Authorities in Austria rejected an asylum application by an Iraqi man after deciding he was lying when he said he was gay.
The unnamed 27-year-old was reportedly told by officials in the Styria region that his behavior was “not authentic” and “too girlish” to be believable.
Austrian media quoted asylum officials in as saying the asylum seeker was acting “like a girl” and his sexuality was therefore “not believable”.
The decision is the second time this month in which Austrian authorities turned down an asylum case on the grounds that they did not believe an applicant was gay.
Earlier in August, an 18-year-old Afghan asylum seeker had his application denied after being told: ”Neither your walk nor behaviour nor clothing indicate in any way you might be homosexual.”
He was also reportedly told that since he frequently got into fights with roommates, he clearly has "the potential to be aggressive, which would not be expected in a homosexual.”