Bisexual asylum seeker made to submit photos of sex with a man to ‘prove’ his sexuality
Orashia Edwards says he felt compelled to show intimate photos of himself and another man to “prove” his sexuality.
He is currently waiting in a detention centre before he is deported to Jamaica – where same-sex relationships are illegal and LGBT people face serious violence. He has been living in the UK for 15 years.
He told the Guardian: “If I go back I will be tortured, I will be killed for sure. Because my case has been covered in Jamaican media there will be no way for me to hide.
“I’ve already received death threats on social media, people say I’m making the country look bad.”
Immigration officials refused to accept that he is bisexual, despite currently being in a relationship with a man, because he has been married to a woman and has a young daughter.
He says he even submitted pictures of himself having sex with a man to help his case. “I told him about my situation and he suggested making the pictures,” he says.
“It was extremely degrading for me to have to do, and still they didn’t believe me. I’m not a liar, it has taken years for me to be honest with myself about my sexuality and I’m not trying to lie to anyone else.”
His mother, who is a UK resident, said: “He has no one [in Jamaica]. His friends, his partner Michael, his entire life is here in the UK. If they send him back everyone will know who he is. He couldn’t hide his sexuality, even if he wanted to. They are sending my son to die.”
