21-02-2025
The Muslim drag queen helping asylum seekers prove they are gay
A Muslim drag queen has acted as a witness for as many as 12 asylum seekers trying to prove they are gay, The Telegraph can reveal.
Asifa Lahore, Britain's 'first out Muslim drag queen' who is a trans woman, gave evidence in '10 or 12' immigration appeals within one year, court documents show.
The 42-year-old Southall-born artist and DJ also gave evidence in three separate asylum seeker cases.
Several of those identified by The Telegraph were appeals in which asylum seekers claimed they were gay or bisexual and that their lives would be at risk if they returned to their home countries.
The Telegraph reported last year how a record number of asylum seekers claiming to be gay had been allowed to stay in Britain, rising to 2,133 up from 762.
In 2019, just 475 claims were successful.
Sceptics believe some asylum seekers may be gaming the system by pretending to be homosexual as a means of having their application granted.
It follows a string of exposures by the Telegraph showing how migrants use human rights defences including their sexuality, having a family in Britain or traumatic experiences in the countries they have fled from, in an effort to avoid deportation orders.
Court documents suggest Lahore contributed both written and oral evidence in immigration cases while holding the position of a sexual health worker for the NAZ project charity.
Documents from a 2023 ruling on the failed appeal of a Bangladeshi citizen show that Lahore claimed to be a 'well-known LGBT person, fully self-employed as Britain's 'first out Muslim drag queen''.
