New report offers insight into lives of LGBT migrants

New report offers insight into lives of LGBT migrants

According to recent research, LGBT migrants generally experienced a greater sense of being accepted in Scotland compared to their home countries and this was often the main factor behind the decision to settle in Scotland permanently. 

The Intimate Migrations Report by the School of Social and Political Sciences, University of Glasgow, involved over 50 migrants from the Central and Eastern European (CEE) and Former Soviet Union (FSU) countries. The study looked at the experience of the participants and the role their sexual orientation played in their migration stories. Focus was on the participants’ reasons for migration, their experience in Scotland and their social networks, integration and future plans. 

Though Scotland was rated first in 2015 and 2016 in the Rainbow Europe Index ranking European countries by the record on LGBT legal equality, in the majority of the cases sexual orientation was not the reason for the participants to migrate to Scotland. While many of their home countries have legislation that does not support LGBT rights, the prevailing reasons for migration had to do with better economic conditions, moving with partners or family members or a personal preference to live abroad. Only a small number of participants quoted their sexual orientation or gender identity as the main reason for leaving their country.

While the economic reasons are among the most popular ones for migration, not all the participants were able to secure employment that matched their previous education or experience. Some ended up working below their qualifications, which happens often to CEE migrants in the UK. However, despite different experiences, most participants reported feeling more material security and stability and better quality of life than back at home. The participants who acquired education in Scotland also had a positive experience of it overall.

Apart from the material security and stability, even if some trade-offs were involved, the study participants reported a high level of emotional security. Their material conditions contributed to this but so did the level of acceptance they experienced towards their sexual orientation in Scotland. This feeling of acceptance and being able to be completely open about their sexual orientation was often among the main factors in the decision to stay in Scotland permanently - more so than in the initial decision to migrate. However, some participants did experience some forms of discrimination, both on the basis of their sexual orientation and their ethnic background. Other challenges experienced by the participants had to do with cultural barriers or lack of English language skills. Also, for many of the participants, the sense of material and emotional security did not arrive immediately but was achieved over time. 

The social networks of the participants were varied. Some participants reported spending time only with co-nationals due to common language and culture, others made attempts and established relationships with local people or migrants from other countries. In some cases participants were less likely to build relationships with communities from their home countries because they did not want to reveal their sexual orientation to their co-nationals. Most participants struggled with developing friendships with local people at the start but that changed with time for some. 

To read the full report:
https://intimatemigrationsdotnet.files.wordpress.com/2016/12/intimate-migrations-final-report-2016.pdf