Practical Guide Series

February 2023

Country of Origin
Information
Research Guide on LGBTIQ

Original EASO Manuscript completed in November 2021; re-branded EUAA edition published
2023
Neither the European Union Agency for Asylum (EUAA) nor any person acting on behalf of the
EUAA is responsible for the use that might be made of the information contained within thispublication.
Luxembourg: Publications Office of the European Union, February 2023
PDF

ISBN 978-92-9400-462-8 doi: 10.2847/712839 BZ-05-22-241-EN-N© European Union Agency for Asylum (EUAA), 2023
Cover photo/illustration: The Progress Flag, Nicky Ebbage © i-Stock 1311594315, 2021
Reproduction is authorised provided the source is acknowledged. For any use or reproductionof photos or other material that is not under the EUAA copyright, permission must be sought
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COI RESEARCH GUIDE ON LGBTIQ

Preface to the 2023 edition
This document is a re-branded version of the 2021 EASO COI Research Guide on LGBTIQ. The
original version was published in November 2021.
On 19 January 2022, the European Asylum Support Office (EASO) became the European
Union Agency for Asylum (EUAA), which prompted the need to re-brand the 2019 EASO COI
Report Methodology and the 2019 EASO COI Writing and Referencing Guide to align with the
new EUAA visual identity. In this 2023 re-branded edition, references to ‘EASO’ have beenchanged to ‘EUAA’ where relevant.
All the core methodological content of the 2021 EASO COI Research Guide on LGBTIQ
remains the same.
The EUAA COI Research Guide on LGBTQI (2023) can be downloaded from the EUAA COI
Portal.

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EUROPEAN UNION AGENCY FOR ASYLUM

Acknowledgements
The content of this guide was drafted in 2021 by the European Union Asylum Support Office(EASO), prior to the agency’s transition into the European Union Agency for Asylum (EUAA) in
2022. EASO COI sector drafted Chapters 1-6 and Annex I of this COI Research Guide. The
following organisations co-drafted Annex II of this Guide:••••

The Netherlands, Immigration and Naturalization Service, Office for Country
Information and Language Analysis (OCILA)
Finland, Finnish Immigration Service, Legal Service and Country Information Unit,
Country Information
Denmark, Danish Immigration Service, Country of Origin Information unit
Germany, Federal Office for Migration and Refugees, Division 62F - Country Analysis

The following departments and organisations have reviewed the COI Research Guide:•••

Belgium, Office of the Commissioner General for Refugees and Stateless Person(CGRS), Country of Origin Information (COI) research unit (Cedoca)
France, Office Français de Protection des Réfugiés et Apatrides (OFPRA), Division dela documentation, de l’information et des recherches (DIDR)The European region of the International Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Trans and Intersex
Association (ILGA-Europe).

In a final round of consultation with stakeholders, comments were received from the Asylum
Research Centre (ARC), the Austrian Centre for Country of Origin and Asylum Research andDocumentation (ACCORD), UNHCR, and France’s Office Français de Protection des Réfugiéset Apatrides (OFPRA), Division de la documentation, de l’information et des recherches (DIDR).
It must be noted that the review carried out by the mentioned departments, experts ororganisations contributes to the overall quality of the guide, but does not necessarily imply
their formal endorsement of the final COI Research Guide, which is the full responsibility of the
EUAA.

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COI RESEARCH GUIDE ON LGBTIQ

Contents
Preface to the 2023 edition................................................................................................ 3
Acknowledgements............................................................................................................ 4Contents ............................................................................................................................ 5
Disclaimer .......................................................................................................................... 8
Glossary and abbreviations ................................................................................................ 9
1.

Introduction ........................................................................................................... 12
Methodology update Research Guide ..............................................................................................12
Scope and aims of the guide..........................................................................................13
Definitions and focus.........................................................................................................13
Legal background to COI research into LGBTIQ persons .........................................................14
LGBTIQ persons and persecution................................................................................14
The need for COI.......................................................................................................................................16
COI Research challenges.......................................................................................................................16
Terminology............................................................................................................................ 17
Finding sources..................................................................................................................... 17
Scarce, incomplete, contradictory or general COI ...................................................18
Target groups and use of the guide..............................................................................19
Structure and content of the COI Research Guide ..................................................192.

Terminology and glossary ..................................................................................... 20
Introduction ............................................................................................................................................... 20
Basic concepts .................................................................................................................... 20
Variations in concepts and terms........................................................................................................21
Glossary ..................................................................................................................................24

3.

Research questions............................................................................................... 27
Introduction ................................................................................................................................................ 27
Research topics and COI questions (non-exhaustive) ................................................................ 27
Legal framework.................................................................................................................. 27
Application of the law ........................................................................................................29
Treatment by state actors ............................................................................................... 30
Treatment by non-state actors ........................................................................................31

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EUROPEAN UNION AGENCY FOR ASYLUM

Social life ................................................................................................................................32
4.

Types of sources .................................................................................................. 34
Variety of sources ....................................................................................................................................34
Governmental bodies ........................................................................................................35
International NGOs .............................................................................................................35
International specialised NGOs......................................................................................35
Local NGOs............................................................................................................................ 37
UN bodies .............................................................................................................................. 37
EU bodies ...............................................................................................................................38
Other regional international bodies..............................................................................38
Academia/Research institutes or centres...................................................................39
Media (general and specific) ...........................................................................................39
Social science journals/Medical journals studies or centres ...............................39
COI portals ............................................................................................................................ 40
Social media ......................................................................................................................... 40
Non-online sources ..................................................................................................................................41
Books, magazines ................................................................................................................41
Conferences/Workshops ..................................................................................................42
Documentaries/Films .........................................................................................................42
Fact-Finding Missions ........................................................................................................42
Oral Sources..........................................................................................................................43

5.

Research tools and tips ......................................................................................... 45
Keywords/Search terms.........................................................................................................................45
Online tools ................................................................................................................................................46
Collaborative tools...................................................................................................................................46

6.

Research limitations.............................................................................................. 48
When limited time is available.............................................................................................................48
When limited or no information can be found...............................................................................49

Annex I: Research and quality checklist............................................................................ 50
Annex 2: List of sources ................................................................................................... 52
Specialised NGOs ....................................................................................................................................53
Specialised platforms/networks/portals...........................................................................................55
Specialised regional NGOs — Africa.................................................................................................56

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COI RESEARCH GUIDE ON LGBTIQ

Specialised regional NGOs — Arab countries ...............................................................................58
Specialised regional NGOs — Asia....................................................................................................59
Specialised regional NGOs — Europe..............................................................................................59
Specialised regional NGOs — North America .............................................................................. 60
Specialised regional NGOs — Latin America................................................................................ 60
Health‑related organisations ................................................................................................................61
Non‑specialised NGOs...........................................................................................................................62
Non‑specialised COI portals ................................................................................................................63
UN organisations......................................................................................................................................65
EU bodies....................................................................................................................................................65
Other international bodies ....................................................................................................................66
National asylum administrations .........................................................................................................66
Universities — Research centres/ institutes ...................................................................................68
Media (specialised and non‑ specialised) .......................................................................................69
Blogs .............................................................................................................................................................. 71
Others............................................................................................................................................................ 71
Bibliography..................................................................................................................... 72
Terms of reference........................................................................................................... 79

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EUROPEAN UNION AGENCY FOR ASYLUM

Disclaimer
This COI Research Guide on LGBTIQ was written according to the EUAA COI Report
Methodology. 1 The report is based on carefully selected sources of information. All sources
used are referenced.
The information contained in this report has been researched, evaluated and analysed withutmost care. However, this document does not claim to be exhaustive.
Terminology used should not be regarded as indicative of a particular legal position.
Neither EUAA nor any person acting on its behalf may be held responsible for the use which
may be made of the information contained in this report.
The drafting of this guide was finalised in November 2021 and it was re-branded under EUAA
in 2023. The content of the original edition has not changed. More information on themethodology used for this guide can be found in the methodology section of the Introduction.

1
The EUAA COI Report Methodology can be downloaded from the EUAA COI Portal:
https://coi.euaa.europa.eu/administration/easo/PLib/2023_02_EUAA_COI_Report_methodology.pdf

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COI RESEARCH GUIDE ON LGBTIQ

Glossary and abbreviations
For a glossary of terms related to LGBTIQ or SOGI, see Chapter 2, Glossary.
TermDefinition

ACCORD

Austrian Centre for Country of Origin and Asylum Research andDocumentation

AI

Amnesty International

AIDS

Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome

COI

Country of Origin Information

DSD

Disorders of sex development

EASO

European Asylum Support Office

EUAA

European Union Agency for Asylum

EP

European Parliament

EU

European Union

EU+

European Union Member states as well as Norway and
Switzerland

FFM

Fact-finding mission

FTM

Female to Male

GIESC

Gender Identity, Gender Expression, and Sex Characteristics

HIV

Human immunodeficiency virus

HRW

Human Rights Watch

9EUROPEAN UNION AGENCY FOR ASYLUM

TermDefinition

IGLHRCInternational Gay and Lesbian Human Rights Commission

ILGA

International Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Trans and Intersex
Association

LGB

Lesbian, gay, bisexual (persons)LGBT

Lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (persons)

LGBTI

Lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and intersex (persons)

LGBTIQ

Lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, intersex and queer (persons)

LGBTIQA+

Lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, intersex and queer (persons),
asexual, with ‘+’ encompassing additional communities

LGR

Legal gender recognition

MS

Member States

MSM

Men who have sex with men

NGO

Non-governmental organisation

OHCHR

Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights

ORAM

Organization for Refuge, Asylum and Migration

RSS

Really simple syndication

SGM

Sexual and gender minorities

SGN

Sexually and gender nonconforming

SOGI

Sexual orientation and gender identity

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COI RESEARCH GUIDE ON LGBTIQ

Term

Definition

SOGIESC

Sexual orientation, gender identity and expression, and sex
characteristics

SSRN

Social Science Research Network

STD

Sexually transmitted diseases

ToR

Terms of Reference

USDOS

United States Department of State

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1.

Introduction

In April 2015, EASO (now EUAA) published a COI Research Guide on Lesbian, Gay andBisexual (LGB) persons. 2 It was drafted by COI researchers from Belgium and The
Netherlands, and by the NGO Organization for Refuge, Asylum and Migration (ORAM).
The COI Research Guide focused primarily on sexual orientation (LGB persons) and not on
gender identity, gender expression and sex characteristics (transgender and intersex
persons), although the glossary of terms (Chapter 2) and the list of sources (Annex II) also
included these two groups. This focus on LGB was motivated by the fact that social conditions
for transgender and intersex persons are often different from LGB persons. Also research into
gender identity, gender expression and sex characteristics might require a different set ofresearch questions which would need some extra preparation.3 Given the fact that, at thattime, EU+ Member States (MS) indicated having just a few applications from transgender andintersex persons and many more on LGB, it was decided to focus on LGB. 4

Methodology update Research Guide
Since 2015, more EU+ countries have been indicating an increase in applications fromtransgender and intersex persons which would justify expansion of the Research Guide to
LGBTIQ. Therefore, in April 2020, a brief survey was sent out to the EASO Strategic Network(consisting of COI unit managers in the EU+ countries), including the following questions:
1. Which COI challenges do you meet in researching the situation of LGBTI persons?
Which topics do you find particularly difficult to research and which ones easy?
2. Which particular regions or countries of origin are especially difficult to research for
Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity (SOGI)/ Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender &Intersex (LGBTI) issues and on which do you need more detailed information? What
are the main challenges in COI research in these countries?
3. Do you use the LGB Research Guide and if so, is the guide useful to meet yourchallenges? Does the Guide need updating? Does the guide need expanding toinclude Transgender and Intersex persons?
The responses to the survey indicated a range of COI research challenges in a large numberof countries of origin, and showed that the Research Guide was considered useful, especiallyfor starting research into LGB persons. Member states were in favour of an update of thesources and the guide in general, and a majority of the member states supported expansionof the COI Research Guide to include transgender and intersex persons.
Following these outcomes, a working group of COI researchers was formed which updated
the list of sources (Annex II) in the first stage. The working group consisted of COI researchers
from Denmark, Finland, Germany and the Netherlands, coordinated by EASO. The group
worked on the update of Annex II from December 2020 till February 2021. In addition, EASO
COI staff updated the relevant content in the six chapters between June and August 2021.
The COI Research Guide was reviewed by COI researchers from France and Belgium and an
external organisation, the European region of the International Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Trans
EASO, Researching the situation of lesbian, gay, and bisexual persons (LGB) in countries of origin, April 2015, url
Bach, Jhana, Assessing transgender asylum claims, Forced Migration Review (FMR), vol.42, April 2013, url. See
also Jeffrey O’Malley et al. Sexual and gender minorities and the Sustainable Development Goals, UNDP, 2018, url,
pp. 25-27
4
EASO, Researching the situation of lesbian, gay, and bisexual persons (LGB) in countries of origin, April 2015, url
2
3

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COI RESEARCH GUIDE ON LGBTIQ

and Intersex Association (ILGA-Europe). A final round of consultations was carried out in
October 2021, with comments received from ARC, ACCORD, UNHCR, and France.
Sharing knowledge, good practices and useful tools was the reason in 2014 why a guide on COI
research into the situation of LGB persons was deemed useful. 5 These reasons were deemedstill valid for the November 2021 update of the COI Research Guide.
Differences with the 2015 COI Research Guide are: inclusion of gender identity, gender
expression and sex characteristics; an update of the terminology and glossary; an update ofpossible research questions to include LGBTIQ persons, and an update of the sources inAnnex II. The original standard table of content was deemed unnecessary and skipped.

Scope and aims of the guide
While sharing many methodological similarities with other types of COI research, reporting on
the situation of LGBTIQ persons in countries of origin can be challenging for several reasons,such as variety of search terms, scarce sources, no detailed/specific information. Becoming
acquainted with terminology, local contexts and types of sources, understanding relevant
research questions and search terms, and obtaining alternative sources of information canbetter equip a researcher confronted with the difficulties of this topic.
This guide provides background knowledge as well as useful research questions, researchtips and tools for researching the situation of LGBTIQ persons in countries of origin. The guide
should be read in combination with Annex II, which provides an updated list of sources andtheir web links.
The guide focuses on researching the situation of LGBTIQ persons in countries of origin.
Throughout the guide, the abbreviation LGBTIQ for ‘lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender,intersex and queer’ persons and the abbreviation SOGIESC for ‘sexual orientation, gender
identity, gender expression and sex characteristics’ will be used, except when citing othersources that may use different acronyms (such as LGBT, LGBTI, or SOGI).

Definitions and focus
The recent EU policy strategy 6 refers to sexual and gender minorities as: lesbian, gay,bisexual, trans, non-binary, intersex and queer (LGBTIQ) persons. The EU defines thesegroups as follows:‘LGBTIQ people are people:•

who are attracted to others of their own gender (lesbian, gay) or any gender (bisexual);•

whose gender identity and/or expression does not correspond to the sex they wereassigned at birth (trans, non-binary);•

who are born with sex characteristics that do not fit the typical definition of male orfemale (intersex); and•whose identity does not fit into a binary classification of sexuality and/or gender(queer).’ 7

In line with the EU strategy, this updated COI Research Guide encompasses all groups
mentioned above and abbreviated as LGBTIQ.
EASO, Researching the situation of lesbian, gay, and bisexual persons (LGB) in countries of origin, April 2015, url
EC, Union of Equality: LGBTIQ Equality Strategy 2020-2025, 12 November 2020, url
7
EC, Union of Equality: LGBTIQ Equality Strategy 2020-2025, 12 November 2020, url, p. 3, footnote 2
5

6

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EUROPEAN UNION AGENCY FOR ASYLUMOther concepts used in reference to LGBTIQ persons are sexual orientation and gender
identity (SOGI), sexual and gender minorities (SGM), 8 and sexual orientation, gender identity
and/or gender expression, and sex characteristics (SOGIESC).9 For terminology and glossary,see Chapter 2.

