FREE TO BE ME

While admitting that her new book, Free To Be Me: Refugee Stories from the Lesbian Immigration Support Group (LISG), is “not an easy read”, Jane Traies hopes this selection of lesbian life stories by women who have been part of the LISG in Manchester will be read as being “about courage, being yourself, the kindness of strangers”.

Jane’s journey into this book began three years ago when she received an email from a volunteer with the group who had heard of the work she had done with older lesbians and wondered if she might have anything in her research that could help a refugee from Uganda.

The woman, in her 70s, had been fighting for asylum for 13 years but been turned down because the Home Office didn’t believe she was a lesbian. Jane met with the group and helped prepare a statement.

Eventually the woman was granted asylum. “She and I were born in the same year and I kept thinking about her life and mine and I don’t think I’ve ever been so aware of my own privilege.”

Jane wanted to tell the stories and was able to carry out most of the interviews face to face in Manchester “literally days before lockdown”.

Jane says: “Some of the experiences of the women who have to leave their country were horrific and do include sexual violence. It’s not an easy read but I hope it’s worthwhile.”

My mum called me and cried on the phone, saying I’d brought shame to the family. My father said he never wanted to set his eyes on me again and that the day he does, he will kill me. (Faith)

All proceeds from the book, to be published by Tollington Press on International Women’s Day, Monday, March 8, are going to go back to the LISG, “so I have no shame in saying ‘buy my book’”.

It wasn’t the easiest of projects to put together, as Jane explains: “If you’re seeking asylum and have had your claim rejected by the Home Office they take away your support, so most of the women have no income and nowhere to live; no computers, only a phone, and no money to use the phone. We do take all those things for granted.”

There were also language barriers, so there was toing and froing to ensure everyone was able to say what they wanted to say, but, despite those hurdles and the restrictions of various lockdowns, all the stories were finally signed off and can now be told.

The ways are different here, and at first it was too odd. In the winter, it is so, so cold! But I think I’m better off, far from my own country. Because even if things are so hard, I’m not being beaten, I’m open, I’m free. Nobody says anything like, ‘Why are you wearing clothes like a man?’ (Sophie)

“It’s been a journey,” says Jane. “This is only one small corner of the refugee world. I knew nothing about this three years ago and now I know there are groups all over the UK. All these people have had horrible experiences here because of the culture of disbelief.”