Bisexual asylum seeker claimed the British immigration system drove him to consider suicide
When Orashia Edwards arrived from Jamaica he was in a relationship with a man
By Steve Brown
A bisexual asylum seeker and his mother claimed the British immigration system has driven him to consider suicide.
Orashia Edwards and his mother Vienna both arrived from Jamaica and filed an asylum claim but it was rejected and according to Gay Star News the UK Home Office delayed to make a decision for five years.
At the time, he was in a relationship with a man and the government didn’t believe him as he was previously married to a woman.
Sadly, his partner Michael died of a heart attack within the two-and-a-half years since his reprieve and he is now in a relationship with a woman.
But his mother fears his sexuality will be used against him in court and both mother and son are being treated for anxiety and suicidal thoughts.
Vienna said: “With all the stress and trauma we both went through, Orashia’s brain has been blown out.
“I’m always worried something’s going to happen if he is put on a plane. I can’t settle. I’m always worried fearing I’ve lost him.”
However, Allan Briddock – a barrister and trustee of the UK Lesbian and Gay Immigration Group – has encouraged them to stay hopeful.
He said: “Bisexual asylum seekers are treated differently to gay ones.
“The Home Office has just about understood there’s such a thing as a gay identity, but just doesn’t understand there’s a bisexual identity.”