Gay Mexican wins asylum

San Francisco

A San Francisco appeals court this week granted asylum to a Mexican who claimed that if he returned to his hometown he would be persecuted because he is gay. The man, Jose Boer-Sedano, 45, came to the U.S. in 1990 on a six-month visa and simply stayed when it expired. Immigration courts ordered him deported, but Boer-Sedano challenged the ruling. He said that he had tried to conceal his sexuality to no avail before fleeing Mexico. His family disowned him, he said, and a policeman forced him to perform sex acts and threatened to kill him. “He’ll be safe now,” his lawyer said after the ruling.