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Bringing diverse sexual orientation and gender identity (SOGI) into peacebuilding policy and practice

Elena Robertson
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Bringing diverse sexual orientation and gender identity (SOGI) into peacebuilding policy and practice

The authors of this article argue that lesbian, gay, bisexual, trans, intersex or queer people are ignored in the existing peacebuilding system.

The paper provides an overview of diverse sexual orientation and gender identity (SOGI), conflict and continuums of violence before grounding their research with case studies. In fieldwork conducted in Nepal, activists at the Blue Diamond Society (BDS) were interviewed. BDS provides advocacy for people with diverse SOGI and tracks abuse perpetrated against the community. BDS noted that increases in violence against people with diverse SOGI are directly linked to increased mobilisation of military and police prior to the cease fire (2008). During this protracted civil war, internally displaced persons with diverse SOGI were particularly vulnerable to violence from police. The paper suggests that conflict can increase pressure on people with diverse SOGI to enter into heterosexual marriages, as was the case for lesbian women in Nepal and Syrian refugees in Lebanon. There were examples of resilience in the face of upheaval in both of these contexts whereby social norms were re-evaluated and more progressive, though this was by no means the norm.

The paper then moves into a series of practical recommendations to build inclusion: in Nepal, the authors highlight the efforts by International Alert to integrate diverse SOGI perspectives into local-level transitional justice work. Humanitarian staff require training on SOGI sensitivity and integration and need to expand their conceptualisation beyond the ‘outdated’ mode of nuclear (invariably heterosexual) family.

Audacity in Adversity: LGBT Activism in the Middle East and North Africa

Elena Robertson
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Audacity in Adversity: LGBT Activism in the Middle East and North Africa

The report opens with a background on the legal context, noting that most Arab states inherited laws against homosexuality from French and British colonial systems; the role of Sharia law is briefly discussed. Country-specific overviews on same-sex sexual relations, gender expression, freedom of expression and association, legal gender recognition, and legal non-discrimination are provided before delving into the social, political and religious context with a focus on the 2011 ‘Arab Spring.’ The role of violence and conflict in shaping LGBT advocacy environments is also discussed with specific reference to the increased visilibity (and thus targeting) of gay men, transgender women and gender non-conforming people in the region—ISIS is specifically noted as ‘welcoming notoriety for killing allegedly gay and gender non-conforming people.’

The familial context and risk of coming (and living) and out life are then discussed. Activists give testimony to their experiences and the themes of isolation, ostracization and ‘notable silence around sexual orientation and gender identity’ are identified.

The report then moves on to a discussion of effective activism in constrained spaces. The specific example of a rainbow flag being waved at a concert in Cairo and ensuring severe government repression is discussed. A vicious crackdown on LGBT people and allies ensued. This crackdown was met petitions from LGBT activists and allies from the region, demonstrating the changes in LGBT activism in the region. The report provides further examples of increasing activism despite increasing state repression and violence.

The importance of building community and staying safe are both discussed through the experiences of individual activists and their communities. The necessity of connecting with human and women’s rights organisations for progress is discussed, and the process of building alliances detailed through individual experiences.

The report next discusses the ‘movable middle,’ or the segment of society without deeply held prejudices who generally lack awareness of LGBTI issues. Arts and cultural production as a mechanism of attitude change is highlighted, as is the potential (positive) role of the mainstream media, social media campaigns, underground outreach and direct outreach to potential allies.

Being LGBT in Asia: Indonesia Country Report

Elena Robertson
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Being LGBT in Asia: Indonesia Country Report

Being LGBT in Asia is a report focusing on eight priority countries: Cambodia, China, Indonesia, Mongolia, Nepal, the Philippines, Thailand and Viet Nam, the report examines LGBT lived experiences from a development and rights perspective. The report for Indonesia is the result of bringing together 71 representatives of Indonesia’s 49 LGBT organisations as well as governmental and non-governmental institutions, to The Indonesia National LGBT Community Dialogue in June 2013.

The report finds that while same-sex sexual relations are not criminalised at the national level, some local ordinances criminalise these relations as immoral behaviour (Aceh); LGBT people are not recognised in nor protected under national laws; anti-discrimination laws do not apply to sexual orientation or gender identity (SOGI); nor the availability of anti-discrimination that pertain to sexual orientation or gender identity (SOGI), hence the lack of support towards them.

