Edmonton’s Rainbow Refuge seeks funding for surge of 2SLGBTQ+ refugees

April 17, 2024 Canuck

In November 2022, Nicholas Aryatwijuka and his boyfriend were attacked by a mob in Kampala, Uganda.

Separated from his partner, Aryatwijuka, now 32, went into hiding until he could arrange a visa to fly to Canada.

He arrived in Saskatchewan but community members suggested continuing west to find better services as a gay newcomer.

It was a rocky start in Edmonton.

All Aryatwijuka’s belongings were stolen just as he was checking in at the Hope Mission shelter. A police officer took Aryatwijuka under his wing and showed him where to find support. He now has a job and a place to live.

Aryatwijuka is one of hundreds of new 2SLGBTQ+ refugees supported by Edmonton Newcomer Centre’s Rainbow Refuge, a program whose organizers are seeking additional funding to keep up with growing demand.

“They became my family. I saw my father in them. I saw my mother in them. They were everything,” Aryatwijuka told CBC News.

“They serve with passion, though they have limited resources. But you see that if they had it all, they would offer.”

Two men smile and hold a thumbs up to the camera. — A police officer directed Nicholas Aryatwijuka to the Rainbow Refuge in Edmonton. (Nicholas Aryatwijuka)

The Rainbow Refuge was founded in 2015 by Basel Abou Hamrah and Sara Buczynski with 15 members.

They say membership has now surged to more than 600 people, tripling over the past year.

Many have come by word of mouth, while others find the program online.

The program connects members to counselling, legal services, housing and employment while offering encouragement, compassion, friendship and community.

“It’s put Edmonton on the map as a safe and supportive community for LGBTQ refugees,” said Abou Hamrah, a former Syrian refugee who co-founded the program based on personal experience.

‘We are really struggling’

While the program’s permanent residents are funded by the Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC), the government doesn’t fund refugee claimants.

With just three staff, organizers have scraped together money from a city grant, donors and fundraisers held by the Fruit Loop Society of Alberta – a volunteer-led organization providing inclusive events and special initiatives for the province’s 2SLGBTQ+ community – and other partners.

“We try our best to support everyone, but with this high number, we are really struggling,” Abou Hamrah said.

“Many LGBTQ+ newcomers arrive here in Edmonton alone. There is no family support. They don’t know anyone in the city. They are not accepted within their ethno-cultural community.”

Watch | 2SLGBTQ+ refugees find sanctuary in Edmonton:

Growing number of 2SLGBTQ+ refugees find sanctuary in Edmonton

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From an initial seven members, Edmonton’s Rainbow Refuge has grown to include more than 600 people – roughly tripling in the past year – all who fled their native countries fearing persecution for their sexuality or gender expression.

They hope Ottawa will expand funding because, as Buczynski puts it, “the early days after arrival are such a critical time.”

Currently, newcomers can’t work or access legal support until their refugee claim is acknowledged, which can take up to two months.

Randy Boissonnault, the federal Liberal government’s special advisor on 2SLGBTQ+ issues, and the IRCC, did not respond to comment about increasing funding.

About 60 per cent of Rainbow Refuge members are from Uganda where the Constitutional Court upheld the 2023 Anti-Homosexuality Act on April 6.

The enactment of last year’s legislation toughened existing laws against same-sex relationships.

Dozens of smiling people, mostly of African heritage, pose for a group photo in front of a rainbow flag at a bar in Edmonton. — Rainbow Refuge members have sought refuge from more than 60 countries including Uganda, Ghana, Nigeria, Senegal, Barbados and Pakistan. (Camille Pauvarel/Radio Canada)

In cases of “aggravated homosexuality” such as “serial offenders”, Ugandans can be sentenced to death.

Critics have accused Uganda’s President Yoweri Museven of legalizing state-sponsored homophobia and transphobia.

In an email, the IRCC said Canada is monitoring the situation in Uganda and remains committed to offering refugee protection to people who have been persecuted on the basis of their sexual orientation, gender expression, gender identity and sex characteristics.

Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada doesn’t track the number of new asylum seekers under the category of 2SLGBTQ+, but Uganda has remained among the top five countries over the past three years for accepted 2SLGBTQ+ refugee claims, IRCC data shows.

Other countries consistently on that list are Nigeria, Kenya and Mexico.

Death by stoning

Rainbow Refuge members represent more than 60 countries where many have passed laws criminalizing same sex relationships.

Some of those sentences include 100 lashes, life imprisonment, the death penalty and in Pakistan and Mauritania – death by stoning, according to Human Dignity Trust, a global advocacy group.

However, it’s not only those identifying as 2SLGBTQ+ who face persecution. Allies and loved ones are also impacted.

In 2018, a mob in Uganda attacked Allen Nansubuga and his partner who later died. Police considered it to be a same-sex relationship and criminally charged him.

Nansubuga went into hiding until he could escape. He had to leave his niece and nephews, now seven, 10 and 14, with a friend.

Eventually making it to Edmonton and the Rainbow Refuge in 2019, Nansubuga was fully able to embrace his male identity.

He also gained permanent residency and began working at a local shelter.

“The time I would have spent with (my partner) — I spend it saving Canadians and also thanking Canadians for giving me a second chance to live,” Nansubuga said in a recent interview.

A man and woman dance beside each other at a bar in front of a rainbow flag. — With the support of Basel Abou Hamrah (left), Allen Nansubuga gained permanent residency and employment in an Edmonton shelter. (Trevor Wilson/CBC News)

But Nansubuga is still facing the aftermath of the Uganda regime.

As their sole family guardian, he recently finalized the adoption of his niece and nephews, a process he started in Uganda.

In March, Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada rejected Nansubuga’s bid to bring his children to Canada because the adoption was finalized after he arrived. Nansubuga is not giving up.

“I’m looking forward to bringing these kids to this group to see how big the family is, how lovely the family is, how to find a family with different people from different countries who speak one language, and see how loved we are.”

‘A big family’

On a snowy March evening, nearly 200 Rainbow Refuge members packed an Edmonton bar under a big rainbow flag. The events are now so popular organizers have to rotate who can attend.

“The goal is to give them a few hours of joy where they can be themselves and forget about what they’re going through,” Buczynski said.

Dinner was served just as those observing Ramadan were breaking their fast.

Woman in sparkly glasses and rainbow decorated shirt stands in bar smiling joyously. — Nada Nansubuga says the Rainbow Refuge is one big family. (Trevor Wilson/CBC News)

As DJ Mikee’s beats kicked up, Abou Hamrah and Buczynski were among the revelers getting down to favourites by Nigerian musicians Omah Lay and Davido, and South Africa’s TitoM and Yuppe.

Ugandan Nada Nansubuga had a special reason to celebrate: her refugee protection status was approved earlier in the day, which means she can now study and access Alberta Health.

“We feel at home, we feel embraced and the people we find here, strangers become family members,” said Nansubuga, in between greeting arriving guests.

“That’s what makes it a big family.”

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