Nuns Boot Lesbian Asylum Seeker Out of Housing for Attending Pride

A Ugandan asylum seeker in Amsterdam was not allowed to return to a shelter hosted by the Missionaries of Charity after its nuns discovered she had been to a Pride parade, reports NL Times.

The Missionaries of Charity is a charitable group founded by Mother Teresa that operates in 130 nations around the world.

Justine (whose last name has not been identified) fled Uganda to the Netherlands last year because of persecution she faced for being a lesbian. She moved into a 24-hour shelter hosted by Missionaries of Charity for safety on Friday while her lawyer worked on her asylum application. That same day volunteered for RozeLinks (an LGBTQ advocacy branch of the Dutch green party) to help set up their Canal Pride boat for Amsterdam pride.

"When she returned to the shelter on Friday and told the nuns where she had been, she was told that she was not allowed to sleep in the shelter," Rozelinks board member Savana Koolen who spoke with Justine and one of the nuns told the local newspaper Het Parool.

"She was told that her presence would be dangerous to the other women and children who slept there. Unless she denies being a lesbian from now on, she had to leave," the nuns told Justine, according to Het Parool.

Homosexuality is illegal in Uganda. When Justine first applied for asylum in the Netherlands she was denied a resident permit for not being "lesbian enough," according to Rozelinks. She is currently working on a new application.

After speaking to the police, the refugee found lodging with a member of RozeLinks. She has an appointment to file official discrimination charges on Wednesday.

That same day, Rozelinks plans to demonstrate again the nun's decision with a "kiss-in" where lesbians will gather in front of the shelter. They will also provide colorful chalk for demonstrators to decorate the pavement in front of the shelter with rainbows. The group is also crowdfunding money for train tickets so the asylum seeker's friends and supporters can attend the kiss-in.

"GroenLinks Amsterdam is shocked that, during the Pride week, a vulnerable lesbian is discriminated in this way. We want to show that we do not accept these expressions of discrimination in Amsterdam [and] that we are a tolerant city, where everyone is free to be themselves," the group wrote on its Facebook Event page.