Marginalisation
KEY FIGURES
Asylum seekers and refugees
Unknown.
The amount of applications (successful and rejected) for asylum concerning persecution abroad based on LGBT+ identity.
Homelessness and insecure housing conditions
Unknown how many LGBT+ persons living in Denmark are homeless.
6,7 % of LGBT+ persons ...
3,6 % of the remaining population ...
... aged 21-40 years report insecure housing conditions.
Source: Danish Institute for Human Rights’ own calculations based on SHILD (2020).
Intimate partner violence
Homosexual men and bisexual and transgender persons experience intimate partner violence 2-7 times as often as the remaining population.
Source: Frisch et al. (2019)
- In summer 2022, Denmark opened its first crisis centre for LGBT+ persons who have experienced intimate partner violence.
- Homeless LGBT+ persons are particularly marginalised and may feel excluded from existing shelters. There are no available figures for the number of homeless LGBT+ persons. However, we know that the share of LGBT+ persons aged 21-40 years who experience insecure housing conditions is around twice as high as that of the remaining population.
- Regardless of the unique challenges facing asylum seekers and refugees from the LGBT+ community, we do not know how many have applied for and been granted/denied asylum in Denmark. Furthermore, we have little knowledge of their interaction with the Danish asylum system, e.g., their experiences with documenting and proving their sexual orientation or gender identity to the system.
- A significantly larger share of LGBT+ persons – apart from homosexual women – have experienced intimate partner violence compared to the rest of the population. One in four bisexual women and one in three nonbinary women have experienced intimate partner violence.
Editing was completed September 2023
There are no available figures for the number of LGBT+ persons who flee their home country or apply for asylum in Denmark or other countries. One reason for this may be that in a number of countries being LGBT+ involves a certain risk. In fact, in almost 70 countries, which is more than one in three countries in the world, being LGBT+ is a crime.
Persons who risk persecution in their home country due to their sexual orientation or gender identity have a right to protection in Denmark. Though, in practice, few are granted asylum in Denmark, as they have to prove both their LGBT+ status and that they risk persecution if they return to their home country.
The Danish Institute for Human Rights have asked the Danish Immigration Service to provide figures for the number of persons who annually apply for asylum in Denmark based on their LGBT+ status. Unfortunately, the Service is unable to provide these figures, as the data is not recorded centrally and thus have to be collected manually. Rejected asylum seekers can lodge an appeal with the Refugee Appeals Board. Decisions made by the Refugee Appeals Board are made public and categorised according to the grounds for application, one being the applicant’s LGBT+ status. However, these only represent a small number of the total amount of LGBT+ related applications received by the Danish authorities. In other words, we have no overview of the number of people who each year apply for asylum in Denmark to escape persecution due to their sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression or sex characteristics or how many are granted/denied asylum.
LGBT+ persons seeking asylum are particularly marginalised. They may try to hide their sexual orientation or gender identity for fear of harassment or threats from other residents in the asylum centres, and at the same time, they are expected to be open about and “prove” their sexual orientation or gender identity to the authorities. A survey conducted by LGBT Asylum in 2017, based on answers from 40 asylum seekers belonging to the LGBT+ community, shows that around half of the respondents had experienced verbal abuse, threats or violence in Danish asylum centres due to their sexual orientation or gender identity.
Most LGBT+ refugees are alone, and some struggle after having been granted asylum in Denmark. For instance, the fact that refugees are traditionally distributed across municipalities means that those LGBT+ refugees who end up living a long way from existing LGBT+ communities in the cities are at high risk for social isolation and loneliness.
The organisation LGBT Asylum supports asylum seekers and refugees from the LGBT+ community living in Denmark. They organise social activities for and together with asylum seekers and refugees from the LGBT+ community and offer guidance on the Danish asylum system. Furthermore, the organisation cooperates with Danish asylum and integration authorities and engages in advocacy. Read more on the LGBT Asylum website.
Asylum seekers and refugees
"Over the years I've been through a lot of pain. I still have some work to do in order to accept myself. I had to leave my home country, because I am seen as an evil child. Being open about my sexuality would mean either dying or more than 10 years in prison."
– Anonymous LGBT+ person who has been granted asylum in Denmark
International surveys suggest that young LGBT+ persons are overrepresented among the homeless, and that only few LGBT+ persons look for help for fear of discrimination. Many of those who do look for help experience harassment or violence in e.g. shelters and homes.
International surveys also show that LGBT+ persons are at higher risk of homelessness, as many experience family conflicts and in some cases are excluded from their family due to their sexual orientation or gender identity. It is unknown whether this is also the case in Denmark.
