Many people in Canada take Pride for granted. But for those coming from countries where they are persecuted for their 2SLGBTQ+ identities, the chance to take up space while living their truth is not taken lightly.
This includes 32-year-old Rahma Esslouani, who recently made Toronto their home after experiencing persecution for their identity in two different countries. Esslouani explained that as a child growing up in Morocco, they knew they were different from their peers, but her family forced her to wear more feminine clothing and engage in activities deemed appropriate for girls.
“It was very hard for me to be myself, as [someone who is] a lesbian and nonbinary,” Esslouani told Queer & Now.
“I was facing violence, physically and psychologically, from my family and also from society and the community, and also facing discrimination at my job from my colleagues,” she explained.
She said that religion and culture were often used as justification for this.
“To be a part of LGBTQ in Morocco is not just not accepted, but it’s illegal and it’s very dangerous.”
At 27 years old, while facing pressure to marry a man, Esslouani escaped Morocco, going to Turkey to pursue a better life. However, they encountered additional challenges upon their arrival.
“I faced all kinds of discrimination, violence, physical and psychological persecution, and I was also arrested and imprisoned because of my sexual identity,” she explained. “So, I was living in constant fear to be myself, fear to go outside to walk, fear to [face] violence or be arrested again, or to be deported.”
This led Esslouani to contact Rainbow Railroad, an organization supporting 2SLGBTQ+ people facing persecution and violence in their home countries to find safety.
“I received an email from them and [they] told me that you are not alone, we are here with you. We are here to help you. And that makes a big difference for me at the moment, because I had no one,” she explained.
“I just want to live peacefully and want someone to understand me and my suffering, my situation, my struggling, and also the violence and persecution that I am living in.”
UNIQUE CHALLENGES FACING 2SLGBTQ+ REFUGEES
Devon Matthews, head of programs at Rainbow Railroad, explained that there are unique challenges facing 2SLGBTQ+ asylum seekers when it comes to the context of homophobia and transphobia around the world.
“Where most refugees are kind of fleeing from a situation of persecution and violence into another country where the environment may be substantively different, most LGBTQ refugees are fleeing from one country where they are persecuted for their queerness or transness, and into another country where they have similar challenges,” Matthews told Queer & Now.
“So, people are kind of bouncing around from country to country in environments where their legal rights are not protected and their human rights are not guaranteed.”
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There are also challenges within the infrastructure supporting refugees.
“So, people can face discrimination or persecution in many different forms within the process, either in refugee camp settings or in interviews or by security guards at like offices where they’re trying to seek support,” they explained, adding that some people are not guaranteed or given access to medical care, food or other resources because of their 2SLGBTQ+ identity.
“And many aren’t able to move independently or figure out their own improved circumstances as a result of the gender markers on their passport not matching with their presentation, or kind of other visibly queer indicators that reveal themselves and subject them to harm.”
Matthews shared that the need for help is increasing, with Rainbow Railroad seeing a 300-per cent increase in help requests between 2020 and 2024. She shared that the organization has been able to increase the work they do by 1,000 per cent.
The organization’s annual report shows that in 2024 it received more than 13,000 requests for help from 2SLGBTQ+ people worldwide, providing support to more than 5,900 people. Of those, 302 were relocated from 36 different countries, while the remainder were supported through other forms of programming, which include emergency travel support, in-country assistance, and advocating for inclusive asylum pathways.
Matthews explained that this is coming at a time when we are seeing the backsliding of 2SLGBTQ+ rights globally, in countries known for persecuting queer people, but also those that have been previously considered “safe.”
“I don’t believe that there’s any country in the world that is completely safe for queer and trans people, but there is a kind of spectrum of safety. And even in the countries where the spectrum of safety is much significantly better, such as Canada, there are a number of challenges,” they explained, adding that the hard-fought-for rights of 2SLGBTQ+ people around the world are being stripped away in places like the United States and some European countries.
“When we see that type of activity happening, it’s really key for people to become super aware of what’s happening and watch that movement, and then become politically engaged,” she explained. “In Canada, with the new government, we are just watching and making sure that there isn’t this kind of continued pattern that we’re seeing in other countries, because we need folks here… to feel held and safe and have access to the things that they need to live their lives.”
Matthews explained that currently, the organization is concerned about the intersection between queer rights and forced displacement.
“There’s quite a lot of conversation around Bill C-2, The Strong Borders Act, which affects asylum restrictions and kind of cracks down on newcomers in the country, and this undermining of refugee protection is very concerning for LGBTQI refugees,” she explained.
