Narratives of lesbian refugees : How to perform your sexual orientation in different countries and circumstances

L. Kooke

It is assumed that approximately 200 to 300 LGBT refugees ask for asylum in the Netherlands annually, which means the number of lesbian refugees asking for asylum in the Netherlands is low (Jansen & Spijkerboer, 2011). Beside the media coverage of the 'average' refugee, if you can say such a thing, I also have read stories from and about LGBT (lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender) refugees. These stories expressed the discrimination and violence these persons often had to flee from in their home countries, the problems they had to cope with to be recognized as homosexual, and the struggle to be who they want to be in the country they fled to.