Thursday, 01 May 2025
Research from a University of Nottingham sociologist has revealed that ‘homosecular’ assumptions can influence and shape the credibility of asylum-claim assessments for LGBTIQ+ claimants who identify with a religious faith.
‘Homosecularism’ refers to misguided belief that lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, intersex, and queer (LGBTIQ+) people are at odds with religion.
Dr Diego Garcia Rodriguez, a Research Fellow in the School of Sociology and Social Policy, hopes to conceptualise this new term to bring about new policy implications and change how faith shapes asylum journeys.
The sociologist analysed the experience of 51 LGBTIQ+ religious people seeking asylum in the UK to challenge the assumption that religion and queerness are incompatible, and the results were published in the journal Ethnic and Racial Studies
The study offers a new perspective on how religion shapes the experiences of LGBTIQ+ people seeking asylum and highlights how the British Home Office often relies on secular ideas of queerness that fail to recognise the legitimacy of identities rooted in both faith, gender and sexuality.
This research shows the urgent need for training that moves beyond Western-centric, normative and secular assumptions about queer identities in the UK. Asylum officers must be equipped to recognise the diverse and coexisting realities of faith and queerness among people seeking asylum, rather than treating them as contradictions.”
In the UK, while the sexual orientation of claimants is recorded, gender identity is not. Home Office data reveals that claims based on persecution related to sexual orientation as lesbian, gay, or bisexual accounted for two per cent (1,377) of all asylum claims in 2023. Unlike other people seeking asylum, these individuals face unique challenges due to, among other factors, intersectional stigma, limited support networks, fears of being outed leading to mental health challenges, and housing and detention risks. Given the unique challenges faced by this population, it is critical to examine their lived experiences.
Isaac, a 40-year-old West African Catholic gay man, described his attempt to explain his overlapping identities during an interview with asylum officers. He revealed the scepticism from the interviewer.
I was asked, ‘You are a gay man and also a Christian – how is this possible?’ I said to him, ‘Yes, I was born in a Christian family, and my feelings are a personal thing. I can’t throw my personal feelings away.’ I was crying sometimes, it’s difficult for me to make a decision.”
Powerful statements like Isaac’s highlight the real-life implications of institutional bias and the need for asylum officers to be trained on cultural, gender and sexual diversity to recognise the co-existence of faith and queerness.
Dr Garcia Rodriguez explains that while having a religious faith is not automatically a barrier to a successful asylum claim, many LGBTIQ+ applicants reported being questioned by Home Office officials about whether they had renounced or struggled with their faith, reflecting scepticism about the possibility of being both religious and LGBTIQ+.
This scrutiny inevitably makes some asylum seekers feel marginalised, invalidating their gender, sexuality and religious identities. They feel they are not “LGBTIQ+ enough” for the Home Office when expressing a religious identity, while also not being “authentically religious” for faith communities because of their gender and sexuality. This has led to some applicants experiencing depression, anxiety and trauma.
Dr Garcia Rodriguez advocates for alternative assessment practices that genuinely account for and respect the diverse lived experiences of LGBTIQ+ individuals. Such approaches must move beyond rigid ‘homosecularist’ expectations and instead prioritise empathetic, personalised and contextually sensitive engagements that fully acknowledge the complex and fluid ways in which religious belief and queer identities coexist.
The full paper can be found here.
Story credits
More information is available from Dr Diego Garcia Rodriguez, Research Fellow in the School of Sociology and Social Policy, via diego.garciarodriguez@nottingham.ac.uk
Notes to editors:
About the University of Nottingham
Ranked 97 in the world and 17th in the UK by the QS World University Rankings, the University of Nottingham is a founding member of Russell Group of research-intensive universities. Studying at the University of Nottingham is a life-changing experience, and we pride ourselves on unlocking the potential of our students. We have a pioneering spirit, expressed in the vision of our founder Sir Jesse Boot, which has seen us lead the way in establishing campuses in China and Malaysia - part of a globally connected network of education, research and industrial engagement.
Nottingham was crowned Sports University of the Year by The Times and Sunday Times Good University Guide 2024 – the third time it has been given the honour since 2018 – and by the Daily Mail University Guide 2024.
The university is among the best universities in the UK for the strength of our research, positioned seventh for research power in the UK according to REF 2021. The birthplace of discoveries such as MRI and ibuprofen, our innovations transform lives and tackle global problems such as sustainable food supplies, ending modern slavery, developing greener transport, and reducing reliance on fossil fuels.
The university is a major employer and industry partner - locally and globally - and our graduates are the third most targeted by the UK's top employers, according to The Graduate Market in 2024 report by High Fliers Research.
We lead the Universities for Nottingham initiative, in partnership with Nottingham Trent University, a pioneering collaboration between the city’s two world-class institutions to improve levels of prosperity, opportunity, sustainability, health and wellbeing for residents in the city and region we are proud to call home.
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