Growing up in Jamaica’s Montego Bay, Glenroy enjoyed an idyllic childhood – until his family discovered he was gay. They physically attacked him and threw him out of the house, triggering an ordeal that would last more than two years and eventually force him to seek refuge thousands of miles (km) away in Argentina. “At that time, every day one of my friends was dying or suffering discrimination and stigma and violence and abuse and attacks and all that stuff,” said the 23-year-old, whose name the Thomson Reuters Foundation has changed to protect him. “So that’s what forced me to leave my country. I couldn’t live a life there.” Argentina might seem like an unlikely destination. But as Latin America advances on gay and transgender rights, the region is becoming an increasingly popular refugee destination.