The Queer Necropolitics: Experiences of LGBTQI+ Asylum Claimants During Covid-19 in the UK

The aim of this article is to discuss how the covid-19 pandemic exacerbates inequalities and social isolation by examining the UK Government approach to providing asylum claimants’ access to safe accommodation and health services on the one hand, and charities support of particularly lesbian, gay,...

Full description

Bibliographic Details
Main Author: Mengia Tschalaer
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: UACES 2022-08-01
Series:Journal of Contemporary European Research
Subjects:
Online Access:https://www.jcer.net/index.php/jcer/article/view/1262
_version_ 1798038825398697984
author Mengia Tschalaer
author_facet Mengia Tschalaer
author_sort Mengia Tschalaer
collection DOAJ
description The aim of this article is to discuss how the covid-19 pandemic exacerbates inequalities and social isolation by examining the UK Government approach to providing asylum claimants’ access to safe accommodation and health services on the one hand, and charities support of particularly lesbian, gay, bi- and trans-sexual, queer and intersex (LGBTQI+) claimants to gain/sustain access to social spaces and social support on the other. The data used for the writing of this article is based on 14 semi-structured interviews conducted between August 2020 and April 2021 with social/charity workers, asylum claimants and refugees affiliated with NGO help organisations in Glasgow, Birmingham, Cardiff, Brighton, Belfast, and London. This article argues that that the Home Office’s policies around housing and health during the covid-19 pandemic are closely linked to ‘hostile environment’ policies and amplifying housing and food precarity, isolation, exposure to violence, economic insecurity as well as physical and mental health problems for LGBTQI+ asylum claimants. There is a lack of intersectionality in the governmental approach to refugees and covid-19 and which creates a support gap for particularly LGBTQI+ asylum claimants. This intersectional research on sexuality, gender and asylum in the UK reveals that hostile environment policies render LGBTQI+ persons seeking asylum particularly vulnerable to homelessness, limited support services as well as mental health problems and gender-based and sexual violence. 
first_indexed 2024-04-11T21:45:39Z
format Article
id doaj.art-1ca4fe7742714959b0c8884b2ed57413
institution Directory Open Access Journal
issn 1815-347X
language English
last_indexed 2024-04-11T21:45:39Z
publishDate 2022-08-01
publisher UACES
record_format Article
series Journal of Contemporary European Research
spelling doaj.art-1ca4fe7742714959b0c8884b2ed574132022-12-22T04:01:25ZengUACESJournal of Contemporary European Research1815-347X2022-08-0118110.30950/jcer.v18i1.1262The Queer Necropolitics: Experiences of LGBTQI+ Asylum Claimants During Covid-19 in the UK Mengia Tschalaer0a:1:{s:5:"en_US";s:36:"John Jay College of Criminal Justice";} The aim of this article is to discuss how the covid-19 pandemic exacerbates inequalities and social isolation by examining the UK Government approach to providing asylum claimants’ access to safe accommodation and health services on the one hand, and charities support of particularly lesbian, gay, bi- and trans-sexual, queer and intersex (LGBTQI+) claimants to gain/sustain access to social spaces and social support on the other. The data used for the writing of this article is based on 14 semi-structured interviews conducted between August 2020 and April 2021 with social/charity workers, asylum claimants and refugees affiliated with NGO help organisations in Glasgow, Birmingham, Cardiff, Brighton, Belfast, and London. This article argues that that the Home Office’s policies around housing and health during the covid-19 pandemic are closely linked to ‘hostile environment’ policies and amplifying housing and food precarity, isolation, exposure to violence, economic insecurity as well as physical and mental health problems for LGBTQI+ asylum claimants. There is a lack of intersectionality in the governmental approach to refugees and covid-19 and which creates a support gap for particularly LGBTQI+ asylum claimants. This intersectional research on sexuality, gender and asylum in the UK reveals that hostile environment policies render LGBTQI+ persons seeking asylum particularly vulnerable to homelessness, limited support services as well as mental health problems and gender-based and sexual violence.  https://www.jcer.net/index.php/jcer/article/view/1262queer asylumcovid-19hostile environmentisolationUKnecropolitics,
spellingShingle Mengia Tschalaer
The Queer Necropolitics: Experiences of LGBTQI+ Asylum Claimants During Covid-19 in the UK
Journal of Contemporary European Research
queer asylum
covid-19
hostile environment
isolation
UK
necropolitics,
title The Queer Necropolitics: Experiences of LGBTQI+ Asylum Claimants During Covid-19 in the UK
title_full The Queer Necropolitics: Experiences of LGBTQI+ Asylum Claimants During Covid-19 in the UK
title_fullStr The Queer Necropolitics: Experiences of LGBTQI+ Asylum Claimants During Covid-19 in the UK
title_full_unstemmed The Queer Necropolitics: Experiences of LGBTQI+ Asylum Claimants During Covid-19 in the UK
title_short The Queer Necropolitics: Experiences of LGBTQI+ Asylum Claimants During Covid-19 in the UK
title_sort queer necropolitics experiences of lgbtqi asylum claimants during covid 19 in the uk
topic queer asylum
covid-19
hostile environment
isolation
UK
necropolitics,
url https://www.jcer.net/index.php/jcer/article/view/1262
work_keys_str_mv AT mengiatschalaer thequeernecropoliticsexperiencesoflgbtqiasylumclaimantsduringcovid19intheuk
AT mengiatschalaer queernecropoliticsexperiencesoflgbtqiasylumclaimantsduringcovid19intheuk