How are queer refugees recognised in regimes that deny them legal status? In such instances, formal protection pathways are often constrained explains doctoral researcher Tamara Megaw, whose work investigates how diverse sexual orientation and gender identity is expressed and recognised in Southeast Asia.
Recognising queer refugees beyond formal protection systems
Tamara conducted interviews in Jakarta, Kuala Lumpur and Bangkok, drawing on queer phenomenology (how people experience the world from their first-person perspective) and theories of recognition (how people come to be acknowledged by others and institutions).
Her thesis traces the gap between the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR)'s formal recognition processes and the everyday intelligibility that determines whether queer refugees are understood and made legible in the protection system.
“When I researched how queer refugees become recognised across Southeast Asia, I found that it is usually community organisations that step up to advocate for their rights,” Tamara explained, adding that displacement is often compounded by experiences of homophobia and transphobia.
Being recognised is not the same as being seen
Tamara said that recognition has three dimensions.
“First, formal recognition means being read by institutions such as the UNHCR and responded to appropriately. This matters, but so do visibility and intelligibility – the extent to which queer refugees are safe to be seen, are understood in their full selves and able to navigate the social worlds around them.”
Tamara said that there's often a disconnect between formal recognition and lived experience.
“A person may be recognised as a refugee legally yet feel the need to keep their diverse self hidden. This means they are likely to be excluded from accessing support which would be appropriate to them, such as affirming health services,” she explained.
Some refugees experience important forms of connection and protection through community networks instead, even when their legal situation remains precarious.
Key findings from Tamara’s research include:
- community organisations play a critical role as intermediaries in Kuala Lumpur
- organisations such as Garabtaag and Justice for Sisters create peer networks and pathways to information support and advocacy
- organisations such as Asylum Access Thailand help individuals navigate complex protection systems in Bangkok
- Equal Asia Foundation is advocating for broader structural change across the region.
“Community organisers, refugee leaders and civil society actors often act as bridges between queer refugees and humanitarian institutions,” Tamara said.
Often it is humanitarian volunteers that assist queer refugees with translating bureaucratic processes, accompanying them through service systems, bailing them out of detention centres and helping to make their experiences legible to humanitarian actors.
“Often unpaid, dedicated individuals are actively shaping the conditions under which recognition becomes possible.”
Community organisers, refugee leaders and civil society actors often act as bridges between queer refugees and humanitarian institutions
The broader implication from Tamara’s research is that protection cannot be understood solely through legal refugee status or better institutional processes. Cultural understanding and moral acceptance are powerful as enablers for human rights.
“For queer refugees in Southeast Asia, their safety and dignity depend on being seen, understood and supported in everyday life.”
Strengthening community-led networks, expanding cultural understanding and sharing power with those closest to the issue are therefore integral for protection and enforcing the human rights of queer refugees.
As Tamara finalises her doctoral research, she is focusing on sharing findings through public engagement and advocacy activities in Southeast Asia.