Jared Vallejo
Nominee Profile
Location: Liverpool
Once an asylum seeker and service user at Sahir, Liverpool’s oldest LGBTQ+ and HIV charity, Jared is now a dedicated staff member, supporting LGBTQ+ refugees navigating the same asylum system he once fought through. As a refugee with the right to remain, Jared’s lived experience is invaluable in helping others facing fear, isolation, and uncertainty in the UK.
Targeted by the local gangs in Guatemala due to his sexual orientation, Jared had to leave his home country not only to save himself, but mainly to save his family. (story featured in a METRO UK article Published May 12, 2024)
Even Before coming to the UK, Jared worked for years to bring rights and equality to the LGBT Community back in Guatemala, as a Health Promoter and Political Incidence Lead for a non-profit LGBT organization called SOMOS (WE ARE in English) Helping to create a safe space for the gay community, in a very hostile environment caused by a homophobic government in a very negatively religious country.
The SOMOS organization itself was targeted and attacked many times in attempts to shut it down. (story featured on page 35 of Irish magazine GCN, issue 350, published in February 2019)
Jared also worked for three years at a government human rights institution called the Presidential Commission of Human Rights, where he served as the Gender Unit Manager. During this time, he worked to raise awareness of the unpunished crimes committed against the LGBTQ+ community in Guatemala, advocated for same-sex marriage, and pressured the government to ensure the safety of the community within the country
Jared’s story is a powerful reminder that refugees are not victims; they are leaders, carers, and changemakers. His work is a beacon of hope, showing that survival is possible, even in the face of adversity. Jared Vallejo represents resilience, authenticity, and an unwavering commitment to lifting others up, as well as providing much-needed Latin American representation in the UK.
Targeted by the local gangs in Guatemala due to his sexual orientation, Jared had to leave his home country not only to save himself, but mainly to save his family. (story featured in a METRO UK article Published May 12, 2024)
Even Before coming to the UK, Jared worked for years to bring rights and equality to the LGBT Community back in Guatemala, as a Health Promoter and Political Incidence Lead for a non-profit LGBT organization called SOMOS (WE ARE in English) Helping to create a safe space for the gay community, in a very hostile environment caused by a homophobic government in a very negatively religious country.
The SOMOS organization itself was targeted and attacked many times in attempts to shut it down. (story featured on page 35 of Irish magazine GCN, issue 350, published in February 2019)
Jared also worked for three years at a government human rights institution called the Presidential Commission of Human Rights, where he served as the Gender Unit Manager. During this time, he worked to raise awareness of the unpunished crimes committed against the LGBTQ+ community in Guatemala, advocated for same-sex marriage, and pressured the government to ensure the safety of the community within the country
Jared’s story is a powerful reminder that refugees are not victims; they are leaders, carers, and changemakers. His work is a beacon of hope, showing that survival is possible, even in the face of adversity. Jared Vallejo represents resilience, authenticity, and an unwavering commitment to lifting others up, as well as providing much-needed Latin American representation in the UK.