Conference: Fleeing Homophobia, Free University, Amsterdam, 5-6 September 2011‏

About the Fleeing Homophobia project
Each year, thousands of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and intersex (LGBTI) asylum seekers apply for asylum in EU Member States. During the Fleeing Homophobia project, Sabine Jansen (COC Netherlands) and Thomas Spijkerboer (VU University Amsterdam) have undertaken a comparative research about how these applications have been dealt with. Further to their findings, they have formulated policy recommendations.

About the Fleeing Homophobia Conference
The conference intends to share the research findings with a wider audience; to discuss the consequences for policy makers, decision makers, the judiciary, lawyers, NGO's and activists; and to see how academic research can be made fruitful for asylum practice, and how practice can inform further research.

�Submit an abstract!

During the conference, two sessions have been reserved for researchers who want to present papers. Papers are invited on any topic that is directly relevant for LGBTI asylum cases, including (but not restricted to):
- Credibility assessment
- Coming out late
- Persecution by third parties
- Country of Origin Information
- Preventing persecution by being
`discreet'
- Increasing LGBTI awareness
- Sexual orientation: act or identity?
Papers do not necessarily have to be finished products. Work in progress is more than welcome.

If you want to submit a paper, send an abstract of no more than 250 words to Louis Middelkoop at l.p.middelkoop@vu.nl before 15 June 2011 (n.b. deadline now extended). Papers should be submitted at the latest on 15 August 2011, and will be posted on the conference website.

More information (programme, registration)
The conference website www.rechten.vu.nl/fleeinghomophobia is regularly updated.

Organization Fleeing Homophobia is a project of COC Netherlands and VU University Amsterdam, in cooperation with the Hungarian Helsinki Committee, Avvocatura per i diritti LGBT/ Rete Lenford, and the European Council on Refugees and Exiles. Fleeing Homophobia is funded by the European Refugee Fund, the Dutch Ministry of Justice, and the participating organisations.