Credibility Assessment in Queer Asylum Cases: Believe It or Not?

Available Open Access digitally under CC-BY-NC-ND licence

Across many jurisdictions in the Global North, lack of credibility is the primary basis for rejecting sexual orientation, gender identity/expression and sex characteristics (SOGIESC) asylum applications. This edited collection examines how disbelief poses one of the most complex challenges for queer asylum seekers worldwide.

The contributions in this book highlight how assessments in various asylum systems in the Global North are based on stereotypical, feeling-centric and western-centric models, that fail to reflect the complexities of sexual and gender diversity, often perpetuating unlawful bias and leading to unjust decisions. Bringing together theory and practice, the collection explores these issues across diverse geographical contexts, employing a multidisciplinary approach.

Crucially, the collection offers a variety of critical and empirical interventions, advocating for a fairer and more inclusive asylum system and adherence to human rights and refugee law.