Legal background to COI research into LGBTIQ persons
In its 2012 Guidelines 10 on claims to refugee status based on sexual orientation and/or gender
identity within the context of Article 1A(2) of the 1951 convention and/or its 1967 protocol
relating to the status of refugees, UNHCR specifies the following:‘An applicant’s sexual orientation and/or gender identity can be relevant to a refugeeclaim where he or she fears persecutory harm on account of his or her actual or
perceived sexual orientation and/or gender identity, which does not, or is seen not to,conform to prevailing political, cultural or social norms. The intersection of gender,
sexual orientation and gender identity is an integral part in the assessment of claims
raising questions of sexual orientation and/or gender identity. Harm as a result of notconforming to expected gender roles is often a central element in these claims.’ 11
Article 10 of the European Union (EU) Qualification Directive reiterates that sexual orientation
may be invoked as one of the five existing persecution grounds:‘Depending on the circumstances in the country of origin, a particular social group
might include a group based on a common characteristic of sexual orientation. Sexual
orientation cannot be understood to include acts considered to be criminal inaccordance with national law of the Member States. Gender related aspects, including
gender identity, shall be given due consideration for the purposes of determining
membership of a particular social group or identifying a characteristic of such agroup.’ 12
The EU Strategy similarly stated: ‘LGBTIQ asylum-seekers are at particular risk of
discrimination, exclusion, harassment and violence, including sexual violence, in reception anddetention centres, and when being interviewed. They may be deprived of appropriate legal
assistance or vital healthcare, such as ongoing hormone treatment.’ 13

LGBTIQ persons and persecution
LGBTIQ persons may experience persecution and discrimination in different ways, assummarised by UNHCR: 14
ORAM Refugee, Sexual Orientation, Gender Identity and Gender Expression: Essential Terminology for the
Humanitarian Sector, n.d., url. See also ORAM Refugee, ORAM SOGIE toolkit, 5 May 2017, url
9ILGA, Gender Identity, Gender Expression and Sex Characteristics Programme, n.d., [2020], url
10
During a roundtable in 2021, UNHCR was recommended to update the guidelines to ensure asylum procedures
are sensitive to the heterogeneity, rights and needs of SOGIESC applicants for international protection. UNHCR/IE
SOGI, 2021 Global roundtable on protection and solutions for LGBTIQ+ people in forced displacement, 7-29 June
2021, online, url, p. 12
11
UNHCR, UNHCR guidelines on international protection No. 9, 23 October 2012, url, p. 5
12EU, Directive No 2011/95/EU of the European Parliament and of the Council of 13 December 2011 on standards forthe qualification of third-country nationals or stateless persons as beneficiaries of international protection, 13
December 2011, url, p. 16
13EC, Union of Equality: LGBTIQ Equality Strategy 2020-2025, 12 November 2020, url, p. 20. See also UNHCR,
Protecting persons with diverse sexual orientation and gender identities, A Global Report on UNHCR’s Efforts toProtect Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, and Intersex Asylum-Seekers and Refugees, December 2015, url
14
UNHCR, UNHCR guidelines on international protection No. 9, 23 October 2012, url, pp. 4-5
8

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COI RESEARCH GUIDE ON LGBTIQ‘Lesbians often suffer multiple discrimination due to their gender, their often inferiorsocial and/or economic status, coupled with their sexual orientation. Lesbians arecommonly subjected to harm by non-State actors, including acts such as “corrective”
rape, retaliatory violence by former partners or husbands, forced marriage, and crimes
committed in the name of “honour” by family members. Some lesbian refugee
applicants have not had any experiences of past persecution; for example, if they have
had few or no lesbian relationships. Lesbians may have had heterosexual
relationships, often, but not necessarily, because of social pressures to marry and bear
children. They may only later in life enter into a lesbian relationship or identify aslesbian.’‘Gay men numerically dominate sexual orientation and gender identity refugee claims,
yet their claims should not be taken as a “template” for other cases on sexual
orientation and/or gender identity. Gay men are often more visible than other LGBTI
groups in public life in many societies and can become the focus of negative political
campaigns. It is important, however, to avoid assumptions that all gay men are public
about their sexuality or that all gay men are effeminate. Having defied masculine
privilege by adopting roles and characteristics viewed as “feminine”, gay men may beviewed as “traitors”, whether they are effeminate or not. They could be at particularrisk of abuse in prisons, the military and other traditionally male dominatedenvironments and job sites. Some gay men may also have had heterosexual
relationships because of societal pressures, including to marry and/or have children.’‘Bisexual describes an individual who is physically, romantically and/or emotionallyattracted to both men and women. The term bisexuality tends to be interpreted andapplied inconsistently, often with a too narrow understanding. Bisexuality does nothave to involve attraction to both sexes at the same time, nor does it have to involve
equal attraction to or [a] number of relationships with both sexes. Bisexuality is aunique identity, which requires an examination in its own right. In some countries
persecution may be directed expressly at gay or lesbian conduct, but neverthelessencompass acts of individuals who identify as bisexual. Bisexuals often describe theirsexual orientation as “fluid” or “flexible”.’‘Transgender describes people whose gender identity and/or gender expression
differs from the biological sex they were assigned at birth. Transgender is a gender
identity, not a sexual orientation and a transgender individual may be heterosexual,
gay, lesbian or bisexual. Transgender individuals dress or act in ways that are often
different from what is generally expected by society on the basis of their sex assigned
at birth. Also, they may not appear or act in these ways at all times. […] Not fitting within
accepted binary perceptions of being male and female, they may be perceived as
threatening social norms and values. This non-conformity exposes them to risk ofharm. Transgender individuals are often highly marginalised and their claims may
reveal experiences of severe physical, psychological and/or sexual violence. Whentheir self-identification and physical appearance do not match the legal sex on official
documentation and identity documents, transgender people are at particular risk.’‘The term intersex or "disorders of sex development" (DSD) refers to a condition inwhich an individual is born with reproductive or sexual anatomy and/or chromosome
patterns that do not seem to fit typical biological notions of being male or female.
These conditions may be apparent at birth, may appear at puberty, or may bediscovered only during a medical examination. […] An intersex person may identify as
male or female, while their sexual orientation may be lesbian, gay, bisexual, or
heterosexual. Intersex persons may be subjected to persecution in ways that relate to15

EUROPEAN UNION AGENCY FOR ASYLUM

their atypical anatomy. They may face discrimination and abuse for having a physicaldisability or medical condition, or for non-conformity with expected bodily
appearances of females and males. Some intersex children are not registered at birthby the authorities, which can result in a range of associated risks and denial of their
human rights. In some countries, being intersex can be seen as something evil or partof witchcraft and can result in a whole family being targeted for abuse.’ 15

The need for COI
As people from various countries lodge applications for international protection based on theirsexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression and/or sex characteristics, there is a
growing need for information on the situation of LGBTIQ persons in their respective countriesof origin. This need has been confirmed by the European Parliament (EP) resolution of
4 February 2014 on the ‘EU roadmap against homophobia and discrimination on grounds ofsexual orientation and gender identity’. In this roadmap, the EU called on asylum authorities toensure that ‘the legal and social situation of LGBTI persons in countries of origin is
documented systematically and that such information is made available to asylum decisionmakers as part of COI’. 16 In its resolution of 14 February 2019, the EP stressed the need ‘tocarry out research concerning intersex people, taking a sociological and human rights
perspective rather than a medical one.’ 17
However, as UNHCR noted,‘Relevant and specific country of origin information on the situation and treatment of
LGBTI individuals is often lacking. This should not automatically lead to the conclusionthat the applicant’s claim is unfounded or that there is no persecution of LGBTI
individuals in that country. The extent to which international organizations and othergroups are able to monitor and document abuses against LGBTI individuals remain
limited in many countries. Increased activism has often been met with attacks onhuman rights defenders, which impede their ability to document violations. Stigma
attached to issues surrounding sexual orientation and/or gender identity also
contributes to incidents going unreported. Information can be especially scarce forcertain groups, in particular bisexual, lesbian, transgender and intersex people.’ 18
UNHCR added: ‘Where there is a lack of country of origin information, the decision maker will
have to rely on the applicant’s statements alone.’ 19
In the following section, such COI research challenges will be further discussed, based on
EASO’s April 2020 survey.

COI Research challenges
Over the past few decades, attitudes toward LGBTIQ have significantly changed in many partsof the world. LGBTIQ have advocated and obtained recognition of their human rights, such as
UNHCR, UNHCR guidelines on international protection No. 9, 23 October 2012, url, pp. 4-5
EP, European Parliament resolution of 4 February 2014 on the Roadmap against homophobia and discrimination
on grounds of sexual orientation and gender identity (P7_TA(2014)0062), 4 February 2014, url
17
EP, European Parliament resolution of 14 February 2019 on the rights of intersex people, 2018/2878(RSP), 14
February 2019, url
18
UNHCR, UNHCR guidelines on international protection No. 9, 23 October 2012, url, p. 17
19
UNHCR, UNHCR guidelines on international protection No. 9, 23 October 2012, url, p. 17
15

16

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COI RESEARCH GUIDE ON LGBTIQ

the right to non-discrimination and the right to private and family life. 20 However, somecountries have faced a rise in homophobia and others have failed to decriminalise or havefurther criminalised sexual orientation, gender identity and gender expression. 21 It is in thiscontext that some LGBTIQ persons flee their countries of origin and apply for international
protection in EU+ countries on the basis of their sexual orientation, gender identity, gender
expression and/or sex characteristics (SOGIESC). 22
EASO’s April 2020 survey on challenges and COI needs showed several challenges in
researching the situation of LGBTIQ persons in countries of origin:

Terminology
The terminology to categorise LGBTIQ persons is varying across sources and countries. LGBT,sexual minorities, SOGI, sexual and gender minorities, homosexuality, men who have sex withmen (MSM) are examples of terminology used in different sources. A broad concept as
LGBTIQ, often used in international publications, may in reality not refer to all groups coveredin this concept but refer only to some categories such as gay men and lesbian women.
It is therefore important to grasp the terminology used in various countries to refer to LGBTIQ
people and different populations under the ‘LGBTIQ umbrella’.
COI research can be impacted by a researcher’s cultural background, bias or taboos. Also, theresearcher may apply ‘western-based’ categories to different cultural settings (e.g. ‘third
gender’ in Asia). Therefore, cultural variations in use of LGBTI terminology/local vocabulary
and the expressions of sexual orientation and gender identity, gender expression and sex
characteristics should be taken into account in order to conduct research in an effective andobjective manner. 23

Finding sources
The survey indicated the challenge of finding reliable, representative and unbiased sources.
On some countries, western or western-oriented LGBTIQ organisations publishing in the
English language are overrepresented, particularly on countries where local support
organisations are unknown or suppressed or represent only a part of the LGBTIQ community,or where SOGIESC is criminalised or repressed. Local NGOs may report mainly on individual
examples of discrimination or only in the big cities. Or they report only in the local language
which is often inaccessible for the EU+ COI researcher.
In countries where LGBTIQ-support organisations cannot freely operate, they may act under
the disguise of health or social organisations. However, the survey also noted that nonspecialised sources (e.g. general health or rights-based organizations) when interviewed on
the situation of LGBTIQ persons by a European COI researcher, sometimes felt pressured to
speak out in favour of LGBTIQ persons, in situations where they would prefer a neutral stancefor political reasons.

EC, Union of Equality: LGBTIQ Equality Strategy 2020-2025, 12 November 2020, url, p. 3
ILGA, State-Sponsored Homophobia, 2020, 15 December 2020, url
22
EC, Union of Equality: LGBTIQ Equality Strategy 2020-2025, 12 November 2020, url, p. 11
23
See also a recommendation to UNHCR to ‘adopting a culturally sensitive approach, relying on local LGBTIQ+
groups’ expertise, data collection and research’. UNHCR/IE SOGI, 2021 Global roundtable on protection andsolutions for LGBTIQ+ people in forced displacement, 7-29 June 2021, online, url, p. 12
20
21

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EUROPEAN UNION AGENCY FOR ASYLUM

Another challenge noted is how to interview oral sources on sensitive issues such as
SOGIESC, without endangering or offending them. Finally, a good practice is to include
academic sources such as anthropological studies which may expand the scope of theresearch.

Scarce, incomplete, contradictory or general COI
Even if the amount and quality of information on the situation of LGBTIQ in countries of origin
has increased since the early 1990s, it often remains scarce, incomplete and general in nature.
This poses challenges to COI researchers and ultimately to case workers/decision-makers in
the thorough examination of applications for international protection.
The situation of LGBTIQ people in some countries may be poorly documented for various
reasons. The social taboo associated with this group, and/or the state policy, may lead to (selfor state) censorship and leave many incidents of persecution or human rights violations
against LGBTIQ people unreported; the capacity of international and local groups to monitor
and document abuse is limited in many countries. Information provided by sources can bebiased, sensational or contradictory.
While sources may use a broad definition of LGBT/LGBTI/LGBTIQ persons or SOGI/SOGIESC,
their information does not always refer to all persons covered by this definition, but may belimited to the situation of only one group, most often gay men. It is often more difficult to findspecific information in public sources on lesbian, bisexual, trans, intersex and queer persons.24
The survey indicated that COI sources sometimes generalise the situation in a certain country
without giving specific examples or providing statistical data. Finding reliable information on
areas outside the capital or other big cities may be difficult, as well as information on thetreatment (abuses and violations) of persons from the LGBTIQ community by society andfamily. Documenting state persecution – when prosecution is rare or when it is hidden invague charges – can also be difficult. Also gathering information on whether a law, which may
be discriminatory against LGBTIQ persons, is applied in practice (including charges, trials andconvictions) may be challenging.
Additionally, COI tends to focus on the situation of LGBTIQ people in general. Yet this can beheavily influenced by individual factors and intersecting identities such as gender, disability,
socioeconomic status, religion, geography, social network, attitude of the family and(non)conformity 25 to the prevailing norms. 26 These factors may not always be covered bygeneral reports on LGBTIQ persons. COI research should focus as much as possible on thespecific situation of the applicant’s identity. The researcher should be conscious of both how
individual circumstances of the applicant can vary, as well as how broader elements found ingeneral information can be relevant for more than one group. For example, male-to-malesame sex activity may be seen or treated differently under the law and by society than femaleto-female same sex activity.

Kempen, W. van, and Ortiz, A., Transcript from the margins, September 2021, url, pp. 10-11. See also UNHCR,UNHCR guidelines on international protection No. 9, 23 October 2012, url, p. 6; EC, Legal gender recognition in the
EU, June 2020, url; OII, OII Intersex network [website], n.d., url
25
Non-conformity means: Failure or refusal to conform to a prevailing rule or practice. See: url
26
UNHCR, UNHCR guidelines on international protection No. 9, 23 October 2012, url
24

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COI RESEARCH GUIDE ON LGBTIQ

The survey also noted that in countries where a conflict is going on, relevant incidents ofviolence against LGBTIQ persons are not always registered as such; also the reason for theviolent assault may be blurred in the violent context of the conflict.
In light of the above challenges, the COI researcher may be confronted with a lack of
information or lack of specific elements on the situation of LGBTIQ persons. However, scarcity
or absence of information does not automatically mean that their situation is not problematic.

Target groups and use of the guide
The guide should serve the needs of both experienced and inexperienced COI researchers,27
as well as caseworkers conducting COI research on the situation of LGBTIQ people.
Additionally, it may assist lawyers, legal aid providers and judges working in the asylum
procedure.
The guide should be consulted in conjunction with EUAA’s Country of Origin Information Report
Methodology 28 which provides the general framework for COI methodology and quality
standards.

Structure and content of the COI Research Guide
Chapter 2 discusses terminology in more detail and provides a glossary of the most occurring
terms.
Chapter 3 provides a set of research questions.
Chapter 4 gives an overview of types of sources available and provides guidance on information
provided by types of sources.
Chapter 5 examines search terms and online research tools and tips.
Chapter 6 gives guidance when limited time is available to research the situation of LGBTIQ ina particular country or when limited or no information can be found.
Annex I is a research and quality checklist that summarises the main COI principles and quality
standards described in the guide.
Annex II provides a list of sources and their web links. Sources have been divided into ‘types’
and each source is briefly described.

In the guide, the terms ‘COI researcher’ or ‘COI specialist’ will be used to refer to a person who provides COI
services to support asylum practitioners. COI researchers collect, select and validate COI and often draft COI
products. They also conduct research into COI-related matters in order to check facts, events or situations and tobuild up knowledge on a particular country. See also EUAA, COI Report Methodology, 2023, url
28
EUAA, COI Report Methodology, 2023, url
27

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2.

Terminology and glossary

Introduction
As terminology regarding LGBTIQ is so varied and non-standardised, understanding theimportance of the use of certain terms is essential when researching and writing about this
topic. This will assist COI researchers in identifying search terms when conducting online
research. It will also help the researcher in interviewing local oral sources. Knowing whichterms to use can make a significant difference to the outcome. We will see in Chapters 4 and5 the practical bearings of grasping LGBTIQ terminology.

Basic concepts
Firstly, it is important to become acquainted with the different concepts at stake. Five distinct,
yet related, notions can be distinguished, taken together in the acronym SOGIESC (sexual
orientation, gender identity and/or expression and sex characteristics): 29
Sexual orientation refers to each person’s capacity for profound emotional, affectionaland sexual attraction to, and intimate and sexual relations with, individuals of adifferent gender or the same gender or more than one gender.
Gender Identity refers to each person’s deeply felt internal and individual experienceof gender, which may or may not correspond with the sex assigned at birth, including
the personal sense of the body (which may involve, if freely chosen, modification of
bodily appearance or function by medical, surgical or other means) and otherexpressions of gender, including dress, speech and mannerisms.
Gender expression refers to a person’s presentation of the person’s gender throughphysical appearance – including dress, hairstyles, accessories, cosmetics – andmannerisms, speech, behavioural patterns, names and personal references. Gender
expression may or may not conform to a person’s gender identity. 30
Gender refers to the socially constructed roles, behaviours, activities and attributes
that a given society considers appropriate for women and men. 31
Sex refers to the biological characteristics used to define humans as female or male.
The sets of biological characteristics are not mutually exclusive. A sex marker is thelegal sex appearing on identity documents and birth certificates.
Sex characteristics refers to each person’s physical features relating to sex, including
genitalia and other sexual and reproductive anatomy, chromosomes, hormones, andsecondary physical features emerging from puberty. 32
Secondly, there is no uniform terminology relating to diverse SOGIESC. In the languages oforigin of many applicants for international protection, terminology is scarce and general, or
CoE, Because words matter, Glossary on sexual orientation, gender identity or expression and sex
characteristics, n.d., [2020], url. For more information on transgender persons, see EC, Legal gender recognition in
the EU, June 2020, url; Kempen, W. van, and Ortiz, A., Transcript from the margins, September 2021, url, pp. 10-11.
For more information on persons with intersex condition, see OII, OII Intersex network [website], n.d., url
30
ICJ, The Yogyakarta Principles Plus 10, 10 November 2017, url, p. 6
31
CoE, Council of Europe Convention on preventing and combating violence against women and domestic violence(Istanbul Convention), ETS 210, 11 May 2011, url, Article 3(c)32
ICJ, The Yogyakarta Principles Plus 10, 10 November 2017, url, p. 6
29

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COI RESEARCH GUIDE ON LGBTIQ

may have negative connotations. In some cultures, the terminology used does not correspondto the LGBTIQ identities (see the example of Senegal below). In addition, concepts, attitudes
and terminology are not static and may change over time. 33

