Gay woman’s immigration views change after visit to country with gay death penalty

A gay woman who previously campaigned against immigration has had her views changed after visiting a country where being LGBTQ+ is punishable by death for a TV show that recreates the journeys of asylum seekers.

Jess Hallett, 33, from the market town of Llanelli in Carmarthenshire, Wales was one of six Brits who took part in Channel 4’s divisive documentary series Go Back To Where You Came From.

Prior to taking part in the series Jess took part in local protests against turning the Stradey Park Hotel – which she lived next to – into accommodation for 200 asylum seekers. The protests lasted 100 days and saw 40 people arrested, with the cost to local police estimated to be £1 million.

During the course of the show Jess and other participants visited the east African nation of Somalia, one of 11 countries in the world which punish same-sex relationships with the death sentence. Alongside the violent ban on homosexuality, Somalia also bans the discussion of LGBTQ+ issues and wearing gender-nonconforming clothing.

Out of the 197 nations scored by Equaldex’s Equality Index, Somalia was jointly ranked in 195th position with Oman. Only Afghanistan – which also punishes homosexuality with death and has stripped women and girls are nearly all their rights since the Taliban regained power – is ranked lower.

“Not at any moment when I was in Somalia did I feel safe,” she told PinkNews, explain that queer folks who live there “can’t be yourself”.

“Imagine not being able to live your full true life. If you are living in Somalia, even if you’re gay, it still wouldn’t go in your head,” Jess explained, adding that LGBTQ+ people living in Somalia often would not have a concept of what being gay like and so may not understand the “confusedness” they feel.

“They will constantly live like that forever, as in ‘what is wrong with me’? Because it’s not accepted there. It’s not a word and if there’s a hint of it, you know, you’re gone.”

Jess added that had been been born in Somalia rather than Wales she probably would not have realised she is gay would have ended up “living a miserable life, marrying a man and just getting on with it”.

Also speaking to the BBC about her experiences, Jess said of the people she met through the show: “If I was in their shoes I would be jumping on the boat myself.

“There is no life for the people living there.”

“What you see on the internet is absolutely nothing to what you see in person,” she added.

“I think any normal person that went there, if you didn’t have any empathy then there must be something wrong.”

Go Back To Where You Came From is available to stream now on Channel 4.