Same-sex sexual relations are not criminalised at a national level in Indonesia, but are criminalised in some localities. The lack of institutional support for the LGBT population in combination with some outright condemnation of the LGBT community has negative consequences for the LGBT community in Indonesia. The report higlights the biggest challenges for LGBT equality and provides case studies that demonstrate how the lack of institutional support can lead to outright homophobia and violence.

Being LGBT in Asia: Nepal Country Report

Elena Robertson
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Being LGBT in Asia: Nepal Country Report

Being LGBT in Asia is a report focusing on eight priority countries: Cambodia, China, Indonesia, Mongolia, Nepal, the Philippines, Thailand and Viet Nam, the report examines LGBT lived experiences from a development and rights perspective.

Given the recent amendments to Nepal’s legal environment allowing third gender markers on all formal identification documents, LGBT acceptance in Nepal is generally considered high. The relative tolerance of Nepal’s religious environment (Hinduism and Buddhism) in combination with the increasingly tolerant legal environment are often taken as acceptance of people with diverse SOGIESC. The report reveals that Nepal is still a long way from acceptance: while tolerance may be increasing, people in the LGBTQI+ community in Nepal continue to face significant barriers and discrimination.

While key advancements for the rights of LGBTQI+ people have occurred—namely the 2007 Supreme court ruling that included anti-discrimination, legalisation of same-sex marriage and recognition of a third gender category—diverse SOGIESC people continue to face social, economic, health, religious and livelihood barriers as well as violence. The report notes that LGBTQI+ people are harassed using vague laws; that factors such as caste, class, and gender play a major role in shaping attitudes towards sexuality and visibility in Nepal and that these pose a hindrance to acceptance; religion does not contribute strongly to discrimination and harassment of LGBT people; homophobic and transphobic bullying, and the lack of an LGBT-friendly environment in educational settings trigger LGBT students drop out of school; the lack of anti-discrimination laws to cover employment fosters sexual harassment and discrimination during recruitment and employment of LGBT people; access to health care is a problem for the community, especially for transgender individuals.

Beyond Binary: (Re)Defining “Gender” for 21st Century Disaster Risk Reduction Research, Policy and Practice

Elena Robertson
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Beyond Binary: (Re)Defining “Gender” for 21st Century Disaster Risk Reduction Research, Policy and Practice

This five-stage rapid meta-analysis of peer-reviewed journal articles was conducted to determine the extent to which DRR literature includes content relevant to more than two genders (i.e. beyond the woman/man binary).

This paper introduces the current status of gender and disaster scholarship, noting that gender and disaster scholarship emerged out of the recognition that women experience disasters differently than men. Gender is defined as a socially constructed process and differences often aligned with masculinity and femininity, their blended elements or the absence of one or both. Gender minority refers to a person whose gender identity does not exclusively align with masculine or feminine polarities. The authors note that the various acronyms used to refer to people with diverse genders (i.e. LGBTIQA+) were derived in western contexts and do not necessarily align with the experiences or identities of people outside of the western world.

The paper provides a brief explanation of the ways in which sexual orientation and gender can contribute to pre-disaster marginalisation before delving into DRR frameworks (Sendai and UNDRR) that do not include definitions of gender. The rapid review is then introduced: a rapid review was conducted to identify peer-reviewed journals published in English since the commencement of the Sendai framework (2015) to identify those with a disaster focus that included mention of gender beyond the binary. A list of key terms was developed (page 5) and deployed using Medline and Scopus databases. The initial search returned 728 results in total; after the first exclusion process, 315 remained. Full-text articles were reviewed and 55 were further excluded leaving 260 articles; of the 260 full-text articles meeting the selection criteria, only 12 included a definition of gender beyond the binary. The acronym LGB was grounds for exclusion as authors determined it pertained only to sexual orientation, while LGBT was included as it pertains to gender identity (transgender).

Responding for Impact: Lessons and Learning from the Australian Humanitarian Sector

Elena Robertson
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Responding for Impact: Lessons and Learning from the Australian Humanitarian Sector

The Australian Humanitarian Partnership (AHP) and ACFID’s Humanitarian Reference Group (HRG) jointly hosted the seminar at the Australian National University (ANU) on 25 July 2019, which began with the launch of three AHP Evaluations (Yemen, Bangladesh and South Sudan). The seminar focused on three cross-cutting themes: localisation; social inclusion; and accountability to beneficiaries. Sessions included an interactive Q&A panel, parallel deep dive sessions, a plenary report back and reflections. Key messages arising from the day relating to the cross-cutting themes are presented below.


