Australian couple fearing transphobic attacks file for asylum in Iceland
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An Australian couple have reportedly filed for asylum in Iceland for humanitarian reasons claiming that they fear for their lives in Australia due to attitudes towards homosexuality and being transgender.
Stephanie McCarthy and Ashley Ihasz raised money through a GoFundMe campaign to make the trip to Iceland. McCarthy was the victim of a widely reported assault in Newtown, Sydney in 2015.
On their campaign page the couple said that they had been harressed by police following the 2015 incident, an accusation that has been denied by NSW police.
“Stephanie has been continually harassed and threatened by the NSW police,” Ihasz wrote on the couples crowd-source campaign. “Escalation of threats towards her and myself as her partner have forced us to flee from Australia in fear of our lives.”
The Icelandic government is currently assessing their application.
OIP Staff
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