Paul Canary Kanyamu says life felt like 害羞草研究所渉ell on Earth害羞草研究所� before he escaped violence and found refuge in Canada about two months ago.

害羞草研究所淚 was punched, I was pushed into a ditch, my leg was broken and I was brutally assaulted countless times,害羞草研究所� the 26-year-old, who was born in Uganda and identifies as gay, recalls in an interview about the years he spent in East Africa before his arrival to Vancouver.

害羞草研究所淚 was brutally assaulted by my own parents and the community. They threatened to kill me through poisoning. It was really, very sad time.害羞草研究所�

Despite how difficult it is to tell their stories, the human rights activist and other LGBTQ refugees say they want Canadians to learn more about how brutally the community is being persecuted around the world.

Earlier this year, Uganda became the latest country to pass an anti-gay bill making it a crime to identify as gay, and imposing tough sentences, including the death penalty in some cases.

The CEO of Rainbow Railroad, a Canadian government-funded group that helps LGBTQ people escape state-sponsored violence, says at least 70 countries criminalize same-sex intimacy.

害羞草研究所淭here害羞草研究所檚 certainly a steady number of LGBTQI+ plus people resettling into Canada, in the face of the fact that there are now more displaced people than ever before,害羞草研究所� says Kimahli Powell.

Powell says the number of LGBTQ refugees has been growing as the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) estimates a total of 110 million people are displaced around the world by war, persecution and human rights abuses.

Powell says Canada doesn害羞草研究所檛 collect data on how many LGBTQ refugees settle in the country every year, but it should. He says they face unique challenges the country needs to do more to address.

害羞草研究所淔or instance, when you arrive in Canada, they害羞草研究所檙e also being faced by people who come from the same country that害羞草研究所檚 persecuting them. That害羞草研究所檚 a really unsafe environment for people to be in,害羞草研究所� he says.

In Canada, statistics show reports of hate crimes targeting transgender and a gender people have also increased and experts say attacks on that community and LBGTQ people are higher than what害羞草研究所檚 been reported to police.

But for Kanyamu, the challenges he faces in Canada don害羞草研究所檛 compare to the violence he dealt with in Uganda.

But the refugee camp was worse than what he expected and he says he was regularly there, despite his pleas to police.

害羞草研究所淭he community was very hostile. Some people are being killed. Some people are being raped. They don害羞草研究所檛 like LGBTQ persons because they believe we are agents of the devil, we害羞草研究所檙e the ones causing COVID-19, we are the ones causing famine, and all that stuff,害羞草研究所� he says.

After Kanyamu lived in the camp for about five years, Kenya害羞草研究所檚 president condemned a Supreme Court ruling that sided with an LGBTQ rights group and that害羞草研究所檚 when it became clear to him he needed to leave.

He connected with another friend who put him in touch with a Canadian LGBTQ organization called Reaching Out Assisting Refugees and was privately sponsored by a family in British Columbia.

Since his arrival in April, Kanyamu says his life has transformed.

害羞草研究所淚害羞草研究所檓 loving Canada,害羞草研究所� he says.

Kanyamu says he and his partner have found safety in the LGBTQ community in Vancouver. They have been resting, looking for work and Kanyamu wants to pursue education in social work.

Rustam, a 23-year-old bisexual man from northern Afghanistan,also says Canada has become a land of opportunity for him since he arrived in Calgary a little more than a year ago.

He did not want to be identified by his full name due to safety concerns for his family in Afghanistan.

A report by Human Rights Watch and OutRight Action International released last year said LGBTQ peoplein Afghanistan are facing grave threats to their safety and lives, especially since the Taliban took over in 2021.

Rustam says he left the country a few years before the Taliban takeover to study in Turkey,but his visa was expiring and he couldn害羞草研究所檛 return home as the violence escalated.

害羞草研究所淚 started to apply to lots of countries including Canada, United States, the United Kingdom, some European countries,害羞草研究所� he says during a phone interview from his home in Calgary.

害羞草研究所淟uckily, I (heard) back from Canada.害羞草研究所�

When he arrived, he was met with a big shock.

害羞草研究所淚 was surprised everyone is free to be whatever they want,害羞草研究所� he says.

害羞草研究所淚f I was in Afghanistan, I might (have) not survived.害羞草研究所�

Around the same time Rustam arrived in Canada, Yevheniia Kotenko and her partner were being evacuated from Ukraine after Russia launched a full-scale invasion.

Kotenko, who uses an alias because her entire family doesn害羞草研究所檛 know she害羞草研究所檚 pansexual and married to a woman, says she didn害羞草研究所檛 arrive in Canada as a refugee but under a special government program that fast-tracked immigration for Ukrainians fleeing the war.

Although it is not a crime to be a member of the LGBTQ community in Ukraine, same-sex marriage is still not permitted. Kotenko says that害羞草研究所檚 why she and her partner were so happy to get married three months after their arrival.

害羞草研究所淭here are definitely some things that I miss in Ukraine but I feel like Canada is just the perfect place to live,害羞草研究所� she says.

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