‘As queer refugees, we are out of category, we do not belong to one, or the other' : LGBTIQ+ refugees’ experiences in ‘ambivalent’ queer spaces

Held, N

Abstract

While over the last twenty years geographers of sexuality have explored the racialisation of
queer spaces, the experiences of LGBTIQ+ refugees in those spaces are rather absent in these
studies. At the same time, while in recent years there has been an increasing amount of research
on LGBTIQ+ asylum in Europe and beyond, the social experiences of LGBTIQ+ claimants
and refugees in their host countries, including queer spaces, have only recently started to be
examined. Drawing on research carried out in Germany, Italy and the UK, this article explores
LGBTIQ+ refugees’ experiences in different spaces such as LGBTIQ+ support groups and
night-time leisure spaces, as well as intimate relationships. The article argues that these are
‘ambivalent’ spaces for LGBTIQ+ asylum claimants and refugees and that to fully understand
these spatial experiences, we need to look at the inter-dynamic relationship between gender,
sexuality, (dis)ability, ‘race’, religion and ‘refugeeness’.

• Journal Article Type: Article
• Acceptance Date: Jan 12, 2022
• Online Publication Date: Mar 3, 2022
• Publication Date: Mar 3, 2022
• Deposit Date: Jan 26, 2022
• Publicly Available Date: Mar 24, 2022
• Journal: Ethnic and Racial Studies
• Print ISSN: 0141-9870
• Electronic ISSN: 1466-4356
• Publisher: Routledge
• DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/01419870.2022.2032246
• Publisher URL: https://doi.org/10.1080/01419870.2022.2032246
• Related Public URLs: http://www.tandfonline.com/toc/rers20/current
• Additional Information: Access Information : Part of the Special Issue: Queer Liberalisms and Marginal Mobility; Projects : Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme