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1)      field of construction during the summer, and in the winter in a lamp factory. I was a member of the boy scouts group of this church.

2)      This scout group went on a trip to Disney World in Florida, which I used to get into Flordia. I left the troop to stay in Florida, taking a bus from Orlando to Miami. The reason I left Texas is that U.S. Immigration was rounding migrants and I didn’t feel safe. I thought that Miami would be an appropriate place to be, because of the large Hispanic population and because Miami is more safe for immigrants.

3)      I connected with a friend’s family in Miami, who provided me with work with an electrician business. I stayed in Miami for two years approximately. During the last year I worked repairing cars in a body shop named “2001” and at a gardening company, “Sunshine Landscapes”.

4)      In Miami, I also consulted an immigration lawyer. I asked about making a refugee claim, but could not disclose my sexual orientation to him.  I was too frightened of being rejected and had no idea that I may be able to get protection/asylum because I am gay.  With the facts available to, including my illegal status, he told me it was too complicated and difficult and could not help me. He told me the only way would be to marry an American. That was not an option for me.

5)      In Miami, I was a member of the Central Miami 7th Day Adventist Church, where I was named deacon because of my endeavours with children up to 12 years of age. I was a counsel for them. Church helped me deal with the trauma I had suffered as a child, but I had to keep my homosexuality secret from them, which was very difficult because the 7^th Day Church rejects homosexuals. Once a member of my church, a young man about 24, asked if I was gay. I was nervous and afraid, as I always was on this topic, and tried my best to act calm as I told him I was not.  I eventually decided to leave Miami for this reason. I had a place where I was cared for and belonged – but only part of me, not the gay part. I was used to hiding it, and so endured this split.

6)      In my five years in the United States, the Catholic Church psychologist was the only person who I told I was gay because since childhood, I was still terrified of people finding out or thinking I was gay, and, still, I was constantly self-conscious and worried about how people perceived me. After all, I had been trained every day for five early, formative years, that being perceived as gay resulted in immediate extreme physical pain and injury.

7)      I also never had any reason to think people would care positively about my sexual orientation – that they would try to help me with my difficulty. For me it was a part of me I was used to hiding with dedicated vigilance, and which did not deserve sympathy from anyone. This seemed to me consistent with the response of the psychologist, who endorsed my decision a keep it a secret.

8)      I searched the internet for information on Canadian immigration, and found that there are more resources and more accessibility for gay immigrants in Canada. I found the address of the Adventist Church in Buffalo, and travelled there and sought help from the Church. Church members told me about the organization “Viva La Casa” in Buffalo. The organization “Viva la Casa” helped me to apply for refugee status.  On December 24th, 2004 I entered Canada with others from Viva la Casa.

Canada

9)      I came to Canada at the age of nineteen. I asked for refugee status immediately upon entering the country.  I told them about the severe domestic violence, but not my sexual orientation. I was not comfortable to disclose that. All the refugee claimants were given documents saying that we were eligible to apply for refugee status in Canada and with that document, U.S. Immigration cannot deport us. I could thus come back to Fort Erie on January 19.  

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