'You n't be out': Gay Egyptians ntue to fear persecutn

Contents:

• SHIRTLS EGYPTIAN POLICE AMY GRADUATN GO VIRAL: ‘FOR A TERRIFYGLY HOMOPHOBIC ANTI-LGBT GOVERNMENT … THIS SCREAMS PRETTY GAY’ — WATCH
• 'YOU N'T BE OUT': GAY EGYPTIANS NTUE TO FEAR PERSECUTN
• GAY CAIRO
• THE TTH ABOUT BEG GAY ANCIENT EGYPT
• GAY DATG EGYPT
• ALL POSTS TAGGED "EGYPTIAN GAY MEN"

SHIRTLS EGYPTIAN POLICE AMY GRADUATN GO VIRAL: ‘FOR A TERRIFYGLY HOMOPHOBIC ANTI-LGBT GOVERNMENT … THIS SCREAMS PRETTY GAY’ — WATCH

A bizarre graduatn ceremony of the Egyptian Police Amy featurg paras of flexg shirtls men jumpg through rgs of fire has gone viral, tchg the attentn of Gee Takei, who tweeted, “For a terrifygly homophobic and dangeroly anti-LGBT ernment Egypt, this screams pretty gay. Egypt's anti-gay crackdown ma headl last September, but one year later, human-rights advot and LGBTQ Egyptians say the persecutn 18, 2018, 4:00 PM UTCOmar* is a 30-year-old physician livg Alexandria, Egypt, the