Homophobia in Iraq: A Cycle of Violence, New law in the horizon
The fear of authority against homosexuality in Iraq… How has it affected marginalized individuals? Homophobia in Iraq… What are the politicians’ motives and how did it impact the LGBTQIA+ community? “I feel like I’ve become like a wall… without any emotions, I’ve lost the desire to socialize and interact with others. I have difficulty sleeping. […]
Collapsed roofs and shattered dreams
In the past few months, I interviewed several members of the LGBTQIA community in northern and north-western Syria, to shed the light on an entirely overlooked community, in a land marked by one direction and one color. My aim was to break the stigma surrounding them and highlight their existence in this area, which is […]
An experience with “lesbian stigma”
It is 6 months since Lesbian Visibility week 2022 and we wanted to share how we hope its intentions might continue to impact social change for the LGBTQIA+ community til its 2023 return. In the spirit of this, we keep sharing Lesbian experiences from the region , creating a platform for their voices and greater […]
Sabhi Nahhas’ Opinion Piece: The Privilege of Choice
Opinion Article The world around us has changed drastically in the past few decades, and so have people’s opinions on so many different societal issues, including being homosexual (gay). In the past, homosexuality was seen as a sin or an illness, but now it is seen as something that should be accepted by society in […]
From Syria to Turkey: A Journey of concealed truths
Source: MY.KALI Words by Lara Bellone d’Altavilla1Illustrations by: Aude Nasr When most Syrian LGBTQ persons flee to Turkey, they don’t do so seeking safety for their sexual orientation. Rather, they flee seeking safety from the conflict and violence that has endured in Syria for over 10 years. The ongoing conflict has left 2.8 million internally displaced people (IDPs) […]
Persecution and violence follow LGBTQIA+, even at pride parades
Pride marches are an opportunity for LGBTQIA+ communities to confront legislation/laws that oppose their human rights. However, they are often met with discrimination and abuse, particularly by authorties in countries that actively work against the execution of these events. Bello lives in Istanbul and tells us about what he experienced during his last pride walk: […]
‘Locked’- LGBTQ Syrian’s Displacement to Turkey
Article Source: GRLبنت ‘Locked’ is an LGBTQ advocate & humanitarian worker originally from Northwest Syria but has resettled in Gaziantep, Turkey. He shared his experiences as a gay man in both Syria & Turkey and the struggles that LGBTQ refugees face upon displacement. “When LGBTQ people flee the war in Syria, they do not flee […]
