“Fuck Latino Illegal Aliens”: The Settlement Experiences of LGBTQI+ Asylum Seekers in Canada

Upon their first year of arrival, do LGBTQI+ asylum seekers feel properly supported within British Columbia? This paper reveals the stories of community members who hold intersecting identities, and have taken unique journeys to migrate to Canada. This study utilizes Critical Race Theory, Transnational Feminism, and Thobani’s concept of the exalted subject to show how fleeing from persecution results in new forms of systemic violence and discrimination not experienced by other migrants. I interviewed three LGBTQI+ refugees who arrived in British Columbia, Canada over the last 10 years who described the multiple sites settlement violence experienced by them in the health care, housing, legal services, dating apps, the labour market and social support agencies designed to assist in their very settlement. Using a narrative analysis, I argue that this community needs a specialized focus to support their unique needs while at the same time acknowledging and challenging how border imperialism and settler colonialism shapes their experience. This study suggests that LGBTQI+ asylum seekers are not properly supported when they first arrive in British Columbia, and must navigate issues around settlement needs, geographical locations, violence and discrimination, migration timelines and waiting periods, code-switching, gratitude, and COVID-19. This paper recommends future research to be conducted around the settlement needs for LGBTQI+ asylum seekers.