LGBTQI+ Asylum seekers are due to move onto the Bibby Stockholm barge at Portland Port.

A charity which works with LGBTQI+ asylum seekers has confirmed that some of the people they work with have received letters confirming they will be moving to the barge in the coming days.

Rainbow Migration is a charity that supports lesbian, gay, bisexual, trans and intersex people through the asylum and immigration system.

In a statement, the charity said the move was "extremely concerning" as the people they work with are likely to encounter discrimination from other people who may hold "LGBTQI-phobic views".

A spokesperson for Rainbow Migration said: "As this government starts moving people seeking protection back to a floating prison we say it loud and clear again: Housing people in prison-like conditions is cruel and risks further traumatising people who have had to flee unimaginable dangers and life-threatening situations.  

"Some of the LGBTQI+ people seeking asylum that we support have already started receiving letters confirming their move in the coming days, which is extremely concerning.  

"People will have limited access to support and they will also not be free to move around the port, so conditions on the barge are very similar to being in prison or immigration detention.  

"In detention, LGBTQI+ people are likely to experience discrimination and harassment from other people who can hold LGBTQI-phobic views. Trans people can be at even greater risk of abuse.

"The people that we work with are worried about being moved to the barge, and are feeling extremely anxious about this possibility and the impact it would have on them. 

"We ask that this government commits to housing LGBTQI+ people in suitable accommodation in the community and safeguarded from harm while they seek to rebuild their lives in safety here."

Weymouth Gay Group is a local LGBTQI+ group which supports people from the community in Weymouth and Dorset.

The group has condemned the use of "prison-like" accommodation to house LGBTQI+ asylum seekers.

A spokesperson for Weymouth Gay Group said: "We are aware this has become a very emotive issue both locally and nationally.

"We would highlight that to flee your native country where you can not be accepted for being who you are must be horrendous.

"Then being threatened on arriving in a "safer country" to be sent to Rwanda (where being LGBT is unsafe) is just so outrageous and so inhuman.

"On top of that, to be housed in prison-like accommodation for months while the slow Home Office goes through your application just adds to the anxiety.

"Many of us would welcome a world with much more kindness, understanding, acceptance, and support for our worldwide LGBTQI+ community.

"It's a shame that some people in the UK feel unable to wear the shoes of these people, and walk not a mile in them, but many to fully understand where they have come from and the issues that they and their families face."