UCLA Journal of International Law and Foreign Affairs

Members of sexual orientation and gender identity (SOGI) minorities escaping persecution may apply for asylum or bring up their SOGI in asylum procedures later than expected by authorities for a variety of reasons, including fear, shame, and ignorance. Using a Foucauldian lens—in particular the notions of power and confession—this Article assesses how such instances of so-called late disclosure are regulated and treated by statutes, policy guidance, and case law, with a focus on the European context. The Article also considers in detail claimants’ experiences with late disclosures, and the views of both claimants and several other actors in the asylum system on this matter. The analysis concentrates on an extensive body of secondary data (including international, European, and domestic case law, policy documents, NGO reports, case files, etc.) as well as of primary data collected in Germany, Italy, and the United Kingdom (UK) at European Union (EU) and Council of Europe levels. The primary data was collected through semi-structured interviews and online surveys with a range of stakeholders, focus groups with SOGI asylum claimants and refugees, observations of asylum appeals, and Freedom of Information requests. The Article thus offers an empirically and theoretically informed critique of late disclosures in SOGI asylum claims in Europe and puts forward recommendations to ameliorate the fear and injustice experienced by SOGI refugees while navigating an asylum system that is stacked against them in so many respects.