UK rejects man's request for asylum after judge accused him of pretending to be GAY

Monday, October 28, 2024 - An alleged gay man who fled Bangladesh to escape persecution had his asylum application refused after a judge told him he was ‘trying to pass’ himself off as gay.

Monsur Ahmed Chowdhury, 38, came to the UK as a student in 2009 from Sylhet, a city in northeastern Bangladesh, on a student visa after never feeling safe enough to be his authentic self in his native country.

Following years of applications, submitted evidence and rejections, Monsur had his application rejected by a judge following a First-Tier Tribunal, a court that handles immigration disputes, in March 2018 because the judge didn’t believe he was gay.

In a letter the judge ruled: ‘I conclude that the Appellant is not truly gay, but he is trying to pass himself off as gay.’

Describing being gay as a ‘lifestyle’, the judge told Monsur there is a ‘distinct lack of documentary material that might be suggestive that the Appellant was truly a gay man before he sought asylum’.

The judge also questioned why Monsur did not bring someone into the chamber who could ‘corroborate, in an important particular, how the Appellant has behaved as someone who is gay’. Evidence that Monsur’s two witnesses did bring did ‘not direct itself, as I see it, to the central question as to really whether the Appellant is gay’.

His attendance at LGBTQ+ Pride events and nightclubs didn’t cut it, while the judge said a photograph of Monsur looking at same-sex pornography was ‘staged’.

‘There is, quite clearly, a great desire on the part of the Appellant to try to present this picture that he is a gay man but, in my judgment, there is far too much manufacturing and posturing and that, in my judgment, undermines the fundamental credibility of the Appellant,’ the judge added.

Following the ruling, Monsur reapplied for asylum with the Home Office. However, the Home Office rejected his asylum claim in June, basing the decision on the 2018 ruling.

If his appeal is not successful, could see him being forced to return to Bangladesh.

‘Life in Bangladesh was very stressful and scary for me, especially because of my sexuality,’ Monsur told Metro.

‘I couldn’t live openly as a gay man there – if anyone found out, my life would be in danger. While in Bangladesh, no one knew about my sexuality. It wasn’t until I left and became active on social media that people became aware.’

‘LGBTQ+ rights in Bangladesh are virtually non-existent. Being gay is not only socially unacceptable but also illegal,’ says Monsur, who is currently living in London.

‘If I were sent back to Bangladesh now, my life would be at serious risk. Since my sexuality is now publicly known due to my social media presence and activities, I could face violence or even be killed if I returned.’