Pride | To Oz

“Compared to general migrant populations, migrants with diverse sexual orientation, gender identity or expression are often at additional risk of abuse, discrimination or reduced access to services during transit because of their identity, both from cisgender, heteronormative forced migrants, and authorities or locals”

(National Library of Medicine)

Australia is a modern, progressive and liberal society. We have well entrenched traditions and robust legal protections in place to ensure that minorities - of any kind - are protected. The LGBTQIA+ community is generally warmly welcomed and has the backing of strong and established equal rights.

But no society, no Government Department and certainly no process is ever perfect.

As a result, members of the community still face hurdles when it comes to equality of migration outcomes. The causes - and cures - are as diverse as the community itself. The challenge could be as simple as a misunderstanding of cultural context. For example a Migration Official might not intuitively understand that a South Asian Muslim born and raised in Western Europe is bound by cultural norms that are different to wider societies. And this might mean not being open about a same sex relationship, causing challenges in ‘proving’ that relationship in the usual way. Or it could be as complex as proving your identity post transition, especially in protection cases where documentation can be lacking in any case.

At rainbow | migrations we understand these complexities. We specialise in helping members of the Community make a fresh start by creating migration solutions every bit as diverse, daring and unique as you.