Localisation: Genuine partnerships with local organisations help to support localisation efforts Localisation requires long-term investments in relationships, capacity strengthening and financial support beyond project cycles. A strong understanding of local contexts is critical to support localisation efforts.
Social inclusion: Participants agreed that social inclusion needs to be embedded across humanitarian response, as well as ongoing programs and practice instead of being considered an ‘add-on’. Improved efforts are needed to engage with hard to reach, marginalised groups which often incur additional costs. Participants noted the relatively common practice of ‘outsourcing’ inclusion rather than incorporating inclusion principles into everyday practice
Accountability to beneficiaries: Progress towards accountability to beneficiaries is evident through widely implemented codes of conduct and competency frameworks. Feedback mechanisms have also supported beneficiaries to provide inputs, and systems that respond to such feedback are helping to ‘close the feedback loop’. Competing priorities (e.g. urgency to assist those in need versus time needed to build trusting relationships) was a challenge reported by participants.
Seminar outcomes highlight how the Australian humanitarian sector is increasingly reflecting on its own organisational practices, and is embracing efforts to learn and improve, particularly around the three cross-cutting seminar themes. The seminar contributed to ongoing dialogue around the cross- cutting themes. Seminar participants noted that disasters were a function of development, have better predictability and can therefore be planned for. The need for long-term commitments and investments from humanitarian and development actors—rather than immediate-response, short-term and finite funding—relates to all three themes. The role of specialist organisations—such as those working with people with diverse genders and sexual orientations—was highlighted as a critical aspect of partnership.

A Research Report on the Lives of Lesbian and Bisexual Women and Transgender Men in Timor-Leste

Elena Robertson
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A Research Report on the Lives of Lesbian and Bisexual Women and Transgender Men in Timor-Leste

Despite high-level commitments, people assigned female at birth  continue to suffer in the absence of strong support systems. Respondents reported discrimination in education, social and economic sectors of society. One respondent shared her story of corrective rape which resulted in a child. Roughly one-third of respondents have children but none live with male partners. This points to the deep-rooted cultural norms that perpetuate the myth and brutal practice of corrective rape. More than half of the respondents identified as lesbian and 39% identified as bisexual. Most respondents had, at some point, had a sexual relationship with a man but now have women partners.

Nearly all of the respondents said they wanted more information about diverse SOGIE-friendly safe spaces. Currently, there are very few safe spaces for diverse women to meet their partners or connect with one another: the most common way of coming into contact with other queer women was through a mutual friend.

The report includes recommendations for supporting queer women that include conducting research, strengthening responses to all forms of violence, and societal awareness raising.

Invisible in the City: Protection Gaps Facing Sexual Minority Refugees and Asylum Seekers in urban Ecuador, Ghana, Israel and Kenya

Elena Robertson
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Invisible in the City: Protection Gaps Facing Sexual Minority Refugees and Asylum Seekers in urban Ecuador, Ghana, Israel and Kenya

This report presents the findings of a one-year research project undertaken by HIAS in Ecuador, Ghana, Israel and Kenya. 66 interviews with sexual minority refugees, asylums seekers and migrants and 92 representatives of governments, international organisations and civil society organisations were used as primary data.

The report provides a brief overview of the reasons why sexual minority refugees flee their countries of origin (namely exclusion, lack of legal protection/status and escaping violence, be it conflict related or related to their diverse SOGI, or both) and the existing gaps in the UNHCR protection system. Invisibility of sexual minority refugees and asylum seekers is identified as a key challenge—but invisibility is often a survival mechanism adopted by SGM refugees.

The report opens by providing an overview of the international legal system, one that was designed without due consideration to SGM refugees. Recent efforts by the UNHCR to become more inclusive are covered, and the purpose of the assessment is reviewed. The purpose of this project was to map the lived experiences of sexual minority refugees living in urban centres and to identify emerging gaps in the protection of this population as voiced by interview subjects. A brief overview of methodology precedes a presentation of findings: social exclusion and discrimination is compounded based on race, sex, gender, HIV status, engagement in sex work and/or internal power hierarchies within SGM groups; lesbian refugees are disproportionately affected by structural and socioeconomic barriers; many SGM refugees isolate/closet or pass as cisgender/heterosexual to survive in their new setting; traumatic stress is prevalent; social, cultural and legal prejudice are present but can be overcome/ameliorated through building community; SGM refugees distrust asylum seeking processes and are reluctant to disclose sexual orientation/gender identity if they believe they may be further persecuted; there are significant tensions between self-representation and identification and categorisation-40.8% of those interviewed have identities/orientations that do not correspond to the categories LGBT or I as used by the UNHCR; and SGM refugees and asylum seekers are particularly vulnerable to abuse and violence. The report then delves more deeply into country-based findings.