Variations in concepts and terms
Concepts and terms regarding diverse sexual orientations, gender identities, gender
expressions and sex characteristics vary across (sub-) cultures, countries/regions, and maychange over time. Terms can also vary from person to person and even differ in different
contexts. 34 Bear in mind that some words considered offensive in some countries/culturalcontexts may not be in others. Therefore, caution is advised regarding the used terminology,
especially when consulting media sources.
The 2015 EASO Research Guide noted:‘In many languages reference to homosexuality is associated with taboo and/or
shame. Generally, the more powerful the taboo, the more scarce the terminology is.
Accordingly, in those cultures, widely read newspapers and electronic media in thenative language tend to use derogative and non-nuanced terms to describe LGB.
Different terms may exist for sexually ‘active’ and ‘passive’ partners in men who havesex with men (MSM). The ‘active’ partner is usually regarded as less ‘negative’ andsometimes not even homosexual whereas the sexually ‘passive’ partner is often seen
as more ‘negative’, the ‘real’ homosexual. Where positive, affirmative terms appear,
they are far more likely to be found in foreign-language press and more often inelectronic media appealing to foreigners, ‘Westernised’ local populations and LGB
diaspora communities.’ 35
UNHCR pointed to the fact that ‘not all applicants will self-identify with the LGBTI terminology
and constructs as presented above or may be unaware of these labels. Some may only beable to draw upon (derogatory) terms used by the persecutor. […] men who have sex with men
do not always identify as gay.’ 36 UNHCR added: ‘It is also important to be clear about thedistinction between sexual orientation and gender identity. They are separate concepts and,as explained above at paragraph 8, they present different aspects of the identity of each
person.’ 37
A research project amongst Latin American transgender persons seeking asylum pointed to
the fact that COI on the situation of LGBTI persons‘is scarce and insufficient and mostly addresses the larger LGBTI group in general withlittle attention to specific subgroups. This situation is likely to be even more
pronounced for trans persons, given the late inclusion of gender identity as an asylum
motive in the asylum context. The near absence of trans-specificity is exacerbated by
the lack of COI that could support such differentiation and specificity.’ 38
EASO, Researching the situation of lesbian, gay, and bisexual persons (LGB) in countries of origin, April 2015, url,
p. 13
34
EASO, Researching the situation of lesbian, gay, and bisexual persons (LGB) in countries of origin, April 2015, url,
p. 14. See for example ORAM, Sexual Orientation, Gender Identity and Gender Expression, n.d., [17 April 2016], url
35
EASO, Researching the situation of lesbian, gay, and bisexual persons (LGB) in countries of origin, April 2015, url,p. 14
36
UNHCR, UNHCR guidelines on international protection No. 9, 23 October 2012, url, p. 5
37
UNHCR, UNHCR guidelines on international protection No. 9, 23 October 2012, url, p. 5
38
Kempen, W. van, and Ortiz, A., Transcript from the margins, September 2021, url, p. 11
33

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The researchers concluded that:‘the failure to differentiate trans persons from the wider LGB group led to the mistaken
projection of anti-discrimination provisions regarding a person’s sexual orientation
onto trans persons in the majority of cases. Moreover, the consequences of a lack oftrans-specific rights in legislation and provisions in many countries, in particular withrespect to legal gender recognition and the incarceration of trans women with men,
was not taken into account.’ 39
ORAM, indicating that ‘one’s choice of SOGI terminology is a strong indication of one’s
background, perspective and identity’ provided the following ‘Contextual examples of SOGI
terminology usage in five languages’:‘English: Someone from the West might comfortably self-identify as gay, while anothermight use the same word derisively.
French: In some parts of the Western Francophone world, sexually and gender diverse
individuals are reclaiming the term pédé, a derogatory word for gay, and using it as apositive self-identifying term. A self-identifying gay man from France may proudly referto himself as pédé as a means of appropriating the term as positive.
Turkish: A Turkish man who identifies as gay may refer to himself as nonoş, a purely
derogatory term, to combat the expression’s derisive nature. Like members of theWestern LGBTI communities appropriated the once negative term queer, somemembers of Turkish LGBTI communities refer to themselves using pejorative terms.
Farsi: An Iranian man who identifies as gay may refer to himself as ham.jens.bahz (‫)ھﻤﺠﻨﺴﺒﺎز‬, a derogatory Farsi term used to describe men who are perceived to beeffeminate and/or to have sexual or romantic relationships with other men. Within his
social circle in Iran, this man may never have been exposed to any respectful
terminology regarding his self-identity.
Arabic: A Syrian man may refer to himself as shaz ( ‫) ﺷﺎذ‬, a derogatory Arabic word
literally meaning abnormal reflecting the understanding of homosexuality he acquiredin Syria. Like the Iranian man described above, the Syrian man may in fact identify as
gay even though he uses self-deprecating terminology.’ 40
The EASO 2015 Research Guide provided the following examples of ‘disparate, complex anddistinct uses of terminology’ – most examples refer to terminology of gay men: 41
The standard Arabic word for gay is ‫( ﻣﺜﻠﻲ‬mithl/ mithlyy), meaning ‘the same’. 42 Since the end of
the 20th century, the positive term junusiya misliya (‘the Arabic equivalent of the word
homosexuality’) has been used by some academics and journalists. The website Mdc provides
also Arabic words for bisexuality, sexual orientation, gender orientation, intersexuality andseveral more. 43
According to the Arabic translator of the magazine Bint en Nas: ‘The known expressions informal or classical Arabic are negative and degrading: shouzouz jinsi (unnatural or abnormal
sexuality), loowat (the homosexual act among men, in reference to the story of Prophet Lot in

Kempen, W. van, and Ortiz, A., Transcript from the margins, September 2021, url, p. 11
ORAM, Sexual Orientation, Gender Identity and Gender Expression:, n.d., [17 April 2016], url, p. 941
EASO, Researching the situation of lesbian, gay, and bisexual persons (LGB) in countries of origin, April 2015, url,
p. 14
42
Ganly, Katharine, Arab world: Trouble for gay travels in the Muslim world [Blog), posted on 15 July 2009, url
43
Mcd (Moscas de Colores), Gay Dictonary, Arabic, Junusiya Misliya, n.d., url. See also Bint el Nas, Glossary of
Arabic terms, July 2003, url
39

40

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COI RESEARCH GUIDE ON LGBTIQ

the Bible or Lut in the Koran), and sihaq (the homosexual act among women).’ 44 The
derogative LuuTii or Luti (referring to the Biblical/Koranic story of Lot) is often used in common
speech, according to a source. ‘In Arabic, sadj, meaning peculiar, is now a common label for ahomosexual person. Shudhudh jinsi, which means sexual perversion, became shorthand forhomosexuality.’ 45 The word gay is also translated as shaath (‫)ﺷﺎذ‬, literally meaning deviant, or‘pervert’. 46 ‘Local dialects have many different words that are all perceived as quite offensive
such as Zamel (in Morocco), Khawell, Khaniith, Manyak and Sjadh, which are used in common
speech but sometimes also in the local press.’ 47
Sources indicate that in Turkey, the term ‘lubunya’ is commonly used by LGBT persons for
self-identification. 48
Mark Canavera, a humanitarian aid worker, activist and writer wrote: ‘In Uganda, selfidentifying sexual and gender minorities (including trans, gay, lesbian, some bisexual persons
and allies) commonly use the quasi-affectionate Swahili-derived term kuchu to describe
themselves and one another.’ 49
The EASO 2015 COI Research Guide noted:‘In Senegal, MSM sometimes use the terms ibbi and yoos to refer to themselves andone another, where ibbi refers to the ‘feminine’ or ‘receptive’ partner and yoos refers
to the ‘male’ or ‘dominant’ sex partner. Others avoid these stereotyped gender roles
altogether. Outsiders do not know or do not use these terms. Instead, they mostcommonly use the now pejorative goor jigeen (literally man-woman) and/or pédé(considered by many as derogatory French slang for ‘pederast’) for gay men andgender-nonconforming persons.’ 50
The EASO 2015 COI Research Guide further explained that‘socio-economic factors, foreign language and access to electronic communication
play an important role in the terms a person is likely to use. For example, educated,
wealthy, urban, and well-travelled individuals are far more likely to use terms such as‘gay,’ ‘lesbian’ ‘bisexual’ and ‘transgender’ than their rural, uneducated, poor anduntravelled counterparts. This is likely a reflection of a desire to identify withrecognised LGB concepts and communities, equivalents of which do not exist in manysocieties.
In cultures where LGB live in social isolation and deep taboo, they may use manydifferent terms to describe themselves and one another. They may even lackterminology to describe their own sexual orientation or gender identity altogether,
especially if they do not have access to foreign-language media. […] Depending on the

Bint el Nas, Glossary of Arabic terms, July 2003, url
Palmer, Bryan, How do you say gay in Arabic?, 16 August 2012, url .
46
Ganly, Katharine, Arab world: Trouble for gay travels in the Muslim world [Blog), posted on 15 July 2009, url
47
EASO, Researching the situation of lesbian, gay, and bisexual persons (LGB) in countries of origin, April 2015, url,p. 14
48
World (The), The secret language of Turkey's LGBT community, 14 January 2015, url; Reuters, For Turkey’s LGBT+
community, discrimination said to loom large, 6 July 2021, url
49
Canavera Mark, The Kuchu Beehive [Blog], posted on 2 August 2010, url
50
EASO, Researching the situation of lesbian, gay, and bisexual persons (LGB) in countries of origin, April 2015, url,
p. 14. The positive appropriation of a pejorative epithet like the word ‘queer’, ‘faggot’ or ‘pédé’ by its target(s), isdebated in academic and non-academic writings in English as ‘linguistic reclamation’ and in French ‘leretournement du stigmate’. See for example, Wheeler, André, “Why I'm reclaiming the homophobic slur I used tofear” The Guardian, 9 March 2020, url . or Lorriaux, Aude & Pédeau, Marc, “Oui, «PD», c’est homophobe”, Slate, 8April 2016, url
44

45

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level of taboo and/or shame in any given country, LGB may avoid selfidentifying- terms altogether.’ 51
Elsewhere, in Russia for example, the authorities and the media barely use the taboo word
homosexuality in Russian but less explicit formulations such as “non-traditional sexual
relationships” 52 or “non-standard sexual orientation”. 53

Glossary
Below, in addition to the basic concepts explained in this chapter, a glossary of most commonly used
SOGIESC- and LGBTIQ-related terms are presented in alphabetical order. 54
Bisexual: A person who is physically, romantically and/or emotionally attracted to men and women(or rather, more than one gender). A bisexual identity does not necessarily equate to equal sexual
attraction to both genders.
Cisgender: A person whose gender identity and gender expression match the sex assigned at birthand the social expectations related to their gender.
Gay: Gay refers to a person who is sexually and/or emotionally attracted to people of the samegender. It traditionally refers to men, but other people who are attracted to the same gender or
multiple genders may also define themselves as gay.
Gender: Refers to the socially constructed roles, behaviours, activities and attributes that a given
society considers appropriate for women and men.
Gender-based violence: Violence directed against a person based on the person’s gender.
GIESC: Gender Identity, Gender Expression, and Sex Characteristics
Homophobia: A matrix of cultural and personal beliefs, opinions, attitudes and aggressive behaviors
based on prejudice, disgust, fear and/or hatred directed against homosexual individuals.
Homosexual: Person who is attracted to people of the same sex/gender.
Intersex: Intersex individuals are born with sex characteristics (sexual anatomy, reproductive organs,hormonal structure and/or levels and/or chromosomal patterns) that do not fit the typical definitionof male or female. The term “intersex” is an umbrella term for the spectrum of variations of sex
characteristics that naturally occur within the human species. Some, but not all, intersex individuals
also identify as transgender. 55
LGBTI: An acronym for lesbian, gay, bisexual, trans and intersex people.
LGBTIQA+: Lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, intersex and queer (persons), asexual, encompassing
additional communities

EASO, Researching the situation of lesbian, gay, and bisexual persons (LGB) in countries of origin, April 2015, url,
pp. 14-15. See also ORAM, Sexual Orientation, Gender Identity and Gender Expression, n.d., [17 April 2016], url
52
Article 19, Russia: Federal laws introducing ban of propaganda of non-traditional sexual relationships, June 2013,
url, Human Rights Watch, No Support Russia’s “Gay Propaganda” Law Imperils LGBT Youth, 11 Décember 2018, url
53
Canada: IRB, Russia: The availability of state protection to homosexuals (January 2002 - July 2004), 22 July
2004, url
54
Based on ILGA, ILGA-Europe glossary, October 2015, url; CoE, Because words matter, Glossary on sexual
orientation, gender identity or expression and sex characteristics, n.d., [2020], url; EC, Legal gender recognition in
the EU, June 2020, url; EASO, Researching the situation of lesbian, gay, and bisexual persons (LGB) in countries oforigin, April 2015, url, pp. 15-17; see also ORAM, Sexual Orientation, Gender Identity and Gender Expression, n.d.,[17 April 2016], url
55
EC, Legal gender recognition in the EU, June 2020, url. For more information on intersex persons, see: OII, OII
Intersex network [website], n.d., url
51

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Lesbian: A woman whose enduring physical, romantic and/or emotional attraction is to other
women.
MSM: An acronym for ‘men who have sex with men’ but do not necessarily identify as gay orbisexual. The term is often used in the health field in general and in HIV/AIDS/STD prevention inparticular.
Non-binary: An umbrella term for people whose gender identity is not encompassed or represented
by ‘man’ or ‘woman’. Non-binary identities are varied and can include people who identify with some
aspects of binary identities, while others reject them entirely. 56
Non-conformity: Non-conformity refers to a situation in which one does not follow the norm, when
one is perceived as different because of the characteristics one has or is believed to have, by nature,
choice or experience. In the SOGIESC context, it is when one’s behaviour, appearance, identity or
experience differs from the gender-based expectations that society has of that person.
Queer: A largely academic term that is inclusive of people who are not heterosexual. It includes
lesbian, gay, bisexual and trans-persons. ‘Queer’ was formerly used in Anglophone countries to taunt
and degrade LGB people, and its use is still considered objectionable by some.
SGM: Sexual and gender minorities.
SGN: An acronym for ‘sexually and gender nonconforming’. An umbrella term used to refer toindividuals whose sexual practices, attractions, and/or gender identity and expression are different
from the societal expectations based on their assigned sex at birth. It is intended to be a broader
term than LGBTI. The term was coined to describe sexual and gender minorities in the refugeecontext, referencing the underlying cause for their persecution and avoiding rigid classifications like
LGBTI.
SOGI: A generic term referring to sexual orientation and gender identity.
SOGIE: A generic term referring to sexual orientation, gender identity and gender expression.
Trans or transgender: An umbrella term for people who have a gender identity that is different tothe sex assigned at birth, and for people who wish to portray their gender identity in a different way
to the sex assigned at birth. Trans people may describe themselves using one or more of a wide
variety of terms, including (but not limited to) transgender, transsexual, gender-queer, gender-fluid,
non-binary, crossdresser, trans man, trans woman and several others.
Trans man: A term used to describe someone who was (most likely) assigned female at birth but who
identifies as a man. Some also will use FTM (an abbreviation for female-to-male), although this term
is considered outdated or offensive by some.
Trans woman: A term used to describe someone who was (most likely) assigned male at birth but
who identifies as a woman. Some also will use MTF (an abbreviation for male-to-female), although
this term is considered outdated or offensive by some.
Transphobia: Transphobia is a matrix of cultural and personal beliefs, opinions, attitudes andaggressive behaviours based on prejudice, disgust, fear and/or hatred directed against individuals orgroups who do not conform to or who transgress societal gender expectations and norms. 57
Transsexual: An older term that originated in the medical and psychological communities. The term
is still preferred by some people who have permanently altered – or seek to alter – their bodies

56
57

European Commission, Legal gender recognition in the EU, 2020, url,, p.vii
Transrespect versus Transphobia worldwide, Terminology, n.d., url
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through medical interventions (including but not limited to hormones and/or surgeries). Unlike
transgender or trans, transsexual is not an umbrella term. 58
Cross-dresser: Cross-dresser describes a person who regularly, although part-time, wears clothes
mostly associated with the opposite gender to her or his birth gender. Transvestite is an older term
replaced by the term cross-dresser and seen by some people as derogatory term. Only to be used if
the person self-identifies as transvestite.
WSW: An acronym to refer to ‘women who have sex with women’ but do not necessarily identify aslesbian or bisexual. The term is often used in the public health context, and in HIV/AIDS/STD
prevention in particular.

58

ILGA, ILGA-Europe glossary, October 2015, url
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3. Research questions
Introduction
Not all COI products on the situation of LGBTIQ people take the form of COI reports. Somemay consist of brief responses to specific queries, or a chapter in a more general report on acountry of origin. Regardless of the form of the COI product, a number of essential topics andresearch questions can guide the researcher in their work to ensure relevance, balance andcomprehensiveness of the final product.
This chapter provides a suggestion for relevant topics for a ‘query subject’ or for terms ofreference (ToR) of a COI product on LGBTIQ. For each topic, research questions are provided
to guide the COI specialist in their work. These questions are not exhaustive and some willprobably remain unanswered. They should be viewed as examples aiming to guide theresearcher rather than as a complete and mandatory list.

Research topics and COI questions (non-exhaustive)
Legal framework
Research topics
 Laws specifically concerning LGBTIQ persons
 Laws specifically concerning same-sex acts, homosexual behaviour and/orsame sex relations
 Laws granting rights (or specifically denying rights) to same-sex couples

Legal framework Laws granting legal recognition of the gender identity of transgender and/orintersex persons
 Laws protecting LGBTIQ persons against discrimination, harassment,
violence, etc.
 Laws concerning LGBTIQ organisations
 General anti-discrimination provisions
Research questions
1. Are there laws targeting sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression
or sex characteristics, LGBTIQ persons or organisations?
1.1. What are the provisions, penalties, etc.?
2. Are there laws targeting same-sex acts/behaviour?
2.1. Is there a difference in the legal consent between heterosexual andhomosexual acts?
2.2. Does the law differentiate between sexual acts between men and acts
between women?

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2.3. Are there specific laws for minors 59?
2.4. Are there any laws prohibiting content that promotes diverse SOGIESC?
3. Are there laws targeting transgender, transsexual or intersex persons? For
example, laws concerning cross-dressing, gender affirming treatment/ surgery,legal gender recognition, specific law for minors, prohibition of content that
promotes SOGIESC?
4. Are legal provisions granting trans and intersex people legal gender recognition(LGR) and gender affirming treatment/surgery available and accessible to thesepeople?
5. Is the right to change gender legally dependent on compulsory, mutilating andirreversible surgery? Is it based on procedures that can be experienced by transpersons as humiliating (e.g. by medical professionals or judicial officials)? Or isthe right to change gender identity legally based on a procedure of selfdetermination?
6. Are there laws specifically protecting or granting rights to LGBTIQ persons, suchas the right to marry, adopt children, or legal gender recognition, prohibition onintersex genital mutilation, or are there laws that specifically rule this out?
7. Are there laws targeting LGBTIQ organisations? Or prohibiting healthorganisations to cater for SOGIESC-related health issues?
8. Are LGBTIQ persons mentioned in the constitution, or in national antidiscrimination laws?
9. Do anti-discrimination provisions state that discrimination is prohibited on any
ground? Or do such provisions list specific grounds on the basis of which
discrimination is prohibited? If so, are sex/gender, sexual orientation, gender
identity and gender expression included?
10. Is there a discussion about (further) criminalisation or decriminalisation of
SOGIESC?

