Yes, in this time of financial crisis for many in the US, we are granting a non-profit group a quarter of a million dollars to set up a program for lesbian, gay, bisexual or transgender (LGBT) refugees. The grantee is the Heartland Alliance* which we have reported on several times here at RRW including when they’ve placed refugees with slum landlords in Chicago (here is one such post).
These federal contractors whine that they don’t have enough money to properly care for refugees whose care they have been entrusted with, yet we have money to give them to train people about gays.
From a recent press release from the Office of Refugee Resettlement:
The Administration for Children and Families today announced the creation of a first-ever resource center to support the resettlement of lesbian, gay, bisexual or transgender (LGBT) refugees. The Office of Refugee Resettlement (ORR), a division of ACF, has awarded a $250,000 grant to the Heartland Alliance of Chicago to create this training and technical assistance center.
“The Obama administration has issued a clear mandate that comprehensive human rights include the elimination of violence and discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity,” said ACF Acting Assistant Secretary David A. Hansell. “Addressing the protection and resettlement challenges faced by lesbian, gay, bisexual or transgender (LGBT) refugees is a priority for ACF and ORR, and we are pleased to bring on Heartland Alliance as a partner to support this key initiative.”
They go on to say:
The focus of this initiative will be to provide:
~Resource and capacity development in key resettlement locations;
~Sensitivity training to network staff, including overview of key issue regarding newly arriving LGBT refugees;
Technical assistance in service delivery; and
~Development of best practices and orientation materials for refugee service providers across the country.
“As many of these refugees left their homelands specifically because of persecution related to their LGBT status, it is particularly incumbent on us to provide a safe and welcoming environment,” Hansell added.
There is no doubt that many gay and lesbian people are persecuted in their home countries—heck in some Muslim countries they execute them—but this is turning into the latest asylum scam. Recently it came to my attention in Maryland that El Salvadorans here on Temporary Protected Status (another scam I’ve addressed at my other blog, here is an archive on those posts) are attempting to ask for asylum on the grounds that they are gay and would be persecuted if we returned them to El Salvador. And, who is to determine if they are gay or not?
* I think it would be useful for readers to return to this post from 2008 about how the group “Friends of Refugees” got its start after a run-in with Heartland Alliance. Visit Friends of Refugees blog here from time to time as well.