ORAM

Since 12 September, Türkiye has detained at least 68 people and arrested 21 under the so-called "My Family is Safe" operation. This campaign has targeted LGBTIQ organizations, human rights defenders, and blocked digital access to outlets sharing information about the crackdown.

With 18 years of experience supporting LGBTIQ refugees and asylum seekers – including previously in Türkiye - ORAM strongly condemns these detentions and arrests. Detaining and prosecuting human rights defenders for their legitimate activities is unacceptable.

LGBTIQ refugees and asylum seekers in Türkiye face heightened risk when the organizations and networks they depend on are labeled as criminal enterprises and forced offline.

We are concerned by reports that platforms including Meta and X have restricted or suppressed LGBTIQ accounts in Türkiye during this period. These platforms have a responsibility to avoid compounding state repression by silencing organizations and individuals documenting these events.

ORAM joins calls for the immediate release of all those detained solely for their human rights activities, and for investigations and proceedings to comply with international human rights standards, including freedom of association and expression. We also call on Meta, X, and other social media platforms to stop silencing and suppressing free speech.

We urge diplomatic missions, multilateral institutions, and platforms to protect civic space so human rights organizations can continue their work safely, and we stand in solidarity with LGBTIQ human rights defenders in Türkiye.

ORAM is proud to welcome Dali as our Project Assistant Intern in Berlin!

Dali (they/them) is a Ugandan refugee and human rights activist based in Germany, with experience in communications, advocacy, community support, psychological first aid, mental health, and trauma-informed facilitation.

Previously, Dali served as Communication and Advocacy Officer and Chairperson of the Security Committee at Transgender Equality Uganda (TEU). In these roles, they supported advocacy campaigns, implemented communication strategies, and contributed to documentation and emergency response efforts before, during, and after the passage of the Anti-Homosexuality Act.

Dali is already bringing their experience to ORAM’s work. Next Wednesday, they will help facilitate a Wellbeing Workshop at we are village in Berlin for LGBTIQ refugees and asylum seekers.

We’re happy to have Dali as our newest team member!

ORAM’s 2026 Annual Report is now available! 🏳️‍🌈🏳️‍⚧️

This past year brought extraordinary challenges for LGBTIQ refugees, asylum seekers, and the organizations supporting them.

Amid shrinking humanitarian resources, limited resettlement opportunities, and rising needs, ORAM continued to adapt and move forward - creating places where hope could take root. 🌱

Our 2026 Annual Report, Where Hope Takes Root, details how ORAM’s Protection, Empowerment, and Advocacy programs created pathways to safety, dignity, and opportunity for LGBTIQ refugees and asylum seekers in Kenya, Germany, Mexico, and beyond.

Each number in this report represents an individual rebuilding their life, leading, and planning for the future. The report features stories of clients and partners who found stability, strengthened their skills, supported their communities, and offered hope to others facing displacement.

None of this work would be possible without our dedicated supporters, partners, donors, staff, Board of Directors, volunteers, and global community.

Thank you for standing with ORAM and helping hope take root for LGBTIQ refugees and asylum seekers.

Read ORAM’s 2026 Annual Report today: https://www.oramrefugee.org/oram-annual-report-2026

The U.S. Department of State has proposed revisions to the Medical Examination for Visa or Immigration Benefit forms that would require physicians to collect highly sensitive information from people seeking visas or other immigration benefits.

The proposed revisions would:
- Require reporting of gender-affirming surgeries using vague and stigmatizing language

- Add “gender dysphoria” under “Psychological/Psychiatric Disorders”

- Identify HIV as a separate laboratory result

- Require photographs and detailed descriptions of scars and bodily markings

The Department has not shown that collecting this information is necessary to determine visa or immigration eligibility. These intrusive requirements could expose LGBTIQ refugees and asylum seekers — especially transgender, nonbinary, and gender-diverse people and people living with HIV — to stigma, greater scrutiny, delays, or discrimination as they seek safety.

ORAM joined 119 immigration and human rights organizations in calling on the State Department to withdraw these harmful proposed revisions. U.S. immigration medical examinations must uphold dignity, privacy, and the right to seek safety.

ORAM stands in solidarity with Berlin’s LGBTIQ community following the devastating attack at Berlin Pride on Saturday.

As an organization that has called Berlin home for the past eight years and has served LGBTIQ refugees in Berlin since 2022, we are heartbroken by this act of violence against our community.

Pride should be a space of visibility, belonging, and safety. This attack is a painful reminder that LGBTIQ people continue to face violence simply for living authentically.

We mourn the life lost, hold the injured and recovering close to our hearts, and stand with everyone in Berlin grieving and healing from this tragedy.

ORAM remains committed to advocating for the rights and safety of LGBTIQ people, especially those in displacement, so they can live with dignity, security, and opportunity.

Ahead of , ORAM’s Kenya Team hosted a two-day Training of Trainers (ToT) workshop for 12 LGBTIQ refugee community leaders in Nairobi.

The workshop strengthened participants’ leadership, conflict resolution, and facilitation skills while creating a safe space for them to reflect on their journeys, discuss their impact in the community, and celebrate well-earned milestones and successes.

“This year, there were mixed emotions around World Refugee Day — happiness for how far the LGBTIQ refugee community has come in Nairobi, and sadness for the immense challenges the community still faces, especially new arrivals,” shared ORAM’s Program Officer, Kennedy Mwangi.

At ORAM, we believe refugee leadership is essential to building stronger, safer, and more connected communities. Thank you to ORAM’s Kenya Team for facilitating this valuable training, and congratulations to all participants as they continue strengthening their leadership skills and supporting their communities.

Seven years ago today, Steve Roth became ORAM’s Executive Director and helped guide the organization into a new chapter of growth, impact, and community-centered action.

Steve’s journey at ORAM began with a listening tour — hearing directly from LGBTIQ refugees around the world about their needs, hopes, and priorities. That commitment to listening has continued to shape ORAM’s work: protecting and empowering LGBTIQ refugees and asylum seekers, creating sustainability and systemic change.

To recognize Steve’s anniversary, we are sharing reflections on his leadership from across the ORAM community — including staff members, partners, donors, supporters, and LGBTIQ refugees impacted by ORAM’s work.

Thank you, Steve, for your continued dedication, vision, and determination to expand ORAM’s mission and help build a world where LGBTIQ refugees can live safely, with dignity, and with opportunity.

For Alina*, a bisexual refugee from Kyiv, the life she had built changed after Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine.

She fled with her mother and two cats, eventually arriving in Germany. During those first uncertain weeks, a gay couple opened their home to Alina and her family — offering safety, care, and a place to begin again.

“For me, it was interesting how people from the gay community stepped up first,” Alina reflected.

That support helped shape Alina’s path forward.

Through ORAM’s economic empowerment initiative for LBTIQ women refugees from Ukraine, Alina joined a professional development seminar, enrolled in a UX/UI design course, and connected with a mentor as she worked to rebuild her professional life in Germany.

This is Adaptability in Action: q***r community support, practical tools, and pathways helping LGBTIQ refugees move toward safety, stability, and self-sufficiency.

Read Alina’s full story here: https://www.oramrefugee.org/post/democracy-must-be-fought-for-how-q***r-support-helped-alina-rebuild-in-germany



*Name changed to protect Alina’s safety.