For more information on LGBT children, see: UNICEF, Position Paper: Eliminating Discrimination Against Children
and Parents Based on Sexual Orientation and/or Gender Identity, November 2015, url

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Application of the law
Research topics
 Application of the laws specifically concerning LGBTIQ persons
 Discriminatory application of other laws towards LGBTIQ persons
 Social impact of laws against LGBTIQ persons
 State protection for LGBTIQ persons
 Discussion on criminalisation/decriminalisation of SOGI Chronology of major cases of arrests, prosecution and detention of LGBTIQ
persons

Application of the law

Research questions
1. Are there cases of persons being arrested, prosecuted and detained, in
accordance with the existing anti-LGBTIQ legislation?
2. Is the government actively prosecuting LGBTIQ persons and, if so, based on
which laws and to what extent? Is appeal possible and, if so, has it been
granted? Can the accused benefit from judicial assistance? Give examples.
3. Are other laws (concerning, for example, public order, public indecency, theregistration of organisations) not specifically mentioning LGBTIQ persons usedagainst them? Is there discrimination towards LGBTIQ persons in the applicationof other such laws?
4. Is the result of the existing laws and/or their application that LGBTIQ do nothave access to protection if they are threatened or if they are victims of crime,
persecution or discrimination?
5. Are there major cases of arrests, prosecution and detention, including arbitrary
detentions by the police? When transgender persons are arrested, is theirimprisonment based on the sex assigned at birth?
6. What recourse is available through the legal system for a person who
experiences discrimination, violence or harm because of their LGBTIQ identity?
Is it effective in practice? Do police make arrests and do courts issue
punishments in such cases?
7. In practice, do LGBTIQ persons report/seek/ask for protection by law enforcing
agencies and/or the justice system when needed? Are there barriers toreporting?
8. Are laws been used to protect the rights of LGBTIQ? Are there cases ofcomplaints introduced by victims of LGBTIQ-phobic violence/ discrimination?
Have there been important judgments granting rights to LGBTIQ persons?
9. Are there state or NGO services available to specifically support/protect LGBTIQ
persons who are victims of crime, including provision of legal aid services,shelters, counselling?
If relevant, specify that a list is never exhaustive and indicate which period it covers;
and give examples where relevant.

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Treatment by state actors
Research topics
 Treatment of LGBTIQ persons by state officials (other than arrest,
prosecution and detention, e.g. access to and treatment in employment,
education, health) Political climate toward LGBTIQ persons

Treatment by state actors

 Restrictions on LGBTIQ organisations
 Chronology of major incidents against LGBTIQ people involving state actors(e.g. hate speech, instigation to violence, documented abuse)
Research questions
1. Are LGBTIQ persons subjected to discrimination, exclusion, extortion, insults,
intimidation, harassment, threats, aggression, violence, blackmail or otheractions by the authorities (police, intelligence, state health authorities) and, if so,to what extent?
1.1. Are such incidents registered and reported on? Give examples.
1.2. Is any help/support given to victims of LGBTIQ-phobic violence?
1.3. When transgender persons are arrested, is their imprisonment based on thesex assigned at birth (considered a violation of their human rights)?
2. What is the position of political actors towards LGBTIQ persons?
2.1. Is the subject of sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression orsex characteristics discussed in politics by national, regional or local
leaders? And what is the political discourse on LGBTIQ matters?
3. Are there any restrictions regarding the registration and daily activities of
LGBTIQ organisations?
3.1. Is there discriminatory application of NGO laws to LGBTIQ organisations?
4. Are there major incidents involving state actors (if deemed relevant for thereport)?
Specify that a list is never exhaustive and indicate which period it covers, and give
examples where relevant.

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COI RESEARCH GUIDE ON LGBTIQ

Treatment by non-state actors
Research topics
 Societal attitudes towards LGBTIQ people (e.g. hostile public opinion,
violence, public hate speech) The role of religion (or cults, brotherhoods, etc.) and the position oforganised religions and religious leaders towards SOGIESC
 Depiction of SOGIESC and LGBTIQ persons in the media
 Treatment of LGBTIQ people by fellow citizens and family members
 Access to healthcare, including in relation to HIV/AIDS and hormone therapy
for transgender persons, for LGBTIQ persons
 The application of ‘conversion therapy’

Treatment by non-state actors

 Chronology of major incidents against LGBTIQ people involving fellow
citizens
Research questions
1. How are societal attitudes in general towards LGBTIQ persons (e.g. hostile
public opinion, violence, public hate speech)?
2. Are there any international, regional, national or local opinion polls concerning
LGBTIQ persons, or SOGIESC? Are the polls indicative of any visible change?
3. What is the general role of religion (or cults, brotherhoods, etc.) in the country?
3.1. In what way does it influence the treatment of LGBTIQ persons?
3.2. What have local religious leaders said about the subject?
3.3. Is there any visible change in religious views or attitudes in the past few
years?
3.4. Are there religious leaders/people who are in favour of LGBTIQ rights? If so,to what extent and how is this expressed?
4. How are sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, sex
characteristics or LGBTIQ persons depicted in the national media?
4.1. Is there room for the views of LGBTIQ persons or are the views of people
who reject diverse SOGIESC or LGBTIQ people predominant inpublications?
4.2. Are there any people from the LGBTIQ community who function as rolemodels?
4.3. Are there openly LGBTIQ characters visible on television, in theatre or inmovies?
4.4. Are there or have there been specialised periodicals, magazines or
websites on SOGIESC or LGBTIQ persons and/or run by LGBTIQ? Give
examples.
5. How are LGBTIQ persons treated by other citizens?
5.1. What is the influence of traditional values on the daily life of LGBTIQ (e.g.
are LGBTIQ expected to engage in heterosexual marriages)?

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5.2. Have there been cases of honour killings, discrimination, (corrective) rape,
exclusion, extortion, blackmail, aggression, violence, expulsion, genital
mutilations, ‘corrective’ (forced/coerced) therapy and, if so, to what extent?
Are such incidents registered and reported on? Give examples.
5.3. Are there any notable differences in treatment and situation in society
between gay, lesbian and bisexual persons?
5.4. What is the situation of gender minorities (transgender and intersex peopleor people with a different gender expression)?
5.5. Mention incidents of (mis) treatment by fellow citizens.
6. Do LGBTIQ people have access to basic services, such as health care (including
in relation to HIV/AIDS and hormone therapy for transgenders), education andemployment?
6.1. What is the social climate towards, and treatment of, LGBTIQ persons who
have HIV/AIDS?
Specify that a list is never exhaustive and indicate which period it covers, and give
examples where relevant.

Social life
Research topics
 General climate and openness around and towards LGBTIQ people Self-image and self-identification and expression
 Geographical differences in attitudes and sexual/gender diversity
 Terminology used to describe LGBTIQ persons
 LGBTIQ organisations (including possibility to operate openly)

Social life Meeting places and events for LGBTIQ persons
Research questions
1. Is there a social stigma or taboo concerning diverse SOGIESC or LGBTIQ
persons?
1.1. Are there examples of outspoken LGBTIQ persons and, if so, to what extent
are they known to the general public? What is the context wherein thisperson is out in public?
1.2. When looking at the socio-economic context of LGBTI-persons, is there adifference in their situation within the country and/or within the different
populations under the ‘LGBTIQ umbrella’?
1.3. Is there a geographical divide or difference in approach e.g. an urban/rural
divide?
2. What local terms are used to designate SOGIESC or LGBTIQ persons?
2.1. Are there different terms used for sexually active or passive partners? Whouses those terms? What is their connotation?

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3. Are there organisations representing LGBTIQ persons?
3.1. Are they officially registered and recognised? Are the leaders of thoseorganisations known activists? Are the organisations known to the generalpublic? What about their visibility?
4. Are there local, national, regional or international human rights organisations
reporting on the situation of LGBTIQ persons?
5. What is known of the social life of LGBTIQ persons?
5.1. Are there known meeting places and events, such as demonstrations orparades? Can they meet in public? Are there safe spaces where they canmeet such as squares, bars, hotels, beaches?
5.2. Is there information in how far LGBTIQ persons feel they can openly
express their sexual orientation and gender identity or expression?
5.3. Do they use social media to meet? Which international, national or local
internet sites, including dating sites, are generally used by LGBTIQ persons
in the country concerned?

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4. Types of sources
As indicated above, even if the volume and quality of information on the situation of LGBTIQ
persons has improved, finding specific and balanced information remains challenging for COI
researchers.
Being aware of the range of sources available and resorting to alternative sources and channels
of information can greatly contribute to a researcher’s capacity to investigate the topic.
Knowledge of specific terms - as described in Chapter 2 - can also help to locate more in-depth
information while the use of certain online tools can increase efficiency.
This chapter aims to give an overview of the types of sources available, and give guidance on
information provided by types of sources.
The chapter does not intend to list and describe sources of information on the situation of
LGBTIQ, such a list is provided in Annex II. Therefore, the sources cited below should only be
regarded as illustrative and this chapter should be read in conjunction with Annex II.

Variety of sources

60

As in any other type of research, when reporting on the situation of LGBTIQ persons, a COI
researcher should use, as much as possible, a variety of sources (i.e. multiple sources ofdifferent types) to ensure that a balanced picture is obtained.
Some sources may have a strong advocacy stance, while others may not be comprehensive or
specific enough. As with any other COI research, it is therefore important to include sources
within or outside the population concerned.
Below are the types of sources that can be used for COI research on LGBTIQ:
 Governmental bodies
 International non-governmental organisations (NGOs)
 International specialised (LGBTIQ) NGOs
 Local NGOs
 United Nations (UN) bodies
 EU bodies
 Other regional international bodies
 Academia/research institutes or centres
 Media (general and specific)
 Social sciences journals/medical journals or studies
 COI portals and social media as platforms of sources.
While investigating the conditions of LGBTIQ persons, sources should be assessed in thesame way as when conducting any other type of COI research. The researcher shouldcarefully examine the sources taking into account the context in which they operate, as well as
their reliability.

60

This section is mainly based on Chapter 4 of the 2015 EASO COI Research Guide and has been slightly adapted.
34

COI RESEARCH GUIDE ON LGBTIQ

For more information on source selection and validation, see:
EUAA, Country of Origin Information Report Methodology,
https://coi.euaa.europa.eu/administration/easo/PLib/2023_02_EUAA_COI_Report_methodolo
gy.pdfGovernmental bodies
Many government reports on the human rights situation in countries of origin include a section
on the situation of LGBTIQ. Yet in most cases these sections provide rather general
information, which may be an informative starting point but should be completed by more
specialised sources. The United States Department of State (USDOS, Bureau of Democracy,
Human Rights and Labor), for example, in its annual reports on human rights practices,
provides a chapter (section 6) on ‘Acts of Violence, Criminalization, and Other Abuses Basedon Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity’, and ‘HIV and AIDS Social Stigma’. 61
Other country reports - produced by the COI units of national asylum administrations 62 or bynational ministries 63 - often include a section on LGBTIQ in their publications. In addition, some
COI national units conduct fact-finding missions (FFMs) in countries of origin. Some of thesemissions may include, in their terms of reference, the situation of LGBTIQ people or are
entirely focused on this topic (see the section on FFMs).

International NGOs
Some international NGOs have expanded their mandates to include the protection of LGBTIQ
persons. Organisations such as Human Rights Watch (HRW) or Amnesty International (AI),while not specialised in SOGIESC issues, provide in some way or another (reports, news,
videos, etc.), information on the conditions of LGBTIQ people in countries of origin. HRW has a
specific ‘LGBT rights programme’ and has developed a specific webpage on LGBT rights 64
where one can access news releases, reports and commentaries, and subscribe to RSS feeds.
Amnesty International publishes research reports on the situation of LGBTIQ and has a
specific page devoted to sexual and reproductive rights.65

International specialised NGOs
Other sources have specialised in providing specific information on SOGIESC and/or LGBTIQ.
Unlike the non-specialised sources, these tend to monitor on a regular basis the situation of
LGBTIQ persons in countries of origin. They often benefit from a network of local contacts thatassists them in gathering information. 66
For instance, the International Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Trans and Intersex Association (ILGAWorld), is an umbrella organisation of more than 1 700 member organisations from 160

For example, USDOS, 2020 Country Reports on Human Rights Practices, 30 March 2021, url
For example, Belgium, CGRA (Office of the Commissioner General for Refugees and Stateless Persons), COI
reports, n.d., url ; France, OFPRA (Office for the Protection of Refugees and Stateless Persons), Les publications del'Ofpra, n.d., url; DIS (Danish Immigration Service), Country reports, n.d., url; UK Home Office, Country policy andinformation notes, Last updated 14 May 2021, url; please note these CPINs also contain assessment/guidance by anational asylum administration and only the separate COI sections can be considered a COI source.
63
For example, The Netherlands, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Documenten, n.d., url (search for: Ambsbericht);
64
HRW, LGBT Rights, n.d., url
65
AI, Sexual and Reproductive rights, n.d., url
66
EASO, Researching the situation of lesbian, gay, and bisexual persons (LGB) in countries of origin, April 2015, url,
p. 25
61

62

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countries and territories, 67 campaigning for lesbian, gay, bisexual, trans and intersex rights.
ILGA World publishes an annual report (State Sponsored Homophobia Report, available inseveral languages) which constitutes a world survey of laws prohibiting same-sex activity
between consenting adults. 68 ILGA World also publishes an annual Trans Legal Mapping
Report on ‘the impact of laws and policies on trans persons in 143 UN member States’. 69
The ILGA World website 70 also provides (amongst others) press releases on topics andcountries of origin, annual reports on laws on trans persons and maps on sexual orientation
laws around the world.
The regions of ILGA World are Pan Africa ILGA, ILGA Asia, 71 ILGA-Europe, 72 ILGA Latin America
and the Caribbean (LAC), 73 ILGA North America and the Caribbean,74 and ILGA Oceania(Aotearoa New Zealand, Australia and Pacific islands). 75 Regional organisations are formed by
ILGA World members within each region and registered as an independent legal entity. These
regional organisations publish country specific, thematic or general regional reports on thesituation of LGBTIQ people.
For instance, ILGA-Europe developed Rainbow Europe. 76 Rainbow Europe is ILGA-Europe’s
annual benchmarking tool, which ranks 49 countries in Europe on their LGBTI equality laws
and policies. 77 In addition, ILGA-Europe has an annual publication documenting legal, politicaland social developments in 54 countries. It is a report tracking key positive and negative
developments in relation to LGBTIQ equality and human rights in Europe and Central Asia. 78
OutRight Action International, previously called the International Gay and Lesbian Human
Rights Commission (IGLHRC) is an international organisation dedicated to ‘research,document, defend, and advance human rights for LGBTIQ people around the world’. 79 It also
provides information and research reports by country, and the so-called ‘Shadow Reports’ on
the situation of LGBTIQ people. 80 These reports are submitted to committees of independent
experts reporting, at the UN level, on governments’ human rights obligations in order tocounterbalance official government reports. For more information on the UN as a source of
information, refer to the section below on UN bodies.
ORAM Refugees (Organization for Refuge, Asylum and Migration) is an internationalorganisation which ‘protects and empowers LGBTIQ asylum seekers and refugees globally,
creating sustainable and systemic change.’ 81 ORAM produces COI reports including
information on legal and protection environments as well as relevant information on factors
including family structure, socioeconomic conditions and religion. In 2016 ORAM launched atoolkit containing a terminology dictionary in five different languages. 82

ILGA, World member organisations, n.d., url
ILGA, State sponsored homophobia report, n.d., url
69
ILGA World, Trans Legal Mapping Report 2019, September 2020, url
70
ILGA, Resources, n.d., url
71
ILGA-Asia [website], n.d., url
72
ILGA-Europe [website], n.d., url
73
ILGA-LAC [website], n.d., url
74
ILGA North America and the Caribbean [website], n.d.,
75
ILGA Oceania, [website], n.d., url/
76
ILGA, Rainbow Europe [website], n.d., url
77
Rainbow Europe [website], n.d., url
78
ILGA Europe, Annual Review 2021, n.d., url
79
Outright International [website], n.d., url
80
Outright International, Shadow reports, n.d., url
81
ORAM Refugee, [website], n.d., url
82
ORAM, Sexual Orientation, Gender Identity and Gender Expression, n.d., [17 April 2016], url
67

68

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COI RESEARCH GUIDE ON LGBTIQ

Specialised NGOs specifically focusing on one group of sexual minority or gender identity or
expression are, for example, Transgender Europe, 83 Female to Male (FTM) International, 84 andOII Intersex Network. 85
A COI researcher may also consider consulting organisations focusing on health issues andlegal rights which may provide useful COI on LGBTIQ. See Annex II for sources on health
topics.
Note that specialised sources may not represent all LGBTIQ and SOGIESC topics. Some may
focus on specific sub-groups (e.g. gay men) or specific aspects of LGBTIQ rights (e.g. accessto housing). Some of these sources may also have a strong stance on advocacy.

Local NGOs
Many COI researchers consider local organisations in countries of origin to be useful andtrustworthy sources of information, as they have a presence on the ground and are aware ofsociocultural sensitivities and realities. Moreover, these sources may use the locally
acceptable terms for LGBTIQ, which can give the researcher guidance on which search terms
to use. 86
Some local organisations may specialise in, or may have integrated in their mandate,defending LGBTIQ rights. On the other hand, local human rights organisations do not always
integrate LGBTIQ in their target groups for various reasons. This situation underscores thenecessity of consulting a wide variety of sources, but also to be aware and investigate further
the reasons for not integrating LGBTIQ as their target groups or maybe in disguise, which initself may be indicative of the situation on the ground. It is also important to verify if a local
NGO is representative for the situation of all LGBTIQ persons; not all LGBTIQ perceive theirsituation in the same way.
Note that ILGA World and regional organisations, on its webpage, provide a list of memberorganisations which can help to identify local groups. 87 Social media can also be a good tool toidentify local organisations when local NGOs do not maintain a webpage.

