Long, frustrating wait for the asylum decision

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 German, but he still brings an interpreter with him for the interview – a fellow countrywoman who has lived here for some time, is married to a Swiss man, and has only known the young man for a few months. Later in the conversation, when he rather emotionlessly recounts in his native language how he was tortured and raped by soldiers after his arrest in Myanmar's capital, Yangon, she bursts into tears at the sight of such cruelty. She has to compose herself before she can translate his words.

Louis has endured terrible things and is well documented. On his tablet, he shows videos of himself leading demonstrations after the military coup in February 2021, chanting slogans. The photos of how he looked immediately after the torture are printed on glossy paper and show his swollen, red face and battered body. "They arrested 25 people at that demonstration," Louis reports, "only six survived the torture – I'm one of them."

The father mocked and beat him

The now 32-year-old trained chef says he knew he was attracted to boys at the age of ten. "My mother accepted it, but my father couldn't handle it. He not only regularly mocked me, but also beat me." Louis grew up in a very Christian, middle-class family in Yangon, which earned a moderate income from trading food. "But my father's constant beatings led to head injuries that made higher education impossible."

He began volunteering at a school for the deaf and dumb. The school's Italian director suggested he pursue culinary training. He spent two years in Hong Kong and three months in Australia before returning and working as a cook at the school for several years.

Being gay as punishment for a previous life

Louis would also have liked to have a relationship. "But that's difficult in Myanmar. There are no places where you can meet, no organizations dedicated to queer rights; there's only Grindr." He occasionally met other gay men through this app, but it never amounted to anything more. "My father wouldn't have allowed that either; he always controlled me very closely."

Louis continues to hope for a positive asylum decision from the Swiss authorities.

Queer people generally have a hard time in Myanmar. "People look down on us, they think you're the way you are as punishment for your past life, that you don't have a good soul," says Louis. During the brief period of partial democratization that Myanmar experienced under Aung San Suu Kyi between 2012 and 2021, there were tentative signs of an opening—not only regarding human rights in general, but also regarding queer rights. "That could have potentially led to more, but the military coup in February 2021 destroyed all that."

Months of hell

Louis decided to rebel against this and not only organized demonstrations in his neighborhood, but also became active on social media against the coup and for human rights, especially the rights of disabled and queer people. On April 10, he was arrested at a demonstration. For a week, he was beaten in various basements, tortured with electric shocks and needles – even in his face, so that the right side of his face was partially paralyzed and his eyesight was impaired. "When they found out I was gay, three soldiers raped me until I almost died."

But Louis survived and was eventually put in a regular prison, charged, and sentenced to three years in prison. His time in prison was horrific, but then he had a stroke of luck: Because the regime wanted to attend a major international conference, they released several political prisoners, including Louis, in October 2021 as a sign of their goodwill. After months of hell, he was free again. But only theoretically. "I continued to be under surveillance, and the risk of being arrested again was high."

Retraumatization in underground asylum accommodation

So he fled to the border region near Thailand and found shelter at a church. "One of the sisters there nursed my physical and psychological wounds and helped me get back on my feet." It was then the Italian head of the school where he had worked who advised him to leave the country. He helped him with the necessary documents, bribed the right people, and even arranged a Schengen visa. "He was also the one who recommended I try Switzerland," Louis says. And so, in May 2023, he arrived in Zurich by plane via Bangkok and officially applied for asylum.

The time since then hasn't been easy for him. All the more so since he's met other asylum seekers with significantly less dramatic stories, who received a B permit after just six months. "It all doesn't seem very fair to me," says Louis. To make matters worse, he initially had to spend more than half a year in an underground asylum shelter in Sulgen, Thurgau, which not only aggravated his asthma but also triggered a kind of retraumatization after his experiences in the torture chambers.

He wants more legal support

He's now been living in an asylum center near the city of St. Gallen for some time, where he shares a dormitory with seven other people. "It's exhausting, but okay. Everyone knows I'm gay, so there are no problems because of it." In the fall of 2023, he saw a Queer Amnesty poster during a doctor's visit and registered with them. This helped him meet other queer asylum seekers and participate in Pride celebrations. "That helps a bit, but I wish I had more legal support."

The waiting and the uncertainty are wearing on his nerves. He says that in dark moments he has even considered suicide. Otherwise, he tries to keep himself busy. During the week, he attends a German course, and on Sundays, he goes to church, partly because he is a believer, and partly because he finds a supportive, helpful community there.

Dream of owning your own hairdressing salon

Louis's case seems clear. And of course, he very much hopes to eventually receive a positive decision from the Swiss authorities. "I can't go back to Myanmar. That would be certain death," he is convinced. He is still in contact with his parents and friends there; they know where he is and what he is doing. But his family also had to flee within Myanmar. "Because the soldiers couldn't catch me, they are now persecuting them."

His dream is to train as a hairstylist here in Switzerland. Unfortunately, cooking is no longer an option, as a long-term effect of the torture causes his face to swell whenever he gets too close to heat – unavoidable in a professional kitchen. "Later, I'd like to open my own hair salon specifically for deaf-mute clients." Of course, he'd also like to have a stable relationship, ideally children. "And I want to advocate for queer and disabled people here."

Does he think the situation in Myanmar will ever improve enough for him to return? Louis thinks for a while. "As long as the military is in power, that won't be possible. But if it falls, there might be a small hope."