COMPASS Refugee Centre is pleased to have Riley Macnab, a law student from the University of Western Ontario, interning with us this summer. We have invited him to share his authentic and profound perspective as he learns about the refugee claim journey in Canada. This is his second post! If you missed his first one, check it out: Newcomer to New Coming…! Enjoy!!

Coming Out of the Box: Understanding SOGIESC Refugee Claims

Author: Riley Macnab           

Photo by James A. Molnar on Unsplash

When I started at COMPASS, I wasn’t exactly sure what I was walking into. I knew I’d be working with refugee claims, and I’d heard about people fleeing persecution for being LGBTQ+, but I thought the system would be – well, clearer. More structured. More predictable. What I didn’t realize is that it’s anything but.

The cases involving SOGIESC (sexual orientation, gender identity, expression, sex characteristics) are some of the most misunderstood and misjudged, not just by decision makers, but by the public too. There’s a tendency to expect these claims to come with tidy timelines, clear labels, and emotional declarations. A classic “coming out” story. A way to look. A way to behave. But that’s not how identity works, especially when someone’s had to hide who they are for most of their life just to survive.

What really surprised me is how much pressure is put on people to explain and prove something that’s deeply personal, and often still unfolding. Some claimants don’t even have the language for their identity until they arrive in Canada. Some never had the chance to explore it. And yet, the system often asks: “Why didn’t you come out earlier?” or “Where’s the proof?”

That’s when it clicked for me. We’re asking people to articulate a part of themselves they were never allowed to safely express. That’s not just unrealistic. It’s unfair.

Ask yourself: even in a safe country, surrounded by supportive people, how easy would it be to share your most personal, vulnerable truths?

Would you be comfortable explaining the most private parts of who you are, your desires, your fears, your relationships, all to a stranger in a formal hearing? Would you know exactly what to say, how to say it, and when you first “knew”? Most of us stumble through those questions even in the best of circumstances. Now imagine doing it in a second language, after years of hiding, under the weight of possible deportation

If you’ve ever found yourself skeptical and wondering if someone might be exaggerating their identity to get into Canada, I’d invite you to pause. I’ve learned that the truth doesn’t always come in the form we expect and it doesn’t always come from pre-determined checklist boxes. It doesn’t always come with photos or perfect wording. Sometimes, it just comes in a moment of courage, when someone dares to say something out loud for the very first time.

You don’t need to be an expert in immigration to support fairness. Just start by dropping the stereotypes. Question the assumptions. And remember that identity isn’t a performance, it’s a process. For many refugees, that process starts not with proof, but with finally feeling safe enough to be honest.