Court says sexual orientation claim ‘dishonest’
A Jamaican bisexual who yesterday lost his asylum battle in a British court is now facing deportation.
According to the Advocate.com, the 32-year-old Jamaican, Orashia Edwards, lost his lengthy legal battle with the United Kingdom’s Home Office when he was denied asylum on the basis of his sexuality. The court concluded that Edwards was “dishonest” about his sexuality, apparently not believing that he is bisexual.
Edwards and his family fear that he will face persecution upon the return to his homeland because of his sexual orientation, the report said.
The Advocate.com report said that although the court did not release any official documentation about why it found his sexual orientation “dishonest”, Edwards does have a newborn daughter in Leeds, where he has reportedly been residing for the past 14 years.
Outside of the courtroom, the scene was tearful as family and friends expressed outrage at the decision.
“What they are doing is they are sending my son to die, and I will never forgive them for that,” Edwards’ mother told ITV.com. “I will never forgive this government for that,” the report quoted her.
Leeds for Change — an organisation that campaigns on behalf of LGBT asylum-seekers — staged protests earlier this year, started an online petition which garnered nearly 1,000 signatures, hoping to interrupt his deportation, and successfully got a flight cancelled that was meant to deport Edwards last January. The activist group is looking to obtain a similar outcome for the British Airways flight scheduled to deport Edwards today, asking followers to call, tweet, and e-mail the airline and ask that it cancel his flight, said the Advocate.com report.
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