Magazine Articles

Livia Amacker and Annett Uehlinger coordinate Focus Refugees, a Queeramnesty subgroup that supports queer asylum seekers in Switzerland. A conversation about the team's current reorganization, challenges for refugees and mentors, and dealing with the political backlash. Since when and why have you been involved with Queeramnesty? Livia: I joined Focus Refugees (FR) as a mentor in May 2022 because I want to get involved and contribute to greater social justice. In particular

Donald Trump has only been in office since mid-January and has already signed a plethora of executive orders that make life particularly difficult for trans and nonbinary people. Although most of these have been challenged in court—with an open outcome—the mere uncertainty about what will happen next is a huge burden. Text: Ralf Kaminski In Republican-controlled US states, the queer community has been facing a tough time for some time. Hundreds of laws have been drafted and,

Since Donald Trump's re-election as US president, queer rights in the United States have come under pressure to an extent that would have been unimaginable just a short time ago. In this issue, we provide an overview of the most important events and speak with a queer American woman in Switzerland about her experience of these developments. Among the many queer refugees we accompany during their asylum process here is a young gay man from Myanmar. He experienced horrific thin

Louis already knew he was gay at the age of ten. But in Southeast Asia, Myanmar, this is difficult. When he organizes demonstrations after the 2021 military coup, he is arrested, tortured, raped—and barely escapes with his life. In May 2023, he fled to Switzerland, and has been supported by Queeramnesty since the fall of 2023. But the long asylum process and the uncertainty are wearing on his nerves. Louis (whose real name is different) speaks English fairly well and a bit of

It wasn't so long ago that organizers of Pride demonstrations and festivals were regularly confronted from all sides with the question of whether these events were even necessary anymore. After all, everything had more or less been achieved and was fine. These questions have largely fallen silent now because it's obvious to everyone how much times have changed. Sure, we've achieved a lot in the past few decades, but the backlash is now all the more intense. This is particular

In November 2024, Queeramnesty also indirectly achieved a significant legal victory: The European Court of Human Rights ruled in favor of a gay Iranian asylum seeker, whom we are supporting, and whom Switzerland had sought to deport to his aggressively anti-queer homeland. We spoke with the Iranian and his lawyer about the background and consequences of this positive ruling. We also spoke with sociologist and author Christina Caprez about her new book "Queer Kids," which offe