As hundreds of thousands of refugees continue to settle in Europe after a wave of mass migration, LGBT+ dedicated refugee centres are beginning to spring up.
Italy’s first LGBT+ dedicated centre is soon, joining in Germany.
The centres are joint projects by local LGBT+ groups, asylum seeker groups and local authorities.
They come after numerous reports of violence, harassment and intimidation, often coming from other refugees in general accommodation.
“Some Muslims see the presence of homosexual or trans people in the lodging as an affront,” One German organiser last year.
"Gay and lesbian people therefore come under constant stress,” he said.
Authorities can also be guilty of inappropriate treatment, a by UK advocacy group Stonewall found that LGBT+ asylum seekers in detention faced discrimination, harassment and violence from staff and other detainees.
But the news isn’t all bad – LGBT asylum seekers who have made it to countries like Germany have spoken of positive experiences.
“For the first time I have an environment that accepts me as a homosexual,” one Syrian refugee wrote in a .
“In Hamburg, for the first time, I learned what it means to be free. I found myself. Now I can start my life," he wrote.
Sexual education campaigns for refugees in Germany have also included LGBT+ awareness messaging, which has had the support of some church groups.
When a Berlin LGBT+ group launched a migrant program early last year, the city's Archbishop joined them for the press conference.
The central European country has borne the brunt of the European Union's wave of asylum seekers - with more than one million migrants arriving in recent years.