There are no available figures for the number of homeless LGBT+ persons in Denmark. The annual Danish survey of homelessness finds that up to 6,000 individuals are homeless. Nearly half of these live in shelters, while around 20 % live with family or friends; the latter especially includes young people. The survey is based on figures from local shelters and homes, which do not say anything about the homeless’ LGBT+ status. A survey among European LGBT+ organisations points to a lack of knowledge, data and political initiatives in the area.
The organisation Projekt Udenfor strives to improve conditions for the homeless. A three-year project funded by the Velux Foundation focussing on homeless LGBT+ persons shall improve the help available to homeless LGBT+ persons. The project was launched in May 2023. Read more on the website.
Research into homelessness also includes persons who live temporarily and informally with family or friends. There are exceptions, though, including students who have just moved to a new town and persons who live permanently with family and friends. We will use the concept “insecure housing conditions” to include both persons who live with family or friends without paying rent and persons who do not have a home. Therefore, insecure housing conditions does not necessarily mean that a person does not have anywhere to live, but it increases their risk of suddenly finding themselves on the street.
The share of young persons who experience insecure housing conditions is slightly higher in the LGBT+ community (6.7 %) compared to the rest of the population (3.6 %). The figure does not include young persons below the age of 21 years, as the majority still live with their parents.
Transgender persons who experience homelessness are particularly marginalised. For instance, they may be prevented from receiving treatment such as hormonal therapy or receiving information from the healthcare system. A European survey conducted by the EU’s Fundamental Rights Agency shows that as many as one in four transgender persons in Europe experiences homelessness; this includes transgender persons living in Denmark. The survey is based on an open online survey, and the figures are subject to uncertainty.
RED+ is a crisis centre for young LGBT+ persons facing honour-related issues such as social control, honour-related violence, forced marriage or threats of such acts. The centre welcomes young persons aged 16-30 years of all genders and is located in Frederiksberg in Copenhagen.
In case of emergency, and if your safety is under threat, please contact the RED+ hotline at +45 70277666. It is open 24/7.
Homeless-ness and insecure housing conditions
"Staying at the asylum center has been hectic. Nothing is fun about the experience. My two contact persons used to give me emotional support. That's what held my strength, my confidence and my mental health together."
– Anonymous LGBT+ person granted asylum in Denmark
All LGBT+ groups – with the exception of homosexual women – have a significantly higher probability of having experienced intimate partner violence, even when gender and age are taken into account.
Bisexual women and nonbinary and transgender persons have a significantly higher probability of having suffered intimate partner violence. One in four bisexual women has been in a violent relationship, and a significantly higher share of homosexual and transgender men than heterosexual and cisgender men have experienced intimate partner violence. Around one in 10 homosexual men has suffered intimate partner violence, which is almost the same as for heterosexual women.
The type of intimate partner violence seen among LGBT+ couples is not necessarily different from the type of violence seen among other couples. However, a Danish survey of intimate partner violence among LGBT+ couples shows that intimate partner violence in these cases may be used to control the victim’s sexual orientation, gender identity or gender expression or to threaten the victim to disclose their sexual orientation (“outing”).
International studies suggest that bisexuals experience a lot of prejudice, also from their partners. This includes the belief that bisexuality is a phase, lack of confidence in bisexuals’ ability to stay in a monogamous relationship, and the faulty assumption that bisexuals must miss something sexually belonging to the other sex than their partner’s. This can lead to jealousy and thus increase the risk of intimate partner violence, especially among bisexual women.
Experience with and fear of discrimination and stigmatisation can lead to LGBT+ persons less frequently seeking the necessary help to break free from a violent relationship and process those experiences of domestic violence. This is also reflected in the range of services tailored to LGBT+ individuals in abusive relationships. Currently, there is only one crisis centre specifically tailored to LGBT+ individuals in Denmark. Homosexual and bisexual men are also affected by the lack of similar support options available in Denmark for men experiencing intimate partner violence compared to those available for women.
In 2022, the first Danish crisis centre for LGBT+ persons suffering from relationship issues opened in Tårnby.
Please call the Lev Uden Vold hotline at +45 1888 or read more on the website.
If you are LGBT+ and experience intimate partner violence, you can contact the LGBT+ crisis centre, Tårnbyhus, at +45 2481 6466 or read more on the website.
If you experience social control or honour-related issues, please contact the Red+ crisis centre for young LGBT+ persons belonging to an ethnic minority at +45 5578 6060 or read more on the website.
Intimate partner violence
- LGBTQI+ Refugees and Asylum Seekers. A Review of Research and Data Needs. June 2022. UCLA. School of Law, Williams Institute.
- ILGA-Europe (2022). Addressing LGBTI Youth Homelessness in Europe and Central Asia: Findings from a Survey of LGBTI Organisations.
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European Union Agency for Fundamental Rights (FRA). LGBTI Survey Data Explorer. Country: Denmark.