- Aderonke’s asylum case rejected - 5 April, 2015
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- First US space woman Sally Ride hid sexuality over employment fears - 5 June, 2014
Nigerian gay rights activist and LGBT role model Aderonke Apata’s case for seeking asylum in the UK, based on her sexuality, has been rejected by the High Court because a judge ruled that she was pretending to be a lesbian.
Aderonke is engaged to her long-term partner Happiness Agboro, also from Nigeria, who has already been granted asylum in the UK based on her sexuality.
John Bowers, QC, who was sitting as a Deputy High Court Judge, said, ‘I find it difficult to disagree with the conclusions of the First Tier Tribunal that “she has engaged in same-sex relationships in detention in order to fabricate an asylum claim based on claimed lesbian sexuality”. I also accept the associated submission made by [the Home Office] that she has in effect adjusted her conduct so as to adopt other customs, dress and mores of a particular social group purely as a way of gaining refugee status.’
Aderonke has been nominated for a Diversity Award for her LGBT activism and is an outspoken member of Manchester’s LGBT community. We have been covering her story since 2013.