“But Bill C-2 is going to disproportionately impact LGBTQ people, those seeking refugee protection in Canada, who have consistently seen Canada as a safe harbour. So, I’d say it’s a pretty historic time to continue to be aware, educated and involved.”
FROM UGANDA TO CANADA
Elizabeth Nabbosa, a 23-year-old woman who made Canada her home after fleeing violence and facing persecution in Uganda for her lesbian identity.
“After my family found out how I identify, my father couldn’t accept that,” Nabbosa told Queer & Now. “I was beaten terribly. I was chased from my village.”
People in her community referred to her queer identity as “bad behaviour” saying that she had to leave before she made other young girls “bad.” Nabbosa fled the village, living with a friend while hiding from her family, and planning to escape the country.
“My friend helped me process those documents as I was hiding from my family, and I was able to get my visa.”
She explained wishing that her family could understand that she did not choose to be queer, but she can not change her identity.
“I have not hurt anyone by being a lesbian. I have not offended anyone. I’m not a threat, but I’m seen as a threat where I come from, and I feel bad that I cannot go back, because I can face persecution, and I’m so glad I was welcomed in Canada.”
After landing in Toronto in 2023, Nabbosa made a claim for refugee protection at the airport. Moving to Barrie, she began to settle in with the support of the Newcomers Program at UPlift Black, a Simcoe County-based, BIPOC 2SLGBTQI+ led not-for-profit focusing on social justice and inclusion. The organization also supports newcomers making the area their home.
Randy Romano Singh, an UPlift Black centre support worker supporting the centre’s newcomer program, explained that the program ensures newcomers in Canada, especially those who identify as 2SLGBTQ+, have a safe space to be themselves.
He shared that for many queer newcomers, it’s difficult to find community with people who are also from their home countries, as they fear being rejected for their queer identity, the same way they were at home.
“Especially African and Caribbean people, when they come to a country [like Canada] from somewhere where they were cursed at or they were thrown out of the community [for being queer],” he explained. “Those were the same people who are against you being gay.”
On Wednesdays, the centre offers a drop-in program that allows them to meet other members of the community and make connections. The program also assists newcomers with completing paperwork, finding a lawyer, giving out boxes of produce and gift cards, and providing additional support, such as finding clothing, food, and housing. Additionally, UPlift provides the community with free resources to explore their passions as artists, including a dance studio and recording space.
Singh, who came to Canada from Guyana over ten years ago, explained that living openly as a queer person in the Caribbean is like playing a game of hide-and-seek.
“It’s like you hide but you don’t want someone to seek you out because they’re not seeking you for the right reasons,” Singh explained.
“When you come to Canada, it’s like you’re in that box, and then when that box opens it’s like a whole new feeling, a whole new experience,” Singh explained. “You actually feel free and safe.”
“Even though I might not have food or I might not have clothing, I can still feel safe, and I can still be me. I can still be gay, lesbian, bi or however you identify,” he explained. “For me, the day I touched down in Canada, I felt this whole burden just switched off of my shoulders, like I could have actually breathed and just breathe freely without being scared, that’s why Pride is actually important to the BIPOC 2SLGBTQ+ community.
CELEBRATING PRIDE IN CANADA
With the support of Rainbow Railroad, Esslouani arrived in July 2024. This means that this Pride is their first in Toronto.
“I’m going to celebrate it openly and be proud of myself. It’s like I am celebrating Pride and victory for me, that I didn’t give up,” she explained. “Neither to religion, culture, or society, regardless of what I faced before in Morocco or in Turkey. So, I am very happy to celebrate.”
Essolouani explained that she is excited to celebrate with her partner, holding their hand, and kissing in public without fear.
“I don’t have a family, they don’t support me. So, Pride shows that there are these people, even though I don’t know them, but I feel like I am in my community, my family, and we are gathering.”
“It’s very meaningful and to show that we exist, not just here in Canada, but all over the world. Because before coming to Canada, I was watching videos about Pride in other countries, and these things gave me hope that there are other [queer] people, there is a slight resistance, and they support each other.”
Now, experiencing her second Pride in Canada, Nabbosa echoes this.
“Pride is important because I believe that I’m celebrating something that my family wanted to take away from me,” she shared. “They wanted me to believe that I was the worst person that ever lived on Earth.”
“But when I came here and Pride was being celebrated, I felt like I was brought back to my life. I felt rejuvenated. I felt like I was a human. I felt like I belonged somewhere. So I celebrate Pride.”
She also shared a message of hope for other young queer people: don’t be afraid, and find your community.
“Look for a place of belonging. Look for a place you can really be comfortable in. It is also not good to be self-isolated. Find somewhere you can belong, get more involved in these activities, and eventually be more comfortable and feel worthy of yourself.”