UN bodies
UNHCR has published guidelines on SOGI-related claims 88 and on age, gender and diversity –of which SOGI is part as well. 89 UNHCR also published a Policy on the Prevention of, Risk
Mitigation and Response to Gender-based Violence, in 2020, where issues related to LGBTIQ
are covered. 90
Various UN human rights bodies, such as the ‘Human Rights Council’ and the ‘Committee on
Enforced Disappearances’, under the umbrella website of the ‘Office of the High

Transgender Europe, [website], n.d., url
FTM International [website], n.d., url
85
OII Intersex Network [website], n.d., url
86
EASO, Researching the situation of lesbian, gay, and bisexual persons (LGB) in countries of origin, April 2015, url,
p. 26
87
ILGA, ILGA World member organisations, n.d., url
88
UNHCR, UNHCR guidelines on international protection No. 9, 23 October 2012, url
89
UNHCR, UNHCR Policy on Age, Gender and Diversity, 8 March 2018, url
90
UNHCR, UNHCR Policy on the Prevention of, Risk Mitigation and Response to Gender-based Violence, 2 October
2020, url
83

84

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EUROPEAN UNION AGENCY FOR ASYLUM

Commissioner for Human Rights’ (OHCHR), 91 publish reports that may contain valuable
information on the human rights situation of LGBTIQ people.
UN special rapporteurs, working groups or special representatives, also integrate SOGIESC in
their reports. 92 In many cases, information published by these UN human rights bodies isobtained during visits to the countries of origin.
The UN Human Rights Council created the mandate of Independent Expert on protection
against violence and discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity (alsoreferred to as the Independent Expert on sexual orientation and gender identity, or the ‘IE
SOGI’). 93 The Independent expert on sexual orientation and gender identity publishes
thematic annual reports and country visit reports, in which it covers situation of LGBTI people
in the given country. UN OHCHR’s webpage dedicated to the Independent Expert on SOGI
lists these reports.
As it may be a lengthy process to search for UN reports covering the situation of LGBTIQ, one canconsult the Outright International (previously called IGLHRC) website. Here all relevant UN
publications are collected under Reports and sub-tab Research. 94

EU bodies
Less known to COI researchers is that some European Union institutions or fora, such as the
EU Parliament (Subcommittee on Human Rights 95) and the Intergroup on LGBT Rights, 96 canprovide information on LGBTIQ, whether it is in the form of reports, press releases or links toother sources. Note that the website of the EU Parliament Subcommittee on human rights has
a search option that facilitates the retrieval of relevant documents. 97

Other regional international bodies
Other regional international bodies, such as the European Commission against Racism andIntolerance (ECRI) of the Council of Europe (CoE) 98 and the Office for Democratic Institutionsand Human Rights (ODIHR) of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe(OSCE) 99 can also provide information on LGBTIQ, whether it is in the form of reports, press
releases or links to other sources. For instance, the European Commission against Racism
and Intolerance (ECRI) is a human rights monitoring body which specialises in questions
relating to the fight against racism, discrimination (included on grounds of sexual orientation,
gender identity and sex characteristics), and intolerance in Europe; it prepares reports andissues recommendations to Member States. 100 ECRI’s country monitoring approach places all
Council of Europe member states on an equal footing. The work is organised in five-year
UN, OHCHR, Universal Periodic Review, n.d., url
A number of Special procedures are relevant to the question of sexual and gender minorities’ rights, such as the
special rapporteur on freedom of opinion and expression, or the working group on enforced or involuntary
disappearances. For more information on these procedures, see: ARC International, UN Special procedures: A
Guide For Advocates Working On Human Rights Relating To Sexual Orientation And Gender Identity, n.d., url
93
UN, OHCHR, Independent Expert on sexual orientation and gender identity [website], n.d., url
94
Outright International, Reports, n.d., url
95
EP, Subcommittee on Human rights (DROI), n.d., url
96‘The Intergroup on LGBT Rights’ is an informal forum for Members of the European Parliament who wish toadvance and protect the fundamental rights of LGBT people. See EP, LGBTI Intergroup, n.d., url
97European Parliament, Subcommittee on Human rights (DROI), n.d., url
98
CoE, ECRI [website], n.d., url
99
OSCE-ODIHR, Hate Crime Reporting], n.d., url
100
CoE, ECRI [website], n.d., url
91

92

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COI RESEARCH GUIDE ON LGBTIQ

cycles, covering eight to 10 countries per year. 101 OSCE ODIHR carries out annual reporting on
various hate crimes, including bias against sexual orientation or gender identity.102

Academia/Research institutes or centres
Academics can be a very useful source of information because they have in-depth knowledgeof key issues as a result of field studies. They may also benefit from a network of contacts inthe countries of origin. Often, academics specialise in a specific region or country or are
affiliated with a particular programme within a university or research institute. For instance, theFaculty of Law of the University of Toronto offers an international human rights programmethat includes a ‘Sexual diversity’ section. 103 There are many more universities withdepartments focused on SOGI or LGBTIQ, such as Yale University which offers LGBT
studies. 104 These specialised programmes or studies can offer helpful publications as well as
links to other sources. They can also help a COI researcher to identify an academic or
researcher on a particular country of origin who can be contacted by e-mail or telephone.
Research institutes/centres, such as the Pew Research Center also publish relevant studies or
surveys. It has a specific research topic on Gender & LGBT. 105 In 2013 and 2019, the Pew
Research Center also published surveys concerning the acceptance of homosexuality in 39(2013), and 34 (2019) countries. 106

Media (general and specific)
Reports in local and international media can assist in documenting the situation of LGBTIQ andespecially the societal attitude towards them. It is impossible, however, to give an exhaustive
overview of media that could potentially provide information on the conditions of LGBTIQ
persons in countries of origin.
As mentioned in Chapter 2, searching local media can give a good insight into the concepts
used to refer to LGBTIQ and of the societal attitude towards them.
A few websites specialise in delivering news related to LGBTIQ, such as Pink News, which is
described as the ‘Europe’s largest gay new service’. 107 Bear in mind that specialised media
may sometimes use information collected from the Internet, without verifying the original
source. As for any other types of sources, information should be cross-checked.

Social science journals/Medical journals studies or centres
The situation of LGBTIQ persons in many countries is intertwined with the legal, social,religious and familial spheres, making it more difficult to investigate. Occasionally, social
science journals publish articles/studies portraying the situation of LGBTIQ from ananthropological or sociological perspective, which is often lacking in the general country or
human rights reports.
CoE, ECRI, European Commission against Racism and Intolerance, n.d., url, p.3
OSCE-ODIHR, Hate Crime Reporting, n.d., url
103
University of Toronto/Faculty of Law, International Human Rights Programme, n.d., url
104
Yale University, Lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender studies, n.d., url
105
The Pew Research Center is a ‘nonpartisan fact tank that informs the public about the issues, attitudes andtrends shaping the world, and conducts public opinion polling, demographic research, media content analysis as
well as other empirical social science research’. See Pew Research Center, About Pew Research Center, n.d., url;
Pew Research Center, Gender & LGBT, 25 May 2021, url
106
Pew Research Center, The Global Divide on Homosexuality Persists, 25 June 2020, url
107
Pink News, [website], n.d., url
101

102

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Aggregators of social science journals can assist in covering a wide range of journals. The
Social Science Research Network (SSRN) website features research papers that can be
downloaded. 108
Medical journals or studies can constitute an interesting source of information when it comesto the perception of LGBTIQ and access to services, as their analyses often go beyond apurely medical perspective.

COI portals
COI portals offer a single entry point to searching COI from various sources. They areparticularly useful at the initial stage of research as they allow COI specialists to rapidly
retrieve relevant COI from multiple sources.
The EUAA COI Portal is a gateway to COI produced by EU+ states and EUAA in the context ofasylum procedures. It also provides selected COI authored by EU institutions, such as theEuropean Parliament and the External Action Service (EEAS). It has an extensive searchfunction. COI produced by other organisations (non-governmental organisations, internationalorganisations, research institutes, etc.) is not collected in the Portal since such information canbe easily accessed via other complementary COI platforms such as ecoi.net. 109
Ecoi.net 110 is a publicly available portal gathering up-to-date COI from a wide range of sources.
It provides assisted search functions that can help in selecting the right search terms.
UNHCR’s Refworld used to gather COI as well but since 2019 it is focusing on legal
information. 111

Social media
Finding useful contacts in countries of origin, or following up on very local situations can be adifficult task for COI researchers. Social media (YouTube/blogs/Facebook/Instagram/Twitter)
can assist by helping to:•••

identify local groups (NGOs);
get in contact with local informants;
follow up on local events (e.g. demonstrations, local NGO activities, arrests).

Social media can be especially useful for countries where local organisations do not develop
or maintain their own websites. As local NGOs, in some cases, give access to more specificand updated information than mainstream human rights organisations, reaching out to these
local NGOs can prove invaluable. In a later section on ‘oral sources’, we will see how local
NGOs can be approached to obtain information. 112
Some blogs specialise in LGBTIQ. For example, ‘Erasing 76 crimes’ is a blog which provides
posts, articles and references on ‘76 countries’ anti-gay laws and the struggle to repeal them’.
The blog also publishes on arrests and trials of LGBTIQ persons. 113 ARC International, which
SSRN, [website], n.d., url
The EUAA COI Portal is accessible from url
110
Ecoi.net is a publicly available portal gathering up-to-date COI relevant in procedures for international protection.
It is maintained by the Austrian Red Cross (department ACCORD) and Informationsverbund Asyl & Migration(Germany). See: Ecoi.net [portal], n.d., url
111
UNHCR, Refworld [portal], n.d., url
112
Note that ILGA provides a directory of LGBTI member organisations which can help to identify local groups. ILGAWorld Member Organisations, n.d., url. DEVDIR, a directory of development organisations, can also be a useful tool
to identify local NGOs. See: DEVDIR, [website], n.d., url
113
Erasing 76 crimes [blog], n.d., url
108

109

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COI RESEARCH GUIDE ON LGBTIQ

advocates for LGBTIQ rights, also hosts an online ‘electronic network’ that focuses oninternational advocacy, discussions and strategies related to sexuality, sexual rights, sexual
orientation, gender, gender identity, gender expression and sex characteristics. 114 While theseblogs often have strong advocacy stances, their posts can be a good way both to obtain upto-date and specific information and to identify other sources.
Access to certain information (via Facebook, for instance) often requires a specific accounthowever, which then raises the issue of self-identification. Some EU+ countries andorganisations have developed guidelines on how to use social media. 115
Attention should be paid to the risk of harming local contacts or LGBTIQ communities in the
country of origin when raising SOGIESC issues in social media. In some countries, a person
may be put at risk simply for being contacted by a researcher who is looking for information
on LGBTIQ and SOGIESC.
As with any other type of COI research, social media should be used with caution. Given theunregulated nature of social media, some will invariably lack the traditional quality criteria thatguide the work of COI researchers (e.g. neutrality, objectivity, and protection of personal data)
and their final products (e.g. reliability, traceability and transparency).
•

For more information on the use of social media in COI, see:o EUAA COI Report Methodology, 2023:
https://coi.euaa.europa.eu/administration/easo/PLib/2023_02_EUAA_COI_Rep
ort_methodology.pdf
o Austrian Red Cross/ACCORD, Researching country of origin information Training manual, 2013 edition, October 2013 http://www.coitraining.net/handbook/Researching-Country-of-Origin-Information-2013-editionACCORD-COI-Training-manual.pdf
o EASO Judicial practical guide on COI, 2018:https://easo.europa.eu/sites/default/files/judicial-practical-guide-coi_en.pdf

Non-online sources
While valuable information may be available from online sources, one should explore otherchannels of information as they can yield specific and in-depth information. These include:






Books, magazines
Conferences/workshops
Documentaries/films
Fact-finding missions
Oral sources.

We will highlight some of these channels of information-gathering in the sections below.

Books, magazines
Unfortunately, there are too many paper books and magazines on LGBTIQ to provide a useful
overview. These sources are sometimes accessible online through open sources.
ARC International, SOGI Listserv, n.d., url
EASO, Tools and tips for online COI research, June 2014, url. For the use of social media in COI research, seealso: Austrian Red Cross/ACCORD, Researching country of origin information - Training manual, 2013 edition,
October 2013, url
114

115

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Conferences/Workshops
Conferences or workshops on the situation of LGBTIQ can be a valuable occasion to collectinformation from different sources and to establish contacts with experts or counterparts. COI
specialists in some EU+ COI units attend such events. Often, they produce a summary of themain discussions and/or presentations, which can provide useful pieces of COI. For example,
in July 2020 the four-year research project Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity Claims of
Asylum: A European human rights challenge (SOGICA) organized its final conference which
provided some useful COI. 116 ILGA World organises an annual conference. 117

Documentaries/Films
Documentaries or films on the situation of LGBTIQ people in countries of origin can be an
efficient way to grasp complex situations. The website of LGBT Net provides a list offilms/documentaries on the life of LGBT in various countries of the world. 118 Movies that Matter
is another platform where one can access films and documentaries dealing with human rights
and justice, including the situation of LGBTIQ. The platform offers a search function. 119

Fact-Finding Missions
As mentioned previously, some asylum administrations (often the COI unit) in EU+ countries
conduct Fact-Finding Missions (FFMs) to collect specific information on the topic of
LGBTIQ/SOGIESC. In some instances, the missions focus exclusively on the topic, in others, it
is one among many.
The missions are an opportunity to collect information from the field and to establish and/or
reinforce a network of contacts. In some cases, the missions may be limited in duration,
location and in the number and type of interviewees yet invaluable information can becollected. In other cases, interviewees from local NGOs are part of a country-wide network
and are able to report extensively on the situation in other parts of the country.120 Most FFMs
publish a report, which often also contain the fully signed-off transcripts of the interviews it
conducted.
Given the sensitivity of the subject in some countries, collecting information on the topic of
LGBTIQ in the field, and reporting about it, may prove difficult. In 2014, Lifos – the Centre forCountry of Origin Information and Analysis (COI unit of the Swedish Migration Agency) –identified the following challenges or limitations: 121
 Reporting on norms: While information on laws and their application is often easily
accessible, collecting information related to religion, school, family, societal/gendernorms or intimate relations can be far more difficult.
 Choosing the appropriate terminology: Terms carry different values in different
countries and can also have different values in different contexts in the same country.

SOGICA, Final conference, n.d., url
ILGA, World Conference, n.d., url
118LGBT net, Magazines, books and films, n.d., url
119
Movies that Matter, Home, n.d., url. ‘Movies that Matter wants to open eyes for human rights. Our core tasks are
the screening of human rights related films and the stimulation of screenings of human-rights films.’
120
EASO, Researching the situation of lesbian, gay, and bisexual persons (LGB) in countries of origin, April 2015, url,
p. 33
121
EASO, Researching the situation of lesbian, gay, and bisexual persons (LGB) in countries of origin, April 2015, url,
p. 33. Source: Swedish Migration Agency, Lifos, e-mail, December 2014.
116
117

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COI RESEARCH GUIDE ON LGBTIQ

Delegations have to be prepared before the FFM about the terminology to be usedand should be explicit about it while drafting the report.
 Endangering LGBTIQ individuals/communities: Speaking about LGBT issues, in somecontexts, can harm local contacts or LGBT communities in the country.
 Unbalanced findings: The collected information is not always representative of all local
situations as delegations tend to obtain information related to urban and educatedindividuals. Furthermore, information often concerns gay men to the exclusion oflesbians and other LGBT persons.
 Language: Translating interview notes from English to a national language can provedifficult since words may carry different meanings and values from one language to theother. 122

Oral Sources
When a COI researcher cannot obtain information from an FFM or when limited written
information is available, contacting oral sources by e-mail, by telephone, or during a face-toface meeting can be a useful way to gather information.
Yet oral sources can also be hard to find. In the absence of organisations that openly defend
LGBTIQ persons or raise issues related to SOGIESC in certain countries of origin, it can be achallenge to identify a local source that does so covertly. Several strategies can be used totackle that problem.
As mentioned under the section on social media and FFMs, caution must always be exercisedso as not to put oral sources at risk by contacting them for information on LGBTIQ issues.
How to find oral sources
As indicated in previous sections, some specialised NGOs, such as ILGA World, 123 provide
information and contact details on local groups. Other specialised NGOs — whether domesticor regional— can be useful in helping to find local contacts. This can also be true of LGBTIQ
journals which often have local correspondents. Reports on the situation of LGBTIQ persons
may also indicate names of local organisation. Social media, as mentioned previously, canserve to trace local organisations and their contact details.
In other instances, oral sources can be found through organisations focusing on the fightagainst HIV/AIDS. In many countries where discussion of LGBTIQ is taboo, the topic can tosome extent be approached through a health/medical lens. As almost all HIV/AIDS
organisations have a ‘men who have sex with men’ (MSM) component – whether explicit or
unstated – they are either knowledgeable about the situation of LGBTIQ persons – or at leastof MSM – or know someone who is. Keep in mind that in countries where the subject is taboo,some people might be very suspicious or uncomfortable talking about it. One strategy is tocontact these professionals through a third party, such as an organisation that that has trusted
partnership with local organisations. A European-based sexual and gender minority rights
and/or HIV/AIDS organisation funding activities in African or Middle Eastern countries can, forexample, refer the researcher to a local source. The Centre de ressources francophones surle VIH/sida en Afrique, for instance, provides a list of local African NGOs working in the field of
For example, in some local contexts, the term ‘gay men’ is less prejudiced than ‘homosexual men’; yet, whentranslating into Swedish, the Swedish terms for ‘gay men’ appears to be more prejudiced than the Swedish wordsfor ‘homosexual men’. EASO, Researching the situation of lesbian, gay, and bisexual persons (LGB) in countries oforigin, April 2015, url, p. 33. Source: Swedish Migration Agency, Lifos, e-mail, December 2014.
123
ILGA, ILGA World member organisations, n.d., url
122

43EUROPEAN UNION AGENCY FOR ASYLUM

HIV/AIDS. 124 Note that often the identification of a source will have a snowball effect: the firstsource will connect the researcher with one or two other sources and so on.
Local human rights organisations can sometimes offer information about the situation of
LGBTIQ persons. However, this is not always the case, as prevailing taboos on SOGIESC canmake such organisations hesitant or unwilling to provide information. Moreover, somecountries have been criminalising the mere discussion of SOGIESC. Thus, one should notassume that lack of awareness or silence about problems is an indication of their absence.
How to contact them
Where LGBTIQ is a taboo subject, it can be even more important for the researcher to make atelephone call instead of, or in addition to, sending an e-mail. When doing so, it is essential totake time to clearly explain which organisation the COI researcher is working for and for what
purpose information is being collected.
The researcher should bear in mind that the contacted persons might not use the same
terminology as the researcher. As mentioned in Chapter 2 on terminology, some sources may
avoid the terms ‘homosexual’ or ‘LGBTIQ,’ which they find negative and/or ‘Western’ in nature.
In order to gather the most correct and useful information, the researcher should describe inclear and unequivocal terms what information is needed and take note of local sensitivities
and terminology, which are key to fully comprehend the situation.
When contacting the person, it is also important to check the following points: Is any part of the information obtained confidential?
 Can the name of the source be mentioned in a public document? Explain to the source
what ‘public’ means in your country: will the document be available online or will itsolely be used in and by asylum authorities or other stakeholders in the asylum
process?
 If the person wishes to remain anonymous, can the organisation represented by thisperson be quoted? If not, can the organisation be described, and, if so, how?
When contacting a non-binary or transgender person, be aware to ask how they wish to beaddressed and described. Human Rights Campaign provides a useful guide on how to reporton transgender people, such as: ‘Note that many non-binary individuals use the singular“them” and “their” rather than “she” or “he,” in addition to other pronouns (e.g., ze, zir, etc.).’ 125
If the information is transmitted by phone, video call or during a face-to-face meeting, it isgood practice to: send a transcript of the conversation to the source for validation;
 verify with the source whether the information provided in the transcript is correct;
 make sure the information (or better the transcript) is safe to publicise.
Bear in mind that in countries where LGBTI persons are repressed and where diverse
SOGIEGC or advocacy for LGBTIQ rights is criminalised, sources and their organisations could
be in danger if openly quoted.

