Elton John and his husband David Furnish have issued a statement criticising comments made by Home Secretary, Suella Braverman, regarding LGBTQ+ refugees.

During an address in Washington DC, Suella claimed that it is unsustainable for the UK to offer asylum to LGBTQ+ individuals who face persecution in their home countries. She stated that "simply being gay or a woman," should not be enough for a person to gain protection under international refugee laws. The minister also went on to add that multiculturalism had "failed" and that the West faced an "existential challenge" due to uncontrolled immigration.

A joint statement from the Elton John AIDS Foundation, Elton John and David Furnish on today’s remarks from the UK Home Secretary. pic.twitter.com/HfWYyFic3n

— Elton John AIDS Foundation (@ejaf) September 26, 2023

The Home Secretary, whose speech was approved by Number 10, claimed that there needed to be a reform of the 1951 Human Rights Convention - which is the foundation of the asylum system. In response to her words, Elton and David released a statement via their AIDs foundation that slammed Suella for "dismissing the very real danger," that LGBTQ+ people around the world face. Their post read: "We are very concerned about the UK Home Secretary's comments stating how discrimination for being gay or a woman should not be reason enough to qualify for protection under international refugee laws. "Nearly a third of all nations class LGBTQ+ people as criminals and homosexuality is still punishable by death in 11 countries. "Dismissing the very real danger LGBTQ+ communities face risks further legitimising hate and violence against them. Leaders need to provide more compassion, support and acceptance for those seeking a safer future." The singer and his filmmaker husband were not the only ones to take aim at Suella as the LGBTQ+ charity Stonewall issued their own response stating that it was "incredibly concerning" to hear the Home Sectretary stand against the UN Convention. The latest figures available from the UK Home Office showed that only two per cent of asylum seekers included their sexual orientation as part of their claim.

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