(San Francisco, CA, March 6, 2017) – Today the President signed an executive order revising this administration’s previous Muslim and refugee ban. That previous order triggered large protests around the country, and was quickly blocked by the federal courts, who determined that it was unconstitutional. The new order modifies the previous order, but maintains a ban on entry to individuals from six countries: Sudan, Syria, Iran, Libya, Somalia, and Yemen, as well as a four month ban on all...
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E.G. is a young gay man from Uganda who came to the United States in order to pursue higher education. As a child and young adult, he was often verbally abused by his family members for behaving in a way that seemed too different from other boys. As he grew older, he learned to hide his sexuality for fear of being arrested by the police on the basis of his sexual orientation. E.G. hid from government operatives who hunt down men who are suspected to be gay, and then once arrested, are often...
Saul Martinez is a gay man from Guatemala who was beaten, sexually assaulted, and threatened by Guatemalan Congressman and repeatedly harassed by the Guatemalan police because of his sexual orientation. He fled to the United States and applied for asylum. However, in 1992, when he initially applied for asylum without an attorney, the U.S. had not yet recognized sexual orientation as a ground for asylum. Afraid of being forced back to Guatemala, where he feared for his life, Martinez did not...
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, and often confiscated his Koran and forbade his participation in Friday prayers. NCLR has a strong interest in ensuring that all persons receive the protections of the basic civil liberties guaranteed by the U.S....
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. A.C. did not report the sexual assault to the police, fearing that the police would subject her to further harassment or violence. After the attack, A.C. received a series of threatening phone calls that also used derogatory terms to...
Alejandra is an 18-year-old transgender woman from Guatemala who struggled for her family’s acceptance from a very young age. When Alejandra’s father found out that she identified as a girl, he abandoned the family, leaving Alejandra’s mom to support two kids alone. Alejandra also faced daily verbal and physical attacks. When local leaders decided she should be killed before she could “contaminate the community,” Alejandra’s mother put her daughter on a bus...
Dina, a native and citizen of El Salvador, knew at a young age that she was a lesbian. She was rejected by her mother who constantly threatened to expose her sexual orientation to friends, coworkers, and employers. If exposed, Dina would risk being ostracized and abused on account of her sexual orientation. Dina paid her mother money to keep her silent. Living under this constant threat of exposure, Dina was pressured to marry a man. She hoped that her marriage would protect her from any...
In September 2003, Vanessa left Nicaragua and fled to the United States in search of safety. Vanessa has identified as a lesbian since she was 12. She grew up in Nicaragua, where being lesbian or gay is still a criminal offense. Because of Nicaragua’s strong social and religious bias against LGBTQ people, she suffered harassment and ostracism by her family and peers. Vanessa believed she had no choice but to endure a heterosexual relationship and suppress her feelings toward women....