124
125

ELSA, Centre de ressources francophones sur le VIH/sida en Afrique [website], n.d., url
Human Rights Campaign, HRC’s Brief Guide to Getting Transgender Coverage Right, n.d., url
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COI RESEARCH GUIDE ON LGBTIQ

5. Research tools and tips

126

Keywords/Search terms
Often, in COI research the use of relevant search terms, their broadening or narrowing, will be
key to producing results. When investigating the situation of LGBTIQ persons in countries oforigin, this will be even more essential given the variety of terms used, as discussed in
Chapter 2 (Terminology).
It is recommended to start with wider terms, which may include: homosexual; gay;
 lesbian; bisexual; transgender or trans (person);
 intersex;
 LGBT, LGBTI, LGBTIQ;
 sexual orientation;
 gender expression;
 gender identity;
 sex characteristics;
 SOGI/SOGIE/SOGIESC.
This first step might put you on track and help you to identify more specific and local concepts
that will eventually allow you to narrow your search. Not all languages offer comparable terms
for the abovementioned English terms. Local words to translate those terms might not evenexist.
Search operators such as AND, OR, NOT, wildcards, truncations (in which a word ending is
replaced by a symbol) can be useful when dealing with such variations in concepts andexpressions. For instance, with the search functions of the COI portals Ecoi.net127 and the
EUAA COI portal 128, the asterisk * placed within or after a query term the asterisk is used fortruncation or wildcard. On Ecoi.net, the tilde ~ after the word is used for spelling variations .
For instance, homo*, will retrieve documents containing: homosexual, homosexuals,
homosexuality, homophobic, homophobia, homoerotic as well as the German words
homosexuell, Homosexualität, or the French words homosexuels, etc. However, your searchstring should also include other relevant terms, such as ‘gay men’ or ‘gay man’. Similarly, asearch for lesb*, will call up documents containing:lesbian, lesbians, the French ‘lesbienne’
and the German Lesbe and lesbisch.
Note that Ecoi.net offers a ‘moderated search’ which helps to narrow or to broaden a search.
Whenever the user searches for a word included in the COI thesaurus, the ‘moderated search’This section is based on Chapter 5 of the 2015 EASO COI Research Guide and slightly adapted
Ecoi.net, [portal], n.d., url
128
EUAA, COI portal, n.d., url (click on Advanced search and Search tips)
126
127

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suggests broader, narrower and related terms. Ecoi.net also has a Search help in which wildcards, combining search terms and many more search tips are given.129
For more tips on searching COI, see the 2020 Asylos/ARC Foundation COI handbook, chapter‘Practical COI research tips’. 130

Online tools
To increase research efficiency, the following specific online tools 131 can be used:
•
•

•
•
•

Customised search, such as Google custom search, enables the limitation of a search toselected web sources.
Alerts services allow monitoring situations in specific countries of interest on a particularsubject by predefining queries with selected keywords, a region or country, andlanguage. The researcher can then receive regular updates. Many of the gay news
services, such as Gay star news and Pink news, offer the possibility to register for alert
services.
RSS (Really Simple Syndication) allows subscription to updates on selected websites.
Social bookmarking tools, such as Diigo, 132 Raindrop 133 or Elink, 134 enable users to betterorganise bookmarks and share sources of information with others. Some of these tools
need subscription for full functionality. 135
Twitter/Facebook allows you to follow selected researchers or organisations for thelatest news. See also section Social media.

Also note that specifying the web link in the search field next to the keyword, e.g.,
LGBTI:http://www.refworld.com, serves to narrow a search in Google.
For more information related to online COI research tools, see: EASO, Tools and tips for online
COI research, EASO Practical Guide Series, June 2014, http://easo.europa.eu/wpcontent/uploads/Tools-and-tips-for-online-COI-research2.pdf.

Collaborative tools
COI researchers from EU+ countries often work on similar topics simultaneously without
knowing it. Some researchers may have conducted valuable interviews with experts on thesituation of LGBTIQ or attended relevant conferences that could be useful to otherresearchers working on the same topic and countries of origin. Some COI units may organise
FFMs in the same countries of origin, a mere few weeks or months apart, without being awareof it.
Several ways to increase information sharing were developed in the past years via EASO (now
EUAA). EU+ COI researchers can also contact colleagues via a COI query to the countryspecific EUAA COI Specialist network if available. They also can consult existing or planned

Ecoi.net, Search help, n.d., url
Asylos/ ARC Foundation, 2020 Country of Origin Information (COI): Evidencing asylum claims in the UK, 11
November 2020, url
131
References to specific online technologies are provided as examples only; EUAA does not recommend any
specific tools.
132
Diigo [website], n.d., url
133
Raindrop [website], n.d., url
134
ELink [website], n.d, url
135
For a discussion on some tools, see ELink, Collaborative Bookmarking Tools to Manage Your Bookmarks, 21
August 2020, url
129

130

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COI RESEARCH GUIDE ON LGBTIQ

COI products via the National Production Plans which are collected bi-annually and distributed
amongst the COI networks. For some countries of origin, source lists have been developed.

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6. Research limitations
When limited time is available
A COI researcher may not have enough time to conduct in-depth research. As a result, a COI
researcher may be unable to document the topics that are outlined in the suggested table ofcontents and to check a variety of sources. The obvious solution is to provide the requesterwith recent detailed reports produced by the COI unit of another asylum authority or by (nongovernmental) organisations. These can often be found in the EUAA COI portal. Such reports
are, however, not always available. This section provides some guidance to the researcher
who has to work under time constraints.
Mention time restraints
Mention the specific research question in the introduction as well as the limited time that wasallocated to the research. Ideally, an overview of the consulted sources should be given (seeChapter 3) as well as the reference period for research (e.g. focusing on sources published in
the last two years). It has to be made clear that the research cannot be considered exhaustive.
Formulate the main research questions and consider which subquestions can be skipped.
Sometimes the reference period can be shortened.
Research questions to check as a minimum:a) The legal framework: Are there laws targeting any aspects of SOGIESC or related
acts/behaviour?
b) Application of the law: Are there cases of LGBTIQ persons being arrested, prosecutedand detained? Is this common? Can LGBTIQ people who have been subjected to threatsor acts of violence go to their authorities and benefit from state protection?
c) Treatment by state actors: Are LGBTIQ persons subjected to discrimination, exclusion,
extortion, insults, intimidation, harassment, threats, aggression, violence, blackmail orother actions by the authorities and, if so, to what extent?
d) How are LGBTIQ persons treated by non-state actors, including family, society, or othernon-state groups? If documented violations do occur by non-state actors then you willneed to also consider availability of state protection.
Sources
Begin with a basic source checklist on your first day of research, and read/highlight therelevant information you have gathered. Identify gaps where you might have to look for more
specific information/sources in more depth. Move to more country-or topic-specific sources as
early as possible.
As a starting point for the legal framework, ILGA World’s annual State Sponsored Homophobia
Report 136 is a good reference. However, it is always advisable to directly check the criminal
code of the country in question.

136

ILGA World [website], n.d., url
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COI RESEARCH GUIDE ON LGBTIQ

For research questions b, c and d listed above, general sources, and, occasionally, annual
and/or specific human rights organisation reports, can be useful. Ecoi.net 137 generally storesthe most recent reports and articles about from the main international human rights
organisations and annual reports from government departments (e.g. USDOS). A simple
Google search will often quickly lead to some useful links, using keywords/search terms suchas ‘homo(sexual)’, ‘gay’, ‘lesbian’, ‘transgender’, ‘LGBT(I)(Q)’ (see Chapter 5). It is also possible
to look for regional reports that often contain information at national level. If the country inquestion has national NGOs working on the issue, you can check whether they have recently
published reports or articles.
To ensure that no recent changes and/or incidents have gone unnoticed, it is advisable to do acountry search on specialist news sites. Chapter 4 and Annex II suggest various sources for
specialist news sites.

When limited or no information can be foundFor some countries, a very limited amount of information on the situation of LGBTIQ persons
will be available. This can be the case because there is nothing to report, because the subject
is highly taboo, or because nothing in language known by the COI researcher has been
published and/or is available online.
It is important to indicate when limited or no information has been found on a certain subject,
as well as to include a description of the attempts that were made to find that information. It
may be advisable also to specify, in a disclaimer, that limited or lack of information should not
be conclusive as to the merits of the claim. An introduction can be used to make the reader
aware of certain issues that may be relevant. For example, there may be a general lack of(public) information on the subject or general human rights violations due to curtailment of
freedom of expression or the COI may be focused mostly on a specific group of persons, suchas gay young men who live in an urban environment. With this background information inmind, the reader will be better equipped to understand the outcome of the research.

137

Ecoi.net [portal], n.d., url
49EUROPEAN UNION AGENCY FOR ASYLUM

Annex I: Research and quality checklist
As indicated in Chapter 4, researching the situation of LGBTIQ people should be conductedaccording to the same principles and quality standards as any other COI research. At thesame time, we have seen that special guidance applies to researching the situation of LGBTIQ
persons.
The checklist below summarises key elements of research on the situation of LGBTIQ people.
For each of these, we refer to the relevant chapter of the guide. The quality criteria indicatedin the checklist should be read in conjunction with general COI quality standards discussed in
EUAA COI Report Methodology. 138
RESEARCH and QUALITY CHECKLIST (non-exhaustive)
Questions

Chapters

Do I have a good understanding of the terminology at stake?

2

Did I check if any particular local terminology is used in the country of research?

2

Did I use all possible search terms?

2 and 5

Did I exhaust all research questions (Did I refer to the list of research questions provided in the guide)?

3

Did I consult some of the sources provided in Annex II?

4 and Annex II

Did I use a variety of sources, such as:

4 and Annex IIgovernmental?

4 and Annex IImainstream NGOs?

4 and Annex IIspecialised (LGBTIQ ) NGOs?

4 and Annex IIlocal NGOs?

4 and Annex IIUN bodies?

4 and Annex IIEU bodies?

4 and Annex IIacademia/research institutes?

4 and Annex IIother regional international bodies

4 and Annex IImedia (general and specific)?

4 and Annex IIsocial sciences journals/medical journals or studies (HIV/AIDS)?

4 and Annex II

COI portals?

4 and Annex IIsocial media?

4 and 5

When relevant, did I use non-online sources, such as:

138

4



books?

4

conferences/workshops?

4

EUAA , EUAA COI Report Methodology, 2023, url
50

COI RESEARCH GUIDE ON LGBTIQ

documentaries/films?

4



FFM reports/findings?

4

oral sources?

4

Did I make use of alternative sources of information, such as:

4health-related sources (journals, organisations, etc.)?

4In order to look for local sources, did I:4check via (local) HIV/AIDS organisations?

4check via specialised LGBTIQ organisations?

4check via LGBTIQ media (local correspondents)?

4

Did I verify, to the extent possible, the reliability of the sources?

4

If I used specialised LGBTIQ sources, did I check that they represent all LGBTIQ persons?

4

If I contacted an oral source, did I:4

ensure prior to contacting the source that the person would not be put at risk by being contacted?

4



take note of local sensitivities and terminology prior to contacting the source?

3 and 4take the time to clearly explain which organisation I work for and for what purpose I am collecting 4
information?
describe in clear and unequivocal terms what information I am looking for?
4

check whether the information provided by the source is confidential?

4check whether the name of the source can be mentioned in the COI document?

4



if the person wishes to remain anonymous, ask whether the organisation represented by that person 4
can be quoted? If not, can the organisation be described, and, if so, how?
if the information was provided by phone or in person, send a transcript of the conversation?
4



Did I contact colleagues from other COI units?

4 and 5

Did I check the list of COI/LGBTIQ products planned, in progress or finalised, available on the EUAA COI
portal?
In my final COI product, did I make sure to include an introduction/disclaimer that covers the following:

4 and 5

scope of the report;sources used and possible limitations;time constraint;

3 and 6
3 and 6

terminology and definitions of terms by the source?
In my final COI product, is the language used neutral (impartial) and objective (not influenced by opinions,emotions, biases, etc.)?
Is all information provided in the report referenced (in the footnotes)?
Is all information provided in the report fully referenced in the bibliography?
Was my COI product quality checked by a third party?

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EUROPEAN UNION AGENCY FOR ASYLUM

Annex 2: List of sources
The list below is a compilation of websites providing information on LGBTIQ and/or SOGI issues,
indicating the weblink, description of the source and useful features (if available).
All links were accessed between January and July 2021.
The list has been divided into several parts:•

Specialised NGOs•

Specialised platforms/networks/portals•

Specialised regional NGOs in Africa•

Specialised regional NGOs in Arab countries•

Specialised regional NGOs in Asia•

Specialised regional NGOs in Europe•

Specialised regional NGOs in Latin America•

Non‑specialised NGOs•

Non‑specialised portals•

Health‑related organisations•

European bodies•

UN organisations•

National asylum administrations•

Universities — research centres/institutes•

Media (specialised and non‑specialised)

•

Blogs

•

OthersUnder each subsection, the listing is provided in alphabetical order.
A list of local LGBTIQ-related NGOs by country of origin is not included as this would haveconstituted a lengthy collection. However, links to regional organisations that give informationon the situation of LGBTIQ in Africa, Arab countries, Asia, Europe and Latin America areprovided.
All sources of information, and each piece of information provided by these sources, have to beassessed carefully by COI researchers according to the COI research standards in the EUAA
COI Report Methodology.
The list below is not exhaustive.

52

COI RESEARCH GUIDE ON LGBTIQ

Specialised NGOs
Name

Brief description(The) Interface Project
http://www.interfaceproject.org/

Stories of people around theworld living with intersex traits
or variations of sex anatomy
under the banner ‘Nobody isshameful’Useful features

AIC - Advocates for Informed Choices US organisation with
Newsletter
coordinated strategy of legal Annual
https://interactadvocates.org/
advocacy for the rights ofreportchildren with intersex
conditions or differences of sex
development (DSDs)
ARC International https://arcinternational.net/
ARC SOGI Listserv https://arcinternational.net/networkdevelopment/electronicnetworking/Canadian non‑profitmaking
organisation working toadvance LGBT rights

Links to other NGOs
Links to UN
documents Bulletin(news)A forum focusing on discussions
and strategies related tosexuality, sexual rights, sexual
orientation, gender, gender
identity and gender
expression

Arcus Foundation:
https://www.arcusfoundation.org/

Based in New York, US and
Cambridge, UK, Arcus
Foundation works globally. It
partners with experts andadvocates for change to ensurethat LGBTQ people’s rights arerespected around the world

Bi.org (previously:bisexual.org)

Project of the American
Publications (books, research,Institute of Bisexuality,
fact sheets, videos)
designed to give a voice to theBlogbisexual community, shareaccurate information, answer
questions, and provide
resources for further learning

https://bi.org/en

FTM International - Female to Male
International
http://www.ftmi.org/
GATE (Trans, Gender Diverse andIntersex Advocacy in Action)
https://gate.ngo/

Organisation providing
information and resources on
female‑to‑male transition (legal
rights, health)

Legal information

Programs include:
Depathologization of trans,
gender diverse and intersex
people; HIV; Socio-economic
building etc.

