Transgender fight for asylum in Denmark

[Shana A]

Transgender fight for asylum in Denmark

http://www.dw.de/dw/article/0,,16276777,00.html

Fearful of attacks in their home country of Guatemala, two transgender people are fighting for asylum in Denmark. Activists try to prevent their deportation, banking on Denmark's pledge to uphold human rights.

Copenhagen's Central Station is bustling with people on the move - travellers, tourists, but also those who come to Denmark in hope of a better life. Once the country had a generous open door policy towards foreigners seeking refuge from war and other forms of persecution. But in recent years, Denmark has been far less welcoming.

That's something Fernanda Milan - a transgender individual who dresses and makes herself up as a woman - says as she relays her story in a café in the Danish capital. Just days before being deported back to South America, she received a last-minute reprieve from the Danish authorities who promised to re-examine her request for asylum.

A relief for Fernanda, who recalled her times in her home country of Guatemala, where she says she was a target for bigotry and violence.