GID), but the Idaho Department of Corrections (IDOC) failed to provide her with any appropriate care.

V.R., a gay man from Mexico, had been taunted, harassed, and assaulted for most of his life.  He knew that he had no other choice but to flee his country. When he arrived in the United States, V.R. was referred to NCLR by his friends in San Francisco. His application was submitted in September 2008 and was granted in June 2009.

Pakistani national Javaid Iqbal was arrested in New York as part of a post-September 11 dragnet by federal officials that targeted Arab men, among others. The U.S. detained Iqbal, subjecting him to beatings, frequent invasive body searches, and other forms of mistreatment. NCLR joined an amicus brief opposing the government’s efforts to make it more difficult for civil rights plaintiffs to discover information about higher government officials who set and oversee policies that violate people’s rights.

R.F. is a young gay man from Honduras who suffered physical and emotional abuse by family, fellow students, neighbors, and the police.  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.

A.C. is a prominent lesbian activist for LGBTQ rights and women’s rights in Honduras. A paramilitary gang of masked, armed men attacked A.C. in her home in Honduras and sexually assaulted her while making derogatory comments about her sexual orientation. She eventually fled to the United States and filed for asylum.