ORAM

ORAM ORAM is a leading international non-profit organization dedicated to protecting LGBTIQ asylum seekers

ORAM is a leading international non-profit organization dedicated to protecting the world’s most vulnerable refugees.

08/19/2026

Today, on , we recognize ORAM’s staff around the world and the work they do every day to protect and empower LGBTIQ refugees and asylum seekers. 🫶

Our team includes field coordinators (members of the LGBTIQ refugee community), program staff, managers, directors, interns, communications and fundraising staff, and organizational leadership.

ORAM staff listen to clients, help programs respond to real needs, coordinate with trusted partners, and most importantly support LGBTIQ refugees navigating displacement. 🏳️‍🌈🏳️‍⚧️

On World Humanitarian Day, we are grateful for the care, resilience, and commitment our team brings to this work — especially in a challenging humanitarian landscape.

Watch the reel to meet our ORAM’s humanitarians. 💙

Want to share a message of support with our team? 💬

Leave a comment here, send us a note at [email protected], or make a gift in their honor.

Thank you to ORAM’s staff for standing alongside LGBTIQ refugees and helping create pathways to safety, stability, and hope.

The U.S. Department of State has proposed revisions to the Medical Examination for Visa or Immigration Benefit forms tha...
08/14/2026

The U.S. Department of State has proposed revisions to the Medical Examination for Visa or Immigration Benefit forms that would require physicians to collect highly sensitive information from people seeking visas or other immigration benefits.

The proposed revisions would:
- Require reporting of gender-affirming surgeries using vague and stigmatizing language

- Add “gender dysphoria” under “Psychological/Psychiatric Disorders”

- Identify HIV as a separate laboratory result

- Require photographs and detailed descriptions of scars and bodily markings

The Department has not shown that collecting this information is necessary to determine visa or immigration eligibility. These intrusive requirements could expose LGBTIQ refugees and asylum seekers — especially transgender, nonbinary, and gender-diverse people and people living with HIV — to stigma, greater scrutiny, delays, or discrimination as they seek safety.

ORAM joined 119 immigration and human rights organizations in calling on the State Department to withdraw these harmful proposed revisions. U.S. immigration medical examinations must uphold dignity, privacy, and the right to seek safety.

ORAM stands in solidarity with Berlin’s LGBTIQ community following the devastating attack at Berlin Pride on Saturday.As...
07/27/2026

ORAM stands in solidarity with Berlin’s LGBTIQ community following the devastating attack at Berlin Pride on Saturday.

As an organization that has called Berlin home for the past eight years and has served LGBTIQ refugees in Berlin since 2022, we are heartbroken by this act of violence against our community.

Pride should be a space of visibility, belonging, and safety. This attack is a painful reminder that LGBTIQ people continue to face violence simply for living authentically.

We mourn the life lost, hold the injured and recovering close to our hearts, and stand with everyone in Berlin grieving and healing from this tragedy.

ORAM remains committed to advocating for the rights and safety of LGBTIQ people, especially those in displacement, so they can live with dignity, security, and opportunity.

Ahead of , ORAM’s Kenya Team hosted a two-day Training of Trainers (ToT) workshop for 12 LGBTIQ refugee community leade...
07/21/2026

Ahead of , ORAM’s Kenya Team hosted a two-day Training of Trainers (ToT) workshop for 12 LGBTIQ refugee community leaders in Nairobi.

The workshop strengthened participants’ leadership, conflict resolution, and facilitation skills while creating a safe space for them to reflect on their journeys, discuss their impact in the community, and celebrate well-earned milestones and successes.

“This year, there were mixed emotions around World Refugee Day — happiness for how far the LGBTIQ refugee community has come in Nairobi, and sadness for the immense challenges the community still faces, especially new arrivals,” shared ORAM’s Program Officer, Kennedy Mwangi.

At ORAM, we believe refugee leadership is essential to building stronger, safer, and more connected communities. Thank you to ORAM’s Kenya Team for facilitating this valuable training, and congratulations to all participants as they continue strengthening their leadership skills and supporting their communities.

Seven years ago today, Steve Roth became ORAM’s Executive Director and helped guide the organization into a new chapter ...
07/01/2026

Seven years ago today, Steve Roth became ORAM’s Executive Director and helped guide the organization into a new chapter of growth, impact, and community-centered action.

Steve’s journey at ORAM began with a listening tour — hearing directly from LGBTIQ refugees around the world about their needs, hopes, and priorities. That commitment to listening has continued to shape ORAM’s work: protecting and empowering LGBTIQ refugees and asylum seekers, creating sustainability and systemic change.

To recognize Steve’s anniversary, we are sharing reflections on his leadership from across the ORAM community — including staff members, partners, donors, supporters, and LGBTIQ refugees impacted by ORAM’s work.

Thank you, Steve, for your continued dedication, vision, and determination to expand ORAM’s mission and help build a world where LGBTIQ refugees can live safely, with dignity, and with opportunity.

For Alina*, a bisexual refugee from Kyiv, the life she had built changed after Russia launched its full-scale invasion o...
06/29/2026

For Alina*, a bisexual refugee from Kyiv, the life she had built changed after Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine.

