CNN Opinion:  'U.S. Must Welcome Syria's Oppressed LGBTI Refugees'

Executive Director of the Organization for Refuge, Asylum & Migration Pens Guest Op-ed Calling for 500 Slots to be Safeguarded for Most Vulnerable

SAN FRANCISCO, CA - October 2, 2015 - Neil Grungras, Executive Director of the Organization for Refuge, Asylum, and Migration (ORAM), authored a guest CNN Opinion piece, "U.S. Must Welcome Syria's Oppressed LGBTI Refugees ", calling on "the U.S. State Department and President Obama to reserve 500 slots for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and intersex (LGBTI) refugees in 2016."

In the piece published on CNN.com, Grungras recounts his first-hand experience on the ground of the current refugees crisis, writing:

"Working on the front lines of this refugee crisis, I've witnessed the tragic homophobia first hand in Turkey, where many LGBTI refugees have increasingly been under attack. In July, a gay activist reported that he had been raped at home.

"Every day, ORAM continues to hear from dozens of LGBTI refugees from around the world, but especially in the Middle East, who beg us to help them get to a safer place. For these refugees, the 11th hour has passed. Now is the time for the U.S. to act -- and to act boldly. "

Click here to read the full CNN Opinion piece

The op-ed comes as the official kick-off of the 2016 Fiscal Year, which began yesterday, October 1st.  The Obama Administration recently announced the U.S. would welcome an additional 10,000 Syrian refugees during the 2016 Fiscal Year year. 

With the start of the 2016 Fiscal Year, or "refugee year ", and in conjunction with the CNN.com op-ed, ORAM launched a petition this week calling on the U.S. to safeguard 500 slots in fiscal year 2016 to protect the most vulnerable LGBTI refugees. 

Click here to view, read and sign the full petition

About the Organization for Refuge, Asylum & Migration (ORAM)

ORAM is an international organization devoted to capacity-building and advocacy on behalf of the world's most vulnerable refugees, including those fleeing persecution based on their sexual orientation or gender identity.

ORAM delivers highly innovative research, tools, trainings and empirically based assessment programs to refugee professionals and institutions around the world. ORAM's programs and activities are designed to uphold the integrity of the international refugee system, in turn giving exceptionally vulnerable refugees the protection they need and deserve.

You can read more about ORAM's work by visiting the organization's website, and social media via Facebook and Twitter.