In basic terms, what anyone claiming asylum has to prove is that they are the sexuality they are claiming to be and that being that sexuality, or being perceived to be that sexuality, will lead to persecution from the country they are from.’

Roughly 13% of players at the 2023 Women's World Cup identified as LGBTQ+, demonstrating strong representation at the game's highest level.It’s great to see so much progress in how LGBTQ+ people are represented on-screen and on-air over the years, but there’s still more to learn and more to do. Maybe you will find it in you to forgive his shortcomings. Or maybe not. Either way is OK to me. That is, what I prize in people is the ability to be who they are. For some people, these breaches would be so severe that they would have to end the friendship. Others might find it possible to overlook them. That is a personal matter. However, that’s not to say that theatre is immune from the wider anti-LGBTQIA+ sentiment being felt across UK society. Below, we speak to queer theatre practitioners about the wins in their field, as well as the battles they’ve yet to overcome. Trans creatives taking centre stage It’s not just language barriers that can lead to difficulties in the asylum process, with cultural differences sometimes leading to legitimate claims being rejected.

I was with men, women, men and women at the same time, with cross-dressers, and have cross dressed myself. He never saw the day when gay and lesbian military personnel finally, at long last, secured their share of the freedom that he and millions of other soldiers - gay and straight - fought to secure. Before his death, he told me his story, with a mixture of pride and sorrow. I retell it here, in remembrance of a good friend. With anti-trans sentiment becoming more normalised across the UK, trans performers have to weather additional risks – even when simply heading to work. “Theatre buildings, audiences, people in my workspace, and travelling to work, often remain unsafe to me,” Malone explains. “I really believe this is changing, but I know that’s through the efforts of trans people who take on that burden. I really hope things get better and fast, because it’s so sad that trans people have to keep their gifts from the world just because it isn’t safe enough to exist in right now.” Depicting intersecting identities with prideMetro.co.uk appreciates that the cost of living has impacted everyone and money may be tight, but if you are able to make a donation and help change someone’s life both here and in Ukraine, you can do so here. One in Five, the UK’s first national TV show for and about lesbian and gay people, is shown on Channel 4. Set in London’s Heaven nightclub, the magazine-style show explored the problems facing queer people in Britain, and how to challenge them. 1988 Meanwhile, Joel believes having people from the LGBTQ+ community interviewing gay asylum seekers would make the process much less damaging for claimants.