An LGBT
community group in Nuremberg has announced plans to open what looks to be
Germany's first shelter for homosexual asylum seekers. The move follows a
number of attacks and discrimination against gay refugees.
Deutsche Welle, 25 January 2016
Accommodation for homosexual refugees in Nuremberg, southern Germany |
The
accommodation in the southern German city of Nuremberg is due to open within a
matter of weeks.
LGBT group
and operators of the accommodation "Fliederlich" said on Monday that
up to 10 gay and lesbian refugees will be housed in an empty two-storey
building in Nuremberg's city center.
Authorities
of the Bavarian city will cover the costs of the shelter, with the first
refugees expected to take up residence in the coming weeks.
"Fliederlich" estimates that of the 8,000 refugees currently housed
in Nuremberg, up to 600 are gay.
The plans
to open the accommodation for homosexual refugees follow reports of
discrimination and physical attacks against gay refugees.
Call for
local government action
According
to the Lesbian and Gay Federation in Germany (LSVD), between August and December
2015, there were 95 cases of violence against LGBT people, mainly in asylum
seeker accommodation.
"Some
Muslims see the presence of homosexual or transsexual people in the lodging as
an affront," said Fliederlich's chairman, Ralpf Hoffmann (pictured above,
left). "Gay and lesbian people therefore come under constant stress."
Green party
MP Claudia Stamm called on Monday for a stronger commitment from Bavaria's
state government to better protect homosexual refugees from discrimination and
exclusion.
The Bavarian
state premier and leader of the Christian Social Union, Horst Seehofer, has
been unwilling to hold a discussion on the matter so far, instead leaving local
communities and volunteeers to tackle the problem alone.
Capital to
provide separate shelter
Berlin-based
gay rights organization "Schwulenberatung" also announced plans for
similar accommodation last week. The shelter will house 125 lesbian, gay,
bisexual and transgender asylum seekers in Germany's capital, where there are
currently an estimated 3,500 LGBT refugees.
"We
have heard a lot of stories about discrimination and crimes against LGBT people
in the last two years," said "Schwulenberatung" manager Stephan
Jakel. "They were frightened and scared after being beaten or spat on, and
one survived a murder attempt. We heard a lot of horrible stories."
Local
authorities across Germany have been struggling in recent months to accommodate
Europe's biggest refugee influx since the Second World War. More than one
million people crossed Germany's borders last year, many of whom had fled war
and poverty in Syria, Iraq and Afghanistan.
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