Our 50/50 beneficiary organization for March is the LGBT
Asylum Task Force. This wonderful organization is based out of the Hadwen
Park Church in Worcester. The Task Force provides support those for who
are seeking political asylum in the U.S. based on their sexual orientation or
gender identity.
This Sunday, March 13, you will hear a brief story from
“John” an asylum seeker from Uganda who arrived in Worcester on February
7. He fled from his home after being imprisoned, starved, and beaten for
producing a movie about LGBT persecution in Uganda. John, another asylum
seeker, and Polly Laurelchild-Hertig, Executive Director of the Task Force,
will be available for conversation about their experiences and the Task Force
after next Sunday’s service.
Since 2007, the Task Force has helped more than 100
individuals. Asylum seekers are vulnerable and traumatized individuals who have
fled to the U.S. in fear of being killed or harmed in their countries of origin
due to their sexual orientation or gender identity. The violence resulting from
homophobia and anti-homosexuality laws in many countries in the world is
rampant. There are laws against homosexuality in 88 countries around
the world. In 72 countries, you could be imprisoned if you are part of
the LGBT community. In 7 of those countries, the punishment is the death
penalty.
Because most asylum seekers are not permitted to work during
their legal process, they do not have the means to support themselves. They
often arrive in the U.S. with nothing but the clothes on their backs having
used all of their resources getting here. Moreover, they remain particularly
isolated because frequently they cannot turn to people from their own country
in the U.S. for assistance or support, as it is their fellow countrymen from
whom they are fleeing.
The LGBT Asylum Task Force operates on a shoestring budget
of approximately $7,000 per month. This allows them to support 12 asylum
seekers at a time, though there are many more who need help. The 50/50
offering for the Task Force will be on Sunday, March 20. http://lgbtasylum.org/home.htm
