Sexual orientation and gender identity in the Belgian asylum procedure

People are forced to flee their country for numerous reasons, one of them could be the persecution they fear on the ground of their sexual orientation and gender identity (SOGI). My research listens to the experiences of SOGI applicants for international protection in Belgium: in the reception centres, with LGBTIQ+ organisations and during their asylum interview. Their experiences, narratives and self-identification are all shaped by the people and systems they encounter, and those they eventually need to convince of the credibility of their SOGI – which might be different from what fits within the dominant Western LGBTIQ+ discourse of the listener-assessor.