“Now I have a dream,” says Alex Mamytov (pseud, 38), a transgender asylee from

Kyrgyzstan living in Sweden. “I want to be able to connect to my family again. I want us to become friends, and because I’m now here, they don’t have to be under this constant pressure of me speaking up.” An activist, Mamytov fled his home after he was almost killed by his extended family. He says his mom gave him strength during that time. Now he lives in a collective with other refugees and asylum seekers. After three years, he finally feels settled in Sweden. But until recently, he says it has been a struggle. “They have these forms: whom should we call in case of emergency? And that’s not fun when you realize that you actually have no one’s name to put in.” He also worries that things have become “much tougher for refugees and immigrants.” While he enjoys some privileges as a member of the LGBTQ community, his Muslim friends are profiled: “I know that it feels good only because I don’t have a beard.” Full Story