About Chicago LGBT Asylum Support Program (CLASP)

Chicago LGBT Asylum Support Program (CLASP) was established in early 2014, in partnership with the Broadway United Methodist Church and Centre for Integration and Courageous Living, following the LGBT-FAN inaugural retreat. CLASP aims to provide direct living support and welcoming environments to asylum seekers, as works closely with the Center for Integrated and Courageous Living (CICLiv) to this end. The group is currently seeking to connect with local human service providers and develop fund-raising and service provision strategies.

Download the full CLASP flyer. 


More about CLASP . . . 

" At the end of January, a coalition of faith leaders and advocates launched CLASP. The organization works to provide a network of support for people who have left their home countries and found their way to Chicago and are applying for asylum. Due to anti-LGBT laws in countries including Africa, Russia and India, the lives and well-being of LGBT people are threatened. They are forced to escape their home countries, CLASP said. In more than 80 countries, there are laws against being LGBT and in more than 75 countries, a person could be imprisoned, while in seven of those countries, the punishment for being LGBT is the death penalty." (See "CLASP group forms for LGBT asylum seekers," March 6, 2014, in the Windy City Times)