Utopia Talk / Politics / Americans flee the USA

Paramount Member	Thu Oct 11 07:18:22 Meet the American trans activist seeking asylum in Sweden Danni Askini, 36, has been in Sweden since July 9th, but she has visited the country 'some 20 times' previously. This time however, Askini hopes to stay: she has HAD TO FLEE THE UNITED STATES after her work as a human rights defender has become TOO DANGEROUS THERE. Askini's story is one of great hardships, yet she radiates positivity. Passionate and enthusiastic, the Seattle native talks frankly about her career, her private life, and her hopes for the future. "I was adopted, and I grew up in foster care. It was a rough time. I went through homelessness, and I transitioned from male to female as a teenager. Since the late '90s, I have been doing LGBT activism, but more specifically, trans activism. In 2006, I met a Swede and fell in love. From that time, I started moving back and forth to Sweden, until our relationship ended in 2015," she says. Getting to Sweden But now, she intends to stay in the country long-term, explaining: "My work in the US has become too dangerous." White supremacists and Nazis have threatened Askini. As her visibility as a campaigner for transgender rights increased, she began receiving death threats and even experiencing violence. "From the federal government, I have not received help to keep doing human rights work in the US," she says. Askini's future in Sweden is uncertain. Upon leaving the US, her passport renewal was rejected, despite providing the necessary documentation. She was granted a temporary emergency passport to leave, but according to the State Department in Washington DC, she still has not "demonstrated a legitimate claim" to US citizenship, refusing her a new passport. "I had to fill out another form, the so-called N-600 certificate, with over 180 questions on it. Because I am adopted and I was in foster care, I do not know the answers to some of the questions," says Askini. Requesting asylum If she has to return to the US, she says, "there is the real possibility that I would be arrested and detained at the border control on charges of identity fraud". And if that happens, she is concerned about the risk she might face as a trans woman. "In US immigration detention facilities, transgender women are often detained with men, and they run a huge risk of getting raped or sexually assaulted there. So I am trying to explore what my legal options are to remain in Sweden. It is rare, coming from the US, to apply for asylum in Sweden. I have a 90-day tourist visa until October 9th, so I have a legal status here, but I am in uncharted territory," the American says. "I am really fearful that my application for asylum here will be immediately labelled 'manifestly unfounded'. At the asylum reception, they can declare your application unfounded and deport you within 14 days to your country of origin. I need to pay for an attorney to be able to have a chance to even have my application be considered. Despite the status of Sweden as an open country, it is quite hard to gain asylum here nowadays." One option is to request political asylum: "I have good reasons to think that I have been targeted because of my political work. For example, I am suing the Trump administration over the transgender military ban. I have sued military officials, and I took on the Seattle mayor last year, with him ending up having to resign." Awaiting new developments for her asylum request, Askini keeps a low profile online. "My fear is that even talking to The Local may tip off migration authorities to deport me or to deny my application on the grounds that I would not be in enough danger." However, she also believes it is important to tell her story. Read all here: http://www...ivist-seeking-asylum-in-sweden
kargen Member	Fri Oct 12 03:38:25 The National Center for Transgender Equality (NCTE) says her problems stem from her own mistakes on the forms she needed to submit, problems like this are isolated and occurred sometimes even before President Trump took office. No policy changes to passports for transgender have been changed. Askini has set up a gofundme page to help her stay in Sweden. Basically she fucked up and now wants others to pay for her fuck-up.
Hot Rod Revved Up	Fri Oct 12 06:26:06 I wonder if I could set up a gofundme page to help pay for that motorcycle trip I want to make. Maybe some folks would be kind enough to help me out. What do you think?
patom Member	Sat Oct 13 05:54:29 So is he/she going to Sweden to take advantage of the universal health care there?
McKobb Member	Sat Oct 13 06:00:17 If they wanna take our precuts more power to them.
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