Publications on trans andintersex persons, transphobia,
health care

53EUROPEAN UNION AGENCY FOR ASYLUM

Human Dignity Trust
http://www.humandignitytrust.org

Human rights organisation
working for the global
decriminalisation of LGBTsexual identity

Information by country (law)Search function to retrieve case‑law, legal analysis, UN/regional
human rights mechanisms

ILGA World- International Lesbian,Gay, Bisexual, Trans and Intersex
Association http://ilga.org/

Worldwide federation of
more than 1 700 member
organisations from 160
countries and territories
campaigning for lesbian, gay,bisexual, trans and intersex
right

Twice‑yearly updated world
report State‑sponsoredhomophobia Information per
country
Links to regional organisations

ILGLaw - International Lesbian, Gay,
Bi, Trans, and Intersex Law
Association
http://ilglaw.org/
Kaleidoscope Trust
http://kaleidoscopetrust.com/

UK‑based charity working to
uphold the human rights oflesbian, gay, bisexual andtransgender peopleinternationally

Micro Rainbow International
http://www.micro‑rainbow.com/

NGO addressing the situationof poverty of LGBTI
internationally

Reports Miniblogs

Organization for Refuge, Asylum and International organisation devo‑ Reports on specific countries
ted to advocating for LGBTI
Migration (ORAM)
News
refugees. Offices in USA andhttps://oramrefugee.org/
Search function
Europe but active worldwide
http://portal.oraminternational.org/
Online portal
OutRight Action International (was: Documents, defend andList of research reports
International Gay and Lesbian Human advance human rights
List of reports to the UN
violations against LGBTIQ
Rights Commission (IGLHRC))
people across the world.
https://outrightinternational.org/aboutPermanent presence tousadvocate at UN Headquarters
in New York for progress for
LGBTIQ people
Rainbow Railroad
https://www.rainbowrailroad.org/

StopIGM.org
Stop Intersex Genital Mutilations In
Children’s Clinics
http://stop.genitalmutilation.org/
TLC (Transgender Law Center)
https://transgenderlawcenter.org/

Rainbow Railroad is a global
Annual reports
not-for-profit organization thathelps LGTBQI+ people facing Info on anti-LGBTIQ laws
persecution based on theirsexual orientation, gender
identity and sex characteristics
International human rights NGOof survivors and allies fighting
intersex genital mutilations(IGMs) in children’s clinics
The largest trans-specific,trans-led organization in the
US. Advocacy, litigation,
empowering

54

US-focused research reports andlegal work

COI RESEARCH GUIDE ON LGBTIQ

Specialised platforms/networks/portals
Name/Web link

Brief description

Useful features

Commonwealth Equality Network
A network of Commonwealth List or organisations in member
https://www.commonwealthequality.org/ civil society organisations
states of the commonwealthworking to challenge
inequality in the
Commonwealth, based on
sexual orientation andgender identity
Global Legal Monitor- Library of CongresLaws on LGBTIQ rights inmany countries
https://www.loc.gov/law/foreignnews/topic/lgbt-rights/
LGBT Net
http://www.lgbtnet.dk

Provides Danish
organisations and others
working in international
development withknowledge about LGBTI
aspects of development
work

Legal provisions on LGBT inmany countries. Search function
lacking.

Information by country
Database of resources
searchable by keyword andcategory (country reports,
surveys, magazines, books, films,
etc.)

LGBTQI - International Lesbian, Gay,
Bisexual, Transgender, Queer &Intersex Youth and Student
Organisation
https://www.iglyo.com/network/

IGLYO – The International
Info on member organisations
Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual,
https://www.iglyo.com/network/mTransgender, Queer andembers/Intersex (LGBTQI) Youth &Student Organisation is thelargest LGBTQI youth andstudent network in the world,with over 95 members in 40+
countries

OII - Organisation Intersex
International

Decentralised global
network of intersex
organisations

http://oiiinternational.com
Openlyhttps://www.openlynews.com/

Transgender Europe https://tgeu.org/

Links to regional networks

Openly is a global digitalplatform delivering fair,accurate and impartial
LGBT+ news to a world that
isn’t. Powered by original
coverage from the Thomson
Reuters Foundation, Openly
also aggregates selectLGBT+ news andauthoritative reports fromother sources.
A membership-based
A list of all >150 member
organisation. Individuals and organisations and 258 individualorganisations can take part members across Europe andin the European and Central Central Asia in 47 different
Asian trans movement
countries.
through their membership.

55

EUROPEAN UNION AGENCY FOR ASYLUMSpecialised regional NGOs — Africa

139

Name

Brief description

Africa Gay Rights (Association)

Platform of exchanges,
List of partner associations, news,
testimonies and information for press review
African LGBT. Africa Gay Rights is
an initiative of a group of African
LGBT activists supported by the“Rainbow House of the provinceof Luxembourg (Belgium)https://www.africa-gay-rights.org/

African Human Rights Coalition
https://www.africanhrc.org/

Useful features

African Human Rights Coalition(AHRC) works with LGBTI
communities and individuals inand from African countries
seeking to claim and defend
their human rights, withadvocacy, resources and direct
services

Newsletters/blogs

AMSHeR - African Men for Sexual
Health and Rights
http://www.amsher.org/

Coalition of 18 MSM/LGBTI‑ledorganisations in Africa‘Projects’ page with links toreports, news, etc.

Focuses on policy, law, healthhttps://amsher.org/all-amsherprojects/

ARSRC - Africa Regional Sexuality
Resource Centre
http://www.arsrc.org/

Part of Ford Foundation initiative, Magazines,‘Global Dialogue of Sexual
Monographs,
Articles,Health and Well‑Being’
SeminarpapersCAL - Coalition of African Lesbians Coalition of 14 organisations in
10 Sub-Saharan African
http://www.cal.org.za/
countries to advance justice forlesbian and bisexual womenand trans‑ diverse persons

Legal info
Reports
Advocacy

Reports NewsSearch function
Statements

CEPEHRG (Centre for Popular
Education and Human Rights,
Ghana)
https://www.cepehrg.net/about-us/

Combating the impact of AIDS Resources include news blogs,
and promoting equality andinformation on human rights anddiversity in Ghana. Providing
legal rights
human rights education and HIV
awareness through interactive
theatreELSA - Centre de ressources
francophones sur le VIH/sida en
Afrique (Plateforme Ensemble
luttons contre le sida en Africa

Platform of five French NGOs
active in the struggle against
HIV/AIDS in Africa via the
support of local NGOs

https://plateforme-elsa.org/

List of local LGBT/HIV‑AIDS
NGOs by country (statistics,
description of NGOs, contact
details) https://plateformeelsa.org/associations-africainesdu-reseau-elsa/

A list of West African LGBTQ organisation can be found in: We Exist, Mapping LGBTQ Organizing in West Africa,
2016, url

139

56

COI RESEARCH GUIDE ON LGBTIQGALA - Gay and Lesbian Memory in Centre for LGBTI culture andActioneducation in Africa

Reports, books and otherpublications

http://www.gala.co.za
Gender DynamiX (Transgender)
http://www.genderdynamix.org.za/

African‑based organisation
solely focusing on the trans andgender diverse communities

Heinrich Böll Stiftung — East andHorn of Africa – Gender &democracy

German Green Political
Foundation that conducts andsupports civic educational
https://ke.boell.org/index.php/en/ge activities worldwide.

Research articles/reports
Conference presentations andpapers, podcasts
Links to publicationsnder-democracy

Gender is one of the themes
on which the foundation
focuses

HRAPF (Human Rights Awarenessand Promotion Forum)
https://www.hrapf.org

HRAPF (Uganda) is a nonResource center:governmental human rights
Annual reports
advocacy organisation whose
mission is to promote respect
Laws and policies
and protection of human rights
Legal and political analysesof marginalised persons andMost at Risk Populations through Court judgements
enhanced access to justice,
Human rights advocate magazine
research and advocacy, legal
and human rights awareness,
Paralegal magazine
capacity enhancement andstrategic partnerships

IDNOWA (Interfaith Diversity
Network of West Africa)
https://itdnowa.org/

Building bridges across all
Research and documentation
religions/faiths and changing
Blog posts
attitudes towards LGBTQI
people. We dialogue with faithbased groups, communities,
influence institutions, foster selfacceptance through education,
debates, advocacy andinformation dissemination.

Based in Ghana

Library of Congress – chart ofcriminal laws on homosexuality

Laws on Homosexuality in
African Nations (2014)

The chart summarizes thetreatment of homosexuality in thelaws of 49 African nations (2014)

African branch of ILGA

Annual reports, newsletters

https://www.loc.gov/law/help/crimin
al-laws-on-homosexuality/africannations-laws.php
Pan Africa ILGA
https://panafricailga.org/

Podcasts,
ArticlesConferences

Queer African Youth Network(QAYN) https://qayn.org/en/

QAYN is a queer and feminist
organization founded in 2010
with the aim of establishing an
extensive support network topromote the well-being andsafety of lesbian, gay, bisexual,

57

The website is both in English
and in French
It claims to be an “autonomous
movement led by lesbians, queer
women, trans* and gender non-EUROPEAN UNION AGENCY FOR ASYLUM

transgender and queer people in confirming young activists”
West Africa

Rights Africa
https://rightsafrica.com/

Website for the African Human
Rights Media Network.

News on LGBTIQ by region of
AfricaThe network publishes andAlso items on health, arts, people
distributes news articles, videos,features, and commentaries
about Africa that educate
readers and viewers about thestruggles of minorities, including
sexual minorities, for respect andrecognition of their human rights

TIERS (The Initiative for Equal
A Nigeria-based registered non- Annual reports documenting
Rights)for-profit organisation. Activities human rights violations in Nigeria
https://theinitiativeforequalrights.org focus on Human rights, Sexual
Social perception survey/
health and capacity building

Specialised regional NGOs — Arab countries
Name

Brief description

Useful features

LGBT rights in Arab countries
https://al-bab.com/lgbt-rightsarab-countries

LGBT rights in Arabcountries

Information by country

Arab Foundation for Freedoms andEquality

LGBTIQ+ activist
organisation working acrossthe MENA region

Al Bab.com

https://afemena.org/
MOSAIC
https://mosaic-mena.org/

Rainbow Street
https://www.rainbow-street.org/

Founded by legal andhealth experts that conduct
research and advocate forpolicy reform in areas of
SOGIESC and LGBTIQ+ in
Lebanon and the MENA
regionInternational protection
organisation for LGBTQ
people in the Middle East &North Africa

58

Publications
News

Publications
Blog
Visual publications

News

COI RESEARCH GUIDE ON LGBTIQ

Specialised regional NGOs — Asia
Name

Brief description

Useful features

APTN - Asia Pacific Transgender
Network

Mission to enable trans andgender diverse people in
the Asia Pacific region toorganise and advocate
across many areas that
affect our lives

Reports (under ‘Resources’)

https://weareaptn.org/

Asia Pacific Coalition on Male Sexual NGO representing andAnnual report
Health (APCOM) http://www.apcom.org/ working with a network ofindividuals and communitybased organisations across
35 countries in Asia and thePacific. Prioritises HIV issues
that affect the lives of MSM
and transgender people
Asian and Pacific Islander Queer
Group of Asian and Pacific
Women and Transgender Community islander queer women andtransgender people in the(APIQWTC)
Bay Area, who are building
http://www.apiqwtc.org/
com‑ munities together
Being LGBT in Asia
https://www.usaid.gov/asiaregional/being-lgbt-asia
ILGA Asia - Asian Region of theInternational Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual,
Trans and Intersex Association
https://www.ilgaasia.org/

EventsResources

USAID program initiative to Country reports
support Asia’s LGBTI people

ILGA Asia is the AsianRegional branch of ILGA,
representing more than 100
member organisations

Specialised regional NGOs — Europe
Name

Brief description

Useful features

ALDARTE - Centro de atención a gays, Centro de estudios ydocumentación por laslesbianas y transexuales de Bizkaia.
libertades sexuales.
www.aldarte.org
Spanish research centre on
LGBTI
FELGTB (Federación estatal delesbianas, gays, transexuales ybisexuales)

Spanish organisation based Reports,
in MadridNewswww.felgtb.org
ILGA Europe
https://www.ilga-europe.org/

European branch of ILGA,
List of LGBTI organisations in 45
Worldwide federation of 1
European countries
100 member organisations‘Rainbow Europe’: benchmark
from 110 countries
tool rating 49 European countries
campaigning for LBGTI rights
on LGBTI equality laws and59

EUROPEAN UNION AGENCY FOR ASYLUM

policies

NELFA - Network of European LGBTIQ* NELFA was created to unite
European associations ofFamilies Associations
LGBT parents and their
http://nelfa.org/
children under one umbrellaorganisation. Subsequently,
NELFA added “intersex” and“queer”.
OII - Europe
https://oiieurope.org/
TGEU - Transgender Europe
https://tgeu.org/

European branch of
Organisation Intersex
International

Good Practice map Europe
https://oiieurope.org/goodpractice-map-2019/TGEU is network of different Trans Rights Europe Index,
organisations of working to reports
combat discrimination against
trans people and support
trans people rights

Specialised regional NGOs — North America
Name

Brief description

Useful features

Human Rights Campaign
http://www.hrc.org
http://www.hrc.org/topics/interna‑
tional

US civil rights organisation
working to achieve equality
for lesbian, gay, bisexualand trans‑ gender people

Contains an international
page with news, reports,
maps of various countries

TLC ( Transgender Law Center)
https://transgenderlawcenter.org/

The largest trans-specific,trans-led organization in theUSUS-focused research reports
and legal work

Advocacy, litigation,
empowering

Specialised regional NGOs — Latin America
Name

Brief description

Useful features

CIDH – Comisión Interamericana de
Derechos Humanos
http://www.oas.org/es/cidh/informes

Violencia contra personas
Reports
Lesbianas, Gay, Bisexuales,
News
Trans e Intersex en América
Activities

CEJIL (Centro por la Justicia y el
Derecho Internacional) · Center for
Justice and International Law)
https://www.cejil.org/en

A human rights organisation publications and material onin the Americas
International Justicesearch function

60

COI RESEARCH GUIDE ON LGBTIQCISAS (Centro de Información yServicios de Asesoría en Salud)
https://cisasnic.org/

Spanish language
organisation on health in
Latin America

ILGALAC http://ilgalac.org/en/international-lesbian-gaybisexual-trans-and-intersexassociation-for-latin-america-and-thecaribbean/

Latin America and the
Caribbean branch of ILGAWorld

Info on HIV/AIDS

Latin American Center on Sexuality and CLAM aims to produce,
News Publicationsorganise and disseminate
Human Rights (CLAM)
knowledge about sexuality
http://www.clam.org.br/en
from a human rights
perspective in order to help
fight gen‑ der inequality andcontribute to the struggle
against the discrimination ofsexual minorities in the region
Sin Violencia LGBTI (Red Regional de Information system about
Información sobre Violencias LGBTI en LGBTI violence in Latin
America and Caribbean
América Latina y el Caribe)https://sinviolencia.lgbt/non-violence- population

Reports

lgbti/

Health‑related organisations
Name

Brief description

Useful features

Bridging the gaps
https://hivgaps.org/

Organisation working through 21 key
population projects in 16 countries

Reports News

Information on this site will not be
updated anymore (last update:
12/2020)

Blog, video
Links to local and regional
partners

CAPS - Centre for AIDS prevention The centre (UC San Francisco)
Reports Surveys
conducts research to prevent new HIV
studies
infections, improve health out‑ comes
https://prevention.ucsf.edu/
among those infected and reduce
disparities
Erasing 76 Crimes
https://76crimes.com/

Blog on the 76 countries’ anti‑gay laws Info on HIV/AIDS
and the struggle to repeal them

Frontline AIDS

A global partnership working in over
40 countries, taking local, nationaland global action on HIV, health andhuman rights

http://www.aidsalliance.org/

61

Search function

EUROPEAN UNION AGENCY FOR ASYLUM

Global Commission on HIV and the An independent body, convened by
Law
the United Nations Development
http://www.hivlawcommission.org/ Programme (UNDP) on behalf of the
Joint United Nations Programme on
HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS)

E‑library with a collection of
resources and publications
on subjects related to thefindings andrecommendations of the
Global Commission on HIV
and the Law Research/
discussion papers
Press releases

MPACT – Global action for gay
men’s health & rights

Was founded in 2006 as The Global
Forum on MSM and HIV (MSMGF)

Publications

https://mpactglobal.org/
UNAIDS - Joint United Nations
Programme on HIV and AIDS
https://www.unaids.org/enMember of the United Nations
Information by country
Develop‑ ment Group. It advocates for Press centre
accelerated, comprehensive andReports
coordinated global action on the
HIV/AIDS epidemic

US AIDhttps://www.usaid.gov/LGBTI

Advancing LGBTI-Inclusive
Research on LGBT
Development by supporting andassisting marginalized and vulnerable
populations

WPATH - World Professional
International multidisciplinary
Research
Association for Transgender Health professional association to promote
evidence‑based care, education,
http://www.wpath.org/
research, advocacy, public policy andrespect in transgender health

Non‑specialised NGOs
Name

Brief description

Amnesty International, Sexual and Topical page of Amnesty
Reproductive rights [webpage], n.d., International website on LGBTI, https://www.amnesty.org/en/what- rights
we-do/sexual-and-reproductiverights/

Useful features
Does not provide links to
specific reports (use searchfunction to retrieve information)

CCPR Centre - Centre for Civil and The Centre for Civil and Political State reports on civil andRights (CCPR Centre) envisions a political rights
Political Rights
world where the civil and political
http://ccprcentre.org/
Information by country
rights are protected, respected
and fulfilled for everyone without
discrimination. Legal Framework
is ICCPR - International Covenant
on Civil and Political Rights
Equal Rights Trust
https://www.equalrightstrust.org/

Based in UK, it has establishedCountry-specific and thematic
projects and partnerships in more reports addressing
than 45 countries ranging fromdiscrimination and inequality
Azerbaijan to Zambia. Supporting https://www.equalrightstrust.or
civil society combatting
g/equal-rights-trust-reports

62

COI RESEARCH GUIDE ON LGBTIQ

discrimination through reform andimplementation of equality law.
FIDH International Federation for
Human Rights - LGBTI rights

Topical page of FIDH website on
LGBT

https://www.fidh.org/en/issues/lgbtirights/?debut_articles=8#paginatio
n_articles

Website with reports and news
mostly in French and English
but also in Spanish, Arab and
Farsi

Heartland Alliance International
International programs in Latin
News and media blog posts
https://www.heartlandalliance.org/h America and the Caribbean, theResearch reports
Middle East and North Africa, Subeartland-alliance-international/
Saharan Africa, on vulnerable
groups, human trafficking, armed
conflict, access to justice, stigmafree HIV care,
HRW - Human Rights Watch LGBT rights

Topical page of Human Rights
Watch website on LGBT

https://www.hrw.org/topic/lgbtrights
ICJ - International Commission ofJurists
Theme: SOGI
https://www.icj.org/themes/sexualorientation-and-gender-identity/

Reports
News (LGBT rights)
VideosNGO working to promote andprotect human rights through therule of law. The website contains
publications on SOGI

Human rights foundation. Also
Reports Events Articles
works to combat discrimination by
http://www.opensocietyfoundations
empowering lesbian, gay, bisexual,. org/topics/lgbti
transgender and intersex
communities to promote anddefend their human rights
Open Society Foundation - LGBTI

Rights in exile programme(ex‑Fahamu refugee programme)

Programme created to provide
Information by country
access to knowledge, nurture thegrowing refugee legal aid andhttps://www.refugeelegalaidinforma
advocacy movement in alltion.org/sexual-orientation-andcountries and encourage active
gender-identity-lgbti
sharing of information as well as
https://www.refugeelegalaidinforma expertise among legal
tion.org/sexual-orientation-andpractitioners throughout the world
gender-identity-country-list

Non‑specialised COI portals
Name

Brief description

Useful features

EUAA COI portal

COI platform for EU+ states national
asylum administrations. It provides
selected COI authored by EU+
national asylum authorities, EUAA andother EU institutions (e.g. EU External
Action Service).

