Resources

Paper prepared for the Refugee Protection Division of the Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada as part of a professional development session on sexual orientation, gender identity and the refugee determination process. This paper reviews developments and issues specific to lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgendered, and intersex refugees and the Canadian inland refugee determination process. 

The Refugee Hearing Preparation Guide is for refugee claimants and their service providers. It educates, guides, and supports refugee claimants who are preparing for their refugee hearings. It informs and empowers service providers in their understanding of the refugee hearing preparation process. And, refugee claimants and service providers learn about essential legal issues pertaining to refugee protection.

In it, you can:

• learn key refugee legal issues
• track your refugee claim on the right timeline
• learn strategies to help prepare for your refugee hearing
• complete the hearing preparation checklist
• get answers to frequently asked questions
• find legal and community resources in Metro Vancouver and Greater Toronto Area

Abstract:      

This annotated bibliography gives an account of legal and social sciences research sources related to refugee claims based on sexual orientation and gender identity. The bibliography, which focuses primarily on English language publications, includes close to 200 items that fall into the following two categories of research sources: 

(1) scholarly publications on lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and intersex (LGBTI) refugees and asylum-seekers and the refugee determination process; 

(2) reports from international, inter-governmental and non-governmental organizations on the same topic. 

Research sources are first organized topically according to the definition of a Convention refugee under the 1951 United Nations Convention relating to the Status of Refugees. As a second listing, a geographical classification is provided of the sources that focus on specific countries or regions. Finally, included is an alphabetical listing by author of all of the research sources we were able to locate for this project.

This is the Guidelines on Developing Human Rights Policies and Procedures published by the Ontario Human Rights Commission (OHRC), last revised in 2008. This is a valuable capacity-building tool that organizations can use when writing, reviewing, and updating policy. 

This research report published by Access Alliance Multicultural Health and Community Services in March 2021 investigates systemic discrimination and barriers that LGBTQ+ newcomer women and other trans and gender non-conforming newcomers in Toronto face at the societal level and within current programs/services. The study evidence suggests how sexual orientation, gender, race and immigration status are relevant predictors of well-being and those who are marginalized by these factors are at higher risk of health inequities. In addition to the full research report you can also access Research Summary  and  Animated Case Stories. 

This Toronto-based organization “empowers and supports the advancement of Black womxn and survivors of sexual violence.” They’ve started the Love Offering Community Emergency Relief Fund “for Black Womxn (Trans and Cis), Femmes, Non-Binary and Gender-non-Confirming folx' experiencing food and income insecurity and who live within the City of Toronto or Greater Toronto Areas.” Priority is given to Black trans womxn and black 2SLBGTQ+ identifying and your donation helps provide financial support and food support.