DUE TO UCU STRIKE ACTION, THIS SEMINAR IS NOW CANCELLED.

Asylum claims on grounds of sexual orientation and gender identity (SOGI) have come increasingly to the fore and pose difficult challenges to authorities, activists and academics. Much academic and policy work has been carried out to ameliorate the way these claims are adjudicated. One approach sometimes used in this context is intersectionality, mostly in the terms proposed by feminist scholarship but also how it has come to be interpreted and implemented by activists. In this paper, I explore how intersectionality has been used in policy guidance and decision-making to ameliorate SOGI asylum adjudication. Based on individual interviews, focus groups and judicial observations carried out in Germany, Italy and UK, as well as at European Union and Council of Europe levels, the analysis exposes the gaps in guidance and the prevailing shortcomings in decision-making practices across Europe from such an intersectional perspective. Recommendations for future action at academic and activist levels are also set out.