She fled with her mother and two cats, eventually arriving in Germany. During those first uncertain weeks, a gay couple opened their home to Alina and her family — offering safety, care, and a place to begin again.

“For me, it was interesting how people from the gay community stepped up first,” Alina reflected.

That support helped shape Alina’s path forward.

Through ORAM’s economic empowerment initiative for LBTIQ women refugees from Ukraine, Alina joined a professional development seminar, enrolled in a UX/UI design course, and connected with a mentor as she worked to rebuild her professional life in Germany.

This is Adaptability in Action: q***r community support, practical tools, and pathways helping LGBTIQ refugees move toward safety, stability, and self-sufficiency.

Read Alina’s full story here: https://www.oramrefugee.org/post/democracy-must-be-fought-for-how-q***r-support-helped-alina-rebuild-in-germany



*Name changed to protect Alina’s safety.

For 2026, UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency reminds us that everyone has the right to seek safety — including LGBTIQ refuge...
06/20/2026

For 2026, UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency reminds us that everyone has the right to seek safety — including LGBTIQ refugees and asylum seekers.

But for many LGBTIQ people forced to flee, safety remains difficult to access. Discrimination, lack of shelter, limited information, barriers to work, family rejection, and exclusion from support systems can stand in the way.

ORAM asked six LGBTIQ refugees impacted by our programs what they needed on their journeys to safety.

Their answers point to tangible, achievable solutions: shelter, economic opportunity, family recognition, community support, access to information, and dignity.

Swipe through to hear their voices — and to see what it takes to make the right to seek safety real for LGBTIQ refugees.

This Week and , ORAM is proud to spotlight My Mental Health Hub, a new LGBTIQ refugee-led initiative focused on menta...
06/18/2026

This Week and , ORAM is proud to spotlight My Mental Health Hub, a new LGBTIQ refugee-led initiative focused on mental wellness, community care, and holistic healing for displaced LGBTIQ people.

My Mental Health Hub is a trauma-informed initiative built on the belief that mental health is a right. Its approach centers the body, mind, soul, environment, movement, creativity, and community-based healing.

For many LGBTIQ refugees and asylum seekers, displacement brings deep stress, isolation, and trauma. My Mental Health Hub is creating space for people to reconnect with themselves, access community support, and explore practical tools for healing.

The goal is to help people “take back that power” — through movement, creativity, and care that meets people where they are.

This week, you can support My Mental Health Hub by:

- Attending their World Refugee Day event, “Reconnect with Your Inner Child”, in person in Nairobi

- Following on Instagram and sharing their work

- Supporting their efforts to expand mental wellness support for LGBTIQ refugees in transit

https://www.mchanga.africa/fundraiser/139832?utm_source=ig&utm_medium=social&utm_content=link_in_bio

06/03/2026

As part of our theme, , we’re celebrating a milestone smart kitchen garden training ORAM hosted in Kakuma Refugee Camp two weeks ago. 🪏🌱

LGBTIQ refugees and asylum seekers received training on the construction of large 9 x 15-meter garden structures and climate-smart gardening practices.

There are now two large garden structures in the camp, featuring irrigation systems and sun shades to support sustainable growth.

30 LGBTIQ refugees are receiving two months of mentorship and follow-up from the trainers, with an opportunity to train 15 more clients in the coming weeks.

This kitchen garden project reflects Adaptability in Action through creative, practical solutions to harsh heat, sun exposure, and water scarcity in the camp. It also reflects ORAM’s commitment to working with LGBTIQ refugee-led community-based organizations (CBOs) to reach as many clients as possible with sustainable, community-centered support.

Please enjoy photos of the training and construction in our reel!

From all of us at ORAM, happy .We stand in solidarity with all members of the LGBTIQ community — especially those livin...
06/01/2026

From all of us at ORAM, happy .

We stand in solidarity with all members of the LGBTIQ community — especially those living in displacement.

At ORAM, Pride Month is also Refugee Pride — a time to honor LGBTIQ refugees and asylum seekers, especially as we approach World Refugee Day on June 20.

This year, LGBTIQ organizations, particularly those serving refugees and asylum seekers, are facing severe funding constraints and political backlash while community needs continue to grow.

To meet this moment, ORAM is working with clarity, strategy, and creativity to protect and empower as many LGBTIQ refugees as possible.

During Pride Month, we are honoring Adaptability in Action. Adaptability is one of ORAM’s five core values, and we are putting it into practice by strengthening partnerships, coordinating services, and using limited resources as efficiently as possible to make the greatest impact.

Throughout the month, we’ll share moments that show ORAM practicing Adaptability in Action.

Follow along this to learn how ORAM is adapting to meet this moment.

Address

1325 Quincy Street NE Ste A1
Minneapolis, MN
55413

Opening Hours

Monday 9am - 5pm
Tuesday 9am - 5pm
Wednesday 9am - 5pm
Thursday 9am - 5pm
Friday 9am - 5pm

Telephone

+16126825044

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