Alvaro Antonio Orozco, a gay teen runaway from Nicaragua, was denied asylum in Canada because the Immigration and Refugee Board didn't believe he was a homosexual.
Mr. Orozco, now 21, is slated for removal next Tuesday to a country where sodomy is illegal and to a family that he says beat him and taunted him for his sexual orientation ever since he was a young boy.
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While this is an important, controversial issue, I find some elements of the reporters writing unnecessary and in bad taste. "Soft-spoken with delicate features, wearing a pink-checked shirt, Mr. Orozco certainly looks the part..."? Such phrasing is plays on some unfortunate stereotypes.
A poignant story. Many human rights laws extend protection to those who are "perceived to be gay", for the very reason this young man appears to not want to return to his home country. In reality, whether or not he is gay is practically irrelevant, if the perception that he is gay puts his life at risk. The author may have been pointing out his sterotypical appearance to make this point (I hope). [Please rate this review if you found it helpful]
This is a sympathetic story about a gay Nicaraguan teen with a twist -- he has been denied asylum in Canada because he can't prove he's gay. While there is an ironic issue here, the story is completely one-sided. In her zeal, the reporter resorts to stereotype.
This story demonstrates one of the many holes and cultural biases that are endemic in the Canadian immigration system.
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