Country  based findings provide insight into the status, experiences and challenges diverse SGM refugees and asylum seekers face in each context. The report then moves on to recommendations for all stakeholders, for donors, for UNHCR, for refugee NGOs and for diverse SOGI advocates.

LGBTI Youth Group-Lebanon

Elena Robertson
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LGBTI Youth Group-Lebanon

In 2015 LGBTI refugee youth living in Lebanon were supported by UNHCR to establish a youth group. The group provides peer-to-peer support for LGBTI youth refugees and their partners through open discussion, life skills development and information on and access to protection, assistance and services relevant to the needs and interests of LGBTI youth refugees. Initially 15 members between the ages of 19-29 joined the group and it has since expanded to 35 members.

This chapter provides an overview of the context in which these youth live and their specific needs (in short, that LGBTI refugees have very high protection needs in employment, shelter and safety and security, and face disproportionate levels of violence, discrimination and abuse), followed by an overview of the process and activities of the youth group. Activities include: regular meetings, information sessions, case management, on-the-job coaching activities, internal capacity building initiatives and more.

Feedback and complaints mechanisms have been established, and FGDs have been conducted to document the impacts of the youth group. Overall, respondents note that the youth group has strengthened case worker managements, group m embers have increased access to livelihood opportunities, increased cross-cultural understanding as the group has grown to include refugees and host community members alike; and UNHCR has built new partnerships with I/NGOs working on LGBTI rights. The greatest challenges were reaching out to LGBTI youth living outside of urban centres and the enforcement of strict confidentiality procedures. The main risks are low participation, lack of legal documentation limiting mobility, risk of detention and discrimination. All risks are associated with one or more mitigating actions. The chapter concludes with recommendations for scaling up or replicating a similar youth group elsewhere.

Rainbow Response: A practical guide to resettling LGBT refugees and asylees

Elena Robertson
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Rainbow Response: A practical guide to resettling LGBT refugees and asylees

Most LGBT refugees seeking refuge or asylum in the US have obtained refugee status for reasons unrelated to their sexual orientation or gender identity and/or expression. This guide provides detailed steps for the resettlement process in a context where LGBT refugees may be reluctant to disclose their SOGI and where they have likely been granted refugee status for reasons unrelated to SOGI. This report covers the Heartland Alliance’s development and implementation of the Rainbow Welcome, a response meant to fill the gap in resettlement agencies’ response to LGBT refugees/asylees.

The Rainbow Welcome Initiative provides resettlement agencies with tools, knowledge and technical assistance needed to create and implement comprehensive, culturally-competent services for the LGBT population. This guide/field manual is one of these services. The guide provides an overview of ‘understanding sexual orientation and gender identity’ including a glossary with conceptual definitions and specifically points to the inadequacy of the term LGBT(IAQ+ etc). The guide then dispels myths about LGBT people/refugees/asylees and basic facts about transgender persons and the trans community.

The guide then provides an outline for creating a safe space for LGBT refugees/asylees and operates under the assumption that most are reluctant to disclose information pertaining to their SOGI out of fear of discrimination. The guide then provides a number of recommendations to enable resettlement agencies to, inter alia: assess and manage discomfort; adopting LGBT-informed approaches to case management; cultivate an inclusive environment; ensure confidentiality; develop/adopt additional organisational policies, including an LGBT-inclusive services checklist; and physical safety concerns. Case studies are used to prompt discussion throughout. The guide then moves to direct service provision (i.e. employment, housing, health) with case studies to illustrate potential challenges and solutions. The role of resettlement agencies in legal service provision is then discussed with case studies on hate crimes and discrimination, and immigration issues. The guide then discusses mental health services, starting with four principles from which all resettlement workers should start (same-sex orientation is a normal variant of human sexuality; same-sex partnerships are equally as valid and important as opposite-sex partnerships; families of choices have a special importance to LGBT persons; and. Nearly all LGBT refugees/asylees have suffered directly from discrimination and violence often sufficient to have long-term effects on mental health and wellbeing). Steps for community integration are then discussed before concluding the guide.

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