Members of Uzbekistan's LGBT muny say they have been driven unrground fear of a vlent backlash after a blogger and some of his supporters were attacked last month followg social media posts llg for gay ralli at Mlim holy s.
Contents:
- GAY LIFE UZBEKISTAN
- UZBEKISTAN: GAY MEN FACE ABE, PRISON
- GAY UZBEKS RISK BEG EXPELLED OM THEIR UNTRY
- GAY AFGHANISTAN: HOMOEROTICISM AMONG KABUL'S WARRRS
- ATTACK ON BLOGGER DRIV UZBEK GAY MUNY UNRGROUND
GAY LIFE UZBEKISTAN
Afghan men skatg along the edg of gay life Last fall (2004) I found myself Afghanistan, a natn at the center of the upheaval and change roilg * uzbeks gay *
But Uzbekistan, where homosexualy is a crime, was brave and darg, phg the l of how gay people Uzbekistan n live and mandg the sort of digny he knew that gay people had elsewhere. In a untry where the police e fake profil on social media to lure gay men to apartments and then make them choose between payg up or facg three years prison, how n they? This is the realy Uzbekistan, where I, like Shokir, was born; 's one of only two post-Soviet stat that still crimalize homosexualy.
UZBEKISTAN: GAY MEN FACE ABE, PRISON
There, a gay rdlogist named Kasymberdy Garayev, who me out onle like Shokir, disappeared recently after beg summoned to a police statn for my home untry, there is hope for change.
GAY UZBEKS RISK BEG EXPELLED OM THEIR UNTRY
Jt days before Shokir went to a gay club Tashkent for the last time, police arrted 10 gay men who had gathered at the bar.
There are vigilante groups that target gay men and force them to film huiatg vios, like this one showg a man forced to sert a glass bottle to his rectum. " I was only 12, but I stopped dancg and playg mic, aaid of what would happen if I me and for many others, the close-kn nature of Uzbek fai that n make the untry so warm and supportive mak the culture suffotg when you are gay.
GAY AFGHANISTAN: HOMOEROTICISM AMONG KABUL'S WARRRS
But the urse of nversatns and terviews ’s bee obv that this crimalisatn is wily ed to blackmail and threaten om prosecutn for their sexual orientatn, gay Uzbek men experience daily harassment om the public at large. The three stori show that spe danger and antagonism towards them, lbians and gay men Uzbekistan are no longer willg to “remake themselv”, as one person scribed . I once told everyone at work about : lleagu asked what I thought about gays and I said: “Well, what n I thk about gays when I’m one myself?
But I wouldn’t want to lk this to my sexual orientatn: I’m agree that people might not want to talk to me if I’m gay.
ATTACK ON BLOGGER DRIV UZBEK GAY MUNY UNRGROUND
If someone don’t unrstand what beg gay means, or they only know the stereotyp, I try to expla that we don’t choose our orientatn and that we n’t change . We don’t have a separate subculture: you don’t ever fd people meetg up wh iends, bumpg to other gays and hangg out wh people jt bee they’re also gay.
It’s also tertg that I’ve enuntered much more homophobia Mosw than Tashkent – I’ve never been lled a “paedo” here or been threatened, whereas Mosw ’s happened que often.