“Refugees and Queers. Political education at the interface of LSBTTIQ and flight/migration/asylum” is a model project of the Bundesstiftung Magnus Hirschfeld, which was sponsored by the Federal Agency for Civic Education (BpB) from 2016 to 2019.

The goal of the project is the national networking, support and formation of actors at the interface LSBTIQ* and flight/migration/asylum.
The educational and networking projects are directed both at LSBTIQ* people with a flight background – including initiatives and organisations established by them – as well as at institutions which provide such groups of people with information, take care of, accommodate and support them or communicate with them.

For this purpose, workshops, networking meetings and further education courses were organised on demand up to 2020. The information poster Refugees Queers provides an overview of the project’s activities.

Note: unfortunately, we cannot provide advisory services for queer refugees.

Queer discussions 2.0

Ten podcast instalments in Russian and ten translations of the transcripts into German were created in the cooperation project “Queer discussions 2.0” with Quarteera e.V. in 2023. The publication of the German texts will be completed in 2024.
The journalist Konstantin Kropotkin spoke to queer people from the territory of the former Soviet Union, who live in Germany today or used to live here. One of the emphases was on people from the Ukraine. The project created a multifaceted picture of the realities of life of queer people from the “post-East” and their experiences in their countries of origin, during their forced migration as well as today in Germany.
The podcast instalments (Russian) can be heard on YouTube.
A translation into German can already be found on the portal Queer.de (“Why Kanykei had to flee from Kyrghyzstan”).

Queer European Asylum Network

The Bundesstiftung Magnus Hirschfeld is part of the “Queer European Asylum Netzwerk” (QUEAN), established in 2019. The network consists of academics, activists and civil society organisations. Its aim is to draw attention to the specific situation of LSBTIQ* with a refugee background. Events are organised for this purpose and recommendations drawn up for political decision-makers..

You can find more information on the work of the network on its website, Facebook and X/Twitter (each in English).

Publications information

Sexual orientation and gender identity as reason for flight
This information text provides an overview of sexual orientation and gender identity as reason for flight and asylum proceedings in Germany.

Database: specialist articles, legal sources and guidelines on the subject LSBTIQ* and flight
This database contains a comprehensive collection of specialist articles, legal sources and guidelines on the subject of LSBTIQ* and flight.

Conference transcript “Refugees & queers. Forschung und Bildung an der Schnittstelle von LSBTTIQ, Fluchtmigration und Emanzipationspolitiken
Publishers: Carolin Küppers, Bundesstiftung Magnus Hirschfeld
ISBN: 978-3-8376-4211-7
Published by Transcript Verlag

Contact

Dr. Matti Seithe
Wissenschaftlicher Referent für Gesellschaft, Teilhabe und Antidiskriminierung

Events conducted

2023 events

22.6., Berlin: “Flight, violence, trauma: the implementation of the Istanbul Convention for queer refugees in Germany”, organised by the Gunda Werner Institute and Queer European Asylum Network in cooperation with the Bundesstiftung Magnus Hirschfeld.

2022 events

6.9., Berlin: “Intersectional Thinking about the Istanbul Convention”, organised by the Gunda Werner Institute and Queer European Asylum Network in cooperation with the Bundesstiftung Magnus Hirschfeld.

2021 events

15.06., online in cooperation with the Queer European Asylum Netzwerk: “Who protects the Istanbul Convention? Queer women on the run need more security”

2020 events

13.11., online in cooperation with the Queer European Asylum Netzwerk: Symposium “Recognition and prevention of violence against LSBTIQ people on the run”
16., 23. 30.10., online: Workshop series “Get involved! Political participation and empowerment”
29.04., online in cooperation with the Queer European Asylum Netzwerk: COVID-19 and Queer Asylum Symposium

2019 events

Participation in conferences 2019
28.11., Potsdam: Networking event of the Brandenburgischen Institut für Gesellschaft und Sicherheit gGmbH (BIGS)
04.07., Frankfurt a.M.: Conference “Under The European Asylum Rainbow: Intersectional Queer Challenges I”

2018 events

2017 events

2016 events

26.11., Dresden: Specialist conference “Refugees Queers.” – Specialist conference on the restriction of refugees and LSBTTIQ emancipation politics – opportunities, challenges, state of research