This unaltered story [1] was originally published on OpenDemocracy.org.

This unaltered story [1] was originally published on OpenDemocracy.org.
License [2]: Creative Commons 4.0 - Attributions/No Derivities/Int'l.
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Fighting for asylum, as a lesbian and as a mother

By: []

Date: 2021-12

What does it mean for lesbian mothers seeking asylum to be separated from their children for so long, and to have no certainty of ever achieving family reunification? To what extent does the case of lesbian mothers reveal the heteronormativity of the EU asylum system, within which the experiences and needs of women who lead non-heteronormative lifestyles seem to be erased? Let me try to address these questions based on Livia’s experiences with transnational motherhood in a context of extreme legal precarity.

More support needed for lesbian asylum claimants with children

In Uganda, homophobic politics and societal attitudes are currently on the rise. Despite trying to hide her sexuality behind the veneer of two heterosexual marriages, Livia was outed by her second husband and experienced police detention, corrective rape, and mob violence. Livia feared for her own safety and that of her children, who were now at risk of social ostracisation and violence because their mother was a known lesbian. In the interest of her children’s future and her own safety, she asked her sister to look after her children until she could build a new life in Europe. Her plan was to reunite with them after having received refugee status. When she left, she had no idea how long that process could take.

Livia arrived in Germany in 2017. One year later, her asylum case got rejected on the grounds that her homosexuality was not credible. This is due to her two heterosexual marriages and her motherhood. Since then, she has been stuck. The German government hasn’t deported her because she appealed the asylum decision and is currently waiting for a court date. While waiting, her legal status in Germany remains that of an asylum claimant. Livia lived in a refugee camp for the first three years, before moving into a shared apartment in the summer of 2020. In all this time her only option for maintaining contact has been video calls via her mobile phone, which have have often been interrupted, or even impossible, due to spotty WIFI connections in the camp. The deep pain caused by the ‘loss’ of her children was plain when we spoke. “Here where I stay there are many children. There many children going to school,” she said. “I wish [my children] were here, and I could get them ready for school. I wish this would happen soon.”

Like other migrant women, Livia parents from a distance. Indeed, Livia’s life in Germany largely pivots around the well-being of her children. Now in an affluent country, the expectation on her to provide for her children back home is high. From the monthly allowance (ca. €354) she receives as an asylum claimant in Germany for food, rent, clothing, health, and personal items, she also finances her children’s medical expenses, food, rent, and school fees. The pandemic has made even that more difficult, as lockdowns in Uganda have made it at times impossible to complete an international money transfer. When both of her children were hospitalised earlier this year with ulcers and ringworm, Livia worried that they would not get the necessary treatment if her funds wouldn’t go through.
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[1] Url: https://www.opendemocracy.net/en/beyond-trafficking-and-slavery/fighting-for-asylum-as-a-lesbian-and-as-a-mother/
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