Gay Refugee Goes Into Hiding

Alvaro Orozco, the Nicaraguan refugee ordered to be deported from Canada, has gone into hiding.

Homosexuality is illegal in Nicaragua and Alvaro had been threatened with violence if he returned, but his Calgarian adjudicator, Deborah Lamont, said he hadn’t sufficiently proved he was gay and ordered him to be deported. Since then, all opportunities for appeal have been exhausted.

I’m not sure what the Immigration Refugee Board is thinking, considering that Alvaro’s story has been published in the Nicaraguan media. Frankly, it doesn’t matter whether or not he can prove he’s gay at this point; his safety is threatened.

• Gay Nicaraguan man goes into hiding after refugee bid denied [CBC News]
• Nicaraguan refugee goes into hiding [Xtra]

Gay Refugee To Be Deported

Alvaro Orozco, the 21-year-old refugee who was denied Canadian citizenship because he didn’t look “gay enough” now faces immediate deportation. Alvaro originally fled Nicaragua, where homosexuality is illegal, and made his way up to Toronto, where he has been living for the past two-and-a-half years.

Calgarian adjudicator, Deborah Lamont, originally denied the refugee claim in February, saying that if Alvaro were really gay, he would have been sexually active. Though Alvaro was only a teenager when he made his refugee claim, all avenues for reversing Deborah’s sex-based decision have been denied.

So let that be a lesson to all you future refugees: If you want to base your claim on being gay, the refugee board demands that you be as flaming and promiscuous as possible. Otherwise you’re just one of those fakers.

Update: Slap reader Sheena writes in with some last-minute info: “If people are still interested in advocating for Alvaro, his website still says his supporters can write to Minister of Immigration Diane Finley and ask her to intervene in his deportation – it’s his only hope. It’s worth a shot!”

Definitely worth a shot. Head over there if you’d like to help out, kids!

• Toronto man who fears anti-gay persecution faces deportation to Nicaragua [Canoe]

Refugee Deemed “Not Gay Enough,” Deported

A gay Nicaraguan man who fled his country at the age of 12 will be deported from Canada.

Alvaro Orozco had been seeking refugee status in Canada after swimming across the Rio Grande, making his way up through the states, and finally settling in Toronto. Orozco claimed that his father threatened to kill him for being gay, and that he didn’t feel safe in Nicaragua where homosexuality is still illegal. Strangely, his Calgarian adjudicator, Deborah Lamont, refused to hear him out, saying that if he were gay, he should have been sexually active:

I found the claimant’s many explanations unsatisfactory for why he chose not to pursue same-sex relationships in the U.S. as he alleged it was his intention to do so and he wanted to do so.

He is not a homosexual [...] and fabricated the sexual orientation component to support a non-existent claim for protection in Canada.

Alvaro, incidentally, was only a teen when he made his claim for refugee status. His lawyer, El-Farouk Khaki, is furious with the decision, and said it showed a lack of understanding about gay teens:

Did [Lamont] expect all gay teens to be sexually active at 14, 15, 16 years old? That’s horrid.

You’ve got a kid who’s run away from home because he’s had the crap beaten out of him by his dad because he’s different, because he looks gay, because he doesn’t behave like the other boys or his brothers.

Alvaro is, of course, seeking a stay on the deportation order. In the meantime, adjudicators clearly have some well-defined expectations for gay men, so here are some quick tips to help conform to their image:

1. Remove all songs from your iPod except for generic House music
2. Try to book Snagglepuss as a speech therapist
3. Shriek whenever you see someone that resembles Madonna
4. Wear one of these fine costumes: Policeman, Construction worker, Indian, Cowboy, or whatever stereotype that leather-clad guy is supposed to be
5. Carry around papers labeled “The Homosexual Agenda” and distribute them to school children

Good luck, Alvaro!

Update: Sheena, a youth centre worker, has informed me that Alvaro’s friends and allies have set up a website containing information on what you can do to help him out. Check it out!

• Refugee claimant who didn’t prove he’s gay denied asylum [CBC News]
• Refugee claimant ‘not gay enough’ [Toronto Star]
• Gay refugee claimant fights deportation order [CTV News]