Search function (simple/
advanced)
News
Notification system

https://coi.euaa.europa.eu/

63EUROPEAN UNION AGENCY FOR ASYLUM

Ecoi.net
http://www.ecoi.net/

Publicly available portal gathering
updated COI relevant in proceduresfor international protection. It is
maintained by the Austrian Red Cross(ACCORD department) andInformationsverbund Asyl & Migration(Germany). Ecoi.net contains morethan 380 000 documents from morethan 160 sourcesCountry pages
Search function (simple/
advanced)
Alert system (updates on
the latest developments
andnewly added documents)

Refworld (UNHCR)
http://www.refworld.org/

UNHCR’s public domain protection
and information database. It provides
COI, but since 2019 the focus has
been on legal and policy information.
In 2020 its protection information
platform was relaunched. It contains
more than 200 000 documents

Country pages
Search function (simple/
advanced)
Alert system (updates on
new additions)

64

COI RESEARCH GUIDE ON LGBTIQ

UN organisations
Name

Brief description

Useful features

OHCHR - Office of the HighCommissioner for Human Rights

OHCHR has a unique mandate
from the international community
to promote and protect all humanrights, including the rights of
LGBTI people

Human rights per issue

OHCHR (UN Office of the HighCommissioner) Independent
Expert on sexual orientation andgender identity
https://www.ohchr.org/en/issues/s
exualorientationgender/pages/index.aspx

The Independent Expert on sexual
orientation and gender identity is
mandated to explore ways tobetter protect persons who sufferfrom violence and discriminationon the basis of their sexual
orientation or gender identity

Annual thematic reports

UNAIDS https://www.unaids.org/

UNAIDS is leading the global
effort to end AIDS as a publichealth threat by 2030 as part of
the Sustainable Development
Goals.

Infographics, publications,factsheets
The Key Population Atlas
https://kpatlas.unaids.org/dashboardUNHCR/Refworld
Sexual Orientation and Gender
Identity
http://www.refworld.org/sogi.html

Refworld documents related tosexual orientation and gender
identity, including legal, policy andbackground information. UNHCR
guidelines on international
protection No. 9, 23 October
2012,
https://www.unhcr.org/publications/legal/50ae466f9/guidelinesinternational-protection-9-claimsrefugee-status-based-sexual.html

Country‑specific information
Case‑law

Brief description

Useful features

https://www.ohchr.org/EN/Pages/
Home.aspx

Human rights by country
Search function

Country visits
Databases info on antidiscrimination, human rights,
jurisprudence etc.

Links to other sources
Search function

EU bodiesName
DROI - European Parliament’s
Subcommittee on Human Rights

Protection and promotion ofhuman rights in internal andexternal policies. Emphasis on
https://www.europarl.europa.eu/coensuring coherence between all
mmittees/en/droi/home/highlights the Union's external policies (e.g.
on trade, asylum and migration)and its human rights policy

65

Search function (*sex,*homo..)News

EUROPEAN UNION AGENCY FOR ASYLUMECRI - European Commission
against Racism and Intolerance
https://www.coe.int/en/web/europ
ean-commission-against-racismand-intolerance

European Parliament Intergroupon LGBT Rights
https://lgbti-ep.eu/

ECRI is part of the antidiscrimination department and the
Directorate of Anti-discrimination
within the Directorate General of
Democracy (DGII) of the Councilof Europe. it is a Human rights
monitoring body which
specialises in questions relating
to the fight against racism,discrimination (including sexual
orientation, gender identity andsex characteristics).

Reports and issues
recommendations tomember States.

Informal forum for Members of theEuropean Parliament who wish toadvance and protect thefundamental rights of LGBTI
peopleNews

FRA - European Union Agency for
Fundamental Rights

Through the collection andanalysis of data in the EU, the FRA
assists EU institutions and EU
https://fra.europa.eu/en/themes/se
Member States in understanding
x-sexual-orientation-and-genderand tackling challenges tosafeguard the fundamental rightsof everyone in the EU. One of thethemes covered by the FRA is
LGBTI and SOGIECRI’s country monitoring isorganised in five-year cycles,
covering eight to 10
countries per year

Links to European
Parliament briefing on LGBTI
Links to other sources
Survey data explorer News
Reports

Other international bodies
Name

Brief description

UsefulBrief description
featuresODIHR - OSCE Office for
Democratic Institutions andHuman Rights

Annual reporting on various hatecrimes, including bias against
sexual orientation or gender
identity

Generating an overview ofincidents in an excel sheet(select a country, select all,select export)

https://hatecrime.osce.org/whathate-crime/bias-against-othergroups-sexual-orientation-orgender-identity

National asylum administrations
Name

Brief description

Useful features

Belgium: Office of the Commissioner
General for Refugees and Stateless
Persons, Belgium (CGRS) & CEDOCA,
COI Unit

Publications of the CEDOCA

List of publications
Search by country/theme

https://www.cgrs.be/en/countryinformation

66

UsefulBriefdCOI RESEARCH GUIDE ON LGBTIQ

Canada: Immigration and Refugee
Board (IRB)

Publications of the Research
Directorate of the IRB

https://irb-cisr.gc.ca/en/countryinformation/Pages/index.aspx

National documentation
packages by country
Responses to information
requests
Recent research Searchfunction

Denmark: Danish Immigration Service
https://www.nyidanmark.dk/enGB/Words-andconcepts/US/Asylum/Countryinformation
Finland: Finnish Immigration Service
https://migri.fi/en/reports
France: Office français de protection
des réfugiés et apatrides (OFPRA) —DIDR

Publications from the Danish
Immigration Service

Country reports

Publications of the Finnish
Immigration Service

List of publications

Publications of the Division del’Information, de la Documenta‑tion et des Recherches (DIDR)

Lists of recent COI reports
and FFM reports

BAMF database. Contains COI

Information by country/theme

Country notes

https://www.ofpra.gouv.fr/lofpra/nos-publications/lespublications-de-l-ofpra%22%20/
Germany: Federal Office for Migration
and Refugees (BAMF) - -MILo

List of publications (IZAM
Publikationen)

https://milo.bamf.de/milop/cs.exe?func=llworkspace
Norway: Landinfo

Publications of Landinfo

Norwegian Country of Origin
Information Centre

List of publications
Search bycountry/subject/language

https://landinfo.no/en/
Sweden: Migrationsverket/Swedish
Migration Agency
Lifos — Centre for Country of Origin
Information and Analysis

Search function

Publications of the Centre forCountry of Origin Information
and Analysis

Search function

https://lifos.migrationsverket.se/lifosaktuellt.html
Switzerland: State Secretariat for
Publications of the State
Migration (SEM)
Secretariat for Migration
https://www.sem.admin.ch/sem/en/ho
me/internationales/herkunftslaender.
html
United Kingdom: Home Office —Country policy and information (CPIN)
notes
https://www.gov.uk/government/colle
ctions/country-policy-and-informationnotes

Publications of the UK Home
Office COI service

67

List of publications

List of publications. Note: theCPINs consist of a COI partand policy assessments part.

EUROPEAN UNION AGENCY FOR ASYLUM

Universities — Research centres/ institutes
Name

Brief description

Useful features

American Institute of Bisexuality –Journal of Bisexuality
https://www.tandfonline.com/loi/wjbi
20

The Journal of Bisexuality is a
professional quarterly publishingboth professional articles andserious essays on bisexuality andits meaning for the individual, thecommunity, and society. Since
2001

Search function (books,
journals)

Centre for Gender and RefugeeStudies (CGRS)
http://cgrs.uchastings.edu/#sthash.
PCQC56yJ.dpuf

Protects fundamental humanrights of refugee women, children,
LGBT through legal expertise andtraining, impact litigation, policy
development, research, in‑country
fact‑finding

Links to publications

Cornell University Law School
LGTBI Clinic: Transgender Law
Center
https://transgenderlawcenter.org/

Legal information ontransgenders

International Human Rights
Programme, University of Toronto,
Faculty of Law,
https://ihrp.law.utoronto.ca/

The Human Rights Programme
offers a list of SOGI resources

Information by country(reports)

International Spectrum — Universityof Michigan
http://internationalspectrum.umich.
edu/global/worldwideorgs

Collaborative website by the
University of Michigan’sInternational Center and theSpectrum Center. Provides
information on LGBTQ

International and LGBT
organisations and resources

Kinsey Institute for Research on
Sex, Gender and Reproduction
https://kinseyinstitute.org/

Research institute at Indiana
University working towards
advancing sexual health andknowledge worldwide

Research papers

LGBT studies (LGBTS) Yale
University http://lgbts.yale.edu/

LGBTS at Yale promotes
innovative interdisciplinary
scholarships and teaching on thehistorical and con‑ temporary
experience of LGBT

Link to LGBTI organisations
Links to sources

Pew Research Center Gender &LGBT research

Fact tank that informs the public
about the issues, attitudes andtrends shaping the USA and theworld

Articles Surveys

A four-year research project(ended in October 2020) to
produce evidence base for amore just and humane asylum
process for individuals seeking
refuge in Europe on the basis of
their SOGI

Databasehttps://www.pewresearch.org/topic/
gender-lgbt/
SOGICA (Sexual Orientation and
Gender Identity Claims of Asylum)
https://www.sogica.org/en/68

https://www.sogica.org/en/sogica-database/Useful links
https://www.sogica.org/en/u
seful-links/

COI RESEARCH GUIDE ON LGBTIQSSRN - Social Science Research
Network

Database of research papers

Search function

https://www.ssrn.com/index.cfm/en/
Transrespect versus Transphobia
Worldwide (TvT)
https://transrespect.org/en/

Research papers“Transrespect versus
Transphobia Worldwide” (TvT) is
an ongoing, comparative
qualitative-quantitative research
project initiated by Transgender
Europe (TGEU)

Trans Murder Monitoring(TMM), a systematiccollection, monitoring andanalysis of reported killingsof gender-diverse/transpeople worldwide.
Legal and Social Mapping,an overview of existinglaws, law proposals, andactual legal and health-carepractices as well as diverse
aspects of the social
situation relevant togender-diverse/transpeople.
Interactive Map

Media (specialised and non‑ specialised)
Name

Brief description

Afrol News
African news
http://www.afrol.com/categories/gay_lesbian

Useful features
Archive search

A queer, Libertarian magazine in
ArabicArticles, blogs

Edge Media Networkhttps://www.edgemedianetwork.com/

LGBTIQ-related news

News articles on global
LGBTIQ topics

Equal Eyes https://equal-eyes.org/

A collection of significant, timely,and international LGBTI stories
and events, highlighting issuesof health, violence, culture, andlegal and human rights. Equal
Eyes is produced incollaboration with UNAIDS andis released twice a month.

Media
ArticlesSearchable database ofarticles
https://equal-eyes.org/topic

Gay and Lesbian Alliance against
Defamation (GLAAD)
http://www.glaad.org/

Media working with print,
broadcast and online news
sourcesNews
Search function

Gay Star News
http://www.gaystarnews.com/

A global LGBTI news on gay
current affairs, entertainment,
business & more for the gay,lesbian, bisexual & transgendercommunities

News
Search function

Aswat ( Arabic)
http://www.aswatmag.com/

69

EUROPEAN UNION AGENCY FOR ASYLUM

Global Gayz
http://www.globalgayz.com

Travel, culture and LGBT rights
website focused on LGBT life

Information by country
Search function by country

Guardian (The), LGBT Rights
https://www.theguardian.com/world/
lgbt-rights
https://www.theguardian.com/societ
y/transgenderSpecific page of the UK
newspaper highlighting
LGBTI‑rights‑related news. Also
page on transgender

News
Links to sources

Jeem is a project of the GoetheInstitut, aimed at Arabichttps://jeem.me/en/gender-sexuality
speaking youth in the region,
Germany, and around the world.
The website produces
knowledge as well as critical andcultural content about gender,
sex and sexuality that challenges
and transcends the prevalentdiscourse of the mainstream
media

Articles, blogs

Journal of Bisexuality (American
Institute of Bisexuality)
https://www.tandfonline.com/loi/wjbi
20

The Journal of Bisexuality is a
professional quarterly since2001 publishing bothprofessional articles and serious
essays on bisexuality and its
meaning for the individual, thecommunity, and society.

Search function (books,
journals)

Kohl

Kohl is a Journal for Body andGender Research. a progressive,
feminist journal on gender andsexuality in the Middle East,
South West Asia, and North
Africa regions

Journal issues
Search function

Komitid (in French)https://www.komitid.fr/

French gay website (witharchives of ex-Yagg
webmagazine)

News (international)

Kuchu Times

Kuchu Times is an African
initiative to provide a voice for
Africa’s Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual,
Transgender and Intersex(LGBTI) community and to build
an active media stream for radio,
television and message forums
for the exchange of news andideas and drawing on Africa’s
hugely diverse cultures

Links to TV and radio
programs

LGBTQNation
http://www.lgbtqnation.com/

US LGBTQ news source

News by region Searchfunction Blog

New Humanitarian (The)https://www.thenewhumanitarian.org/

Independent, non‑profitmaking me‑
dia organisation (previously IRIN
news)

News
Search function (simple/
advanced)
Links to articles, reports andfilms

Jeem https://jeem.me/en

https://kohljournal.press/kohlindependent

https://www.kuchutimes.com/

70

COI RESEARCH GUIDE ON LGBTIQ

Pink Newshttps://www.pinknews.co.uk/

European gay news service;covers religion, politics,
entertainment, finance, andcommunity news for LGBT+(UK/worldwide)

Information by region(UK/US/World)

French gay magazine andwebsiteNews Magazine

Transat site (Eng/Arabic/Amazigh)https://transatsite.com/

Website dedicated to gender
identity issues in the Arabic
language

Articles, blogs

Washington Blade
https://www.washingtonblade.com/“America’s LGBT News Source”

Online news on issues
related to LGBTTêtu (in French)https://tetu.com/

Search function

Blog

Blogs
Name

Brief description(A) Paper Bird
http://paper‑bird.net/

Blog by Scott Long, researcher andactivist on sexual
orientation/gender identity Main
focus is on the Middle East

Erasing 76 Crimes
https://76crimes.com/

Blog on the 76 countries’ anti‑gay
lawsand the struggle to repeal themNews by region
Actions to free imprisoned
peoplePositive news (upbeat)
Info on HIV/AIDS

Brief description

Useful features

OthersName

Sexuality policy watch
http://sxpolitics.org

Useful features

Sexuality Policy Watch (SPW) is a
Library
global forum composed of
Research projects and analysis
researchers and activists from a wide
range of countries and regions of theworld. Launched in 2002 as theInternational Working Group on
Sexuality and Social Policy (IWGSSP),in 2006 the forum changed its nameto Sexuality Policy Watch
The international encyclopedia of A comprehensive A-Z reference with Information by country
sexuality
over 500 entries that define sexuality
https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/ from a broad biocultural perspective
book/10.1002/9781118896877
and show the diversity of humansexual behavior and belief systems.
Published May 201571EUROPEAN UNION AGENCY FOR ASYLUM

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COI RESEARCH GUIDE ON LGBTIQ

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EUROPEAN UNION AGENCY FOR ASYLUM

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74

COI RESEARCH GUIDE ON LGBTIQILGA World, Gender Identity, Gender Expression and Sex Characteristics Programme, n.d.,[2020], https://ilga.org/gender-identity-gender-expression-sex-characteristics, accessed 28
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ORAM, Sexual Orientation, Gender Identity and Gender Expression: Essential Terminology for
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28 July 2021

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UN, OHCHR (Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights), Universal
Periodic Review, n.d., http://www.ohchr.org/EN/HRBodies/UPR/Pages/UPRMain.aspx,
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UN, OHCHR (Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights), Independent
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Identity within the context of Article 1A(2) of the 1951 Convention and/or its 1967 Protocol
relating to the Status of Refugees, 23 October 2012,https://www.unhcr.org/publications/legal/50ae466f9/guidelines-international-protection-9claims-refugee-status-based-sexual.html, accessed 28 July 2021
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2021
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UNHCR/IE SOGI (United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees/ United Nations
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Wheeler, André, Why I'm reclaiming the homophobic slur I used to fear, The Guardian, 9March 2020, https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2020/mar/09/lgbt-gay-men-slurhomophobia, accessed 18 August 2021
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Yale University, Lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender studies, n.d., http://lgbts.yale.edu/,
accessed 28 July 2021

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Terms of reference
Main focus of the working group in first stage (December 2020-end of January 2021):•

Update Annex II with recent sources and weblinks. Add transgender/intersex sources where
needed/possible. Integrate with chapter 4 – description of organisations as sources.

•

Add other kind of sources? Academics, anthropological, historical. Not only western NGOs.
Don’t add highly variable or fast changing sources or information. The guide should be usefulfor the next couple of years.

•

Overall, we change LGB into LGBTIQ or SOGI and add relevant sources (on T and I or on
general sexual minorities)•

Keep the guide as practical and useful as possible. No theoretical approaches.

Second stage (February -March 2021):•

Make the guide more general: adapt to SOGI and Integrate gender identity (transgender,intersex) in the text where relevant.

•Read the guide and think where T and I can easily be added. T and I already in Glossary,
Research questions, Annex II•

Adapt introduction: why now add gender identity or change to SOGI (in 2014 LGB mostcommon asylum categories, in 2020 more T).

•

Adapt challenges of researching, refer to the survey•

Chapter 2 concepts /terminology – to be considered. Not to add more concepts but integrate
gender identity in it.

•

Chapter 3 Research questions: include T and I•

Chapter 5-6: update sources and text where relevant.

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80