Joan Nabukenya is a Ugandan lesbian who has been active in the LGBTI community in the UK since 2011. Her sexuality is particularly well-known to members of various African LGBTI groups in this country who work to expose homophobia in Africa. She is a victim of forced marriage and suffered inhuman, degrading treatment at the hands of her husband. 

Joan first applied for asylum in 2011 based on her sexuality but her case was refused. She was poorly represented and believes that the evidence she presented was not given proper weight by the Home Office. 

At her subsequent appeals, she submitted credible medical evidence that she was suffering from depression, PTSD and short-term memory loss which heavily impacted on her ability to give evidence to the court. However, her appeals were dismissed. 

Despite having been treated extensively by both her GP and an NHS consultant psychiatrist, Joan’s mental health symptoms failed to abate, even after she had been placed under the care of a Multidisciplinary team by her local Community Mental Health Trust. 

Joan's case has featured in the Independent newspaper, widely on social media and YouTube. We believe that if she is removed from the UK to her native Uganda, she will be detained on arrival, interrogated by immigration officers and thereafter be unable to live the free and open life she has enjoyed for the last nine years in the UK. 

Joan has made a fresh asylum claim based on new evidence that she is a lesbian. However, she is ineligible for legal aid and we need funds to pay a solicitor both to supplement her fresh claim and represent her in the event that her claim is refused. Any appeal is likely to be listed in under four weeks and therefore advanced funding is absolutely necessary. 

We ask you please to allow Joan to continue her life here in the UK in order that she will be able to live freely in an open, tolerant society.