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Across the region, many LGBTQ+ people are forced to leave their countries because of criminalization, persecution, and threats to their lives. In some places, same-sex relationships are still punishable by severe penalties, even death.

For those who reach countries like Kenya or Uganda, safety is not guaranteed. Refugee camps such as Kakuma have seen reports of discrimination, attacks, and tensions affecting LGBTQ+ residents, even as humanitarian agencies try to improve protection.

Recent years have also seen more people fleeing harsh laws like Uganda’s Anti-Homosexuality Act pushing queer individuals to seek asylum across borders, often into already strained systems.

Beyond physical safety, queer refugees face isolation, lack of healthcare, limited legal protection, and mental health challenges shaped by both displacement and identity-based trauma.

And yet, across East Africa, queer refugee communities continue to organize, support each other, and demand dignity, visibility, and rights.

Queer refugees are not just statistics they are people seeking the same thing anyone would: safety, belonging, and the freedom to live openly.

🏳️‍🌈 Their stories matter. Their safety matters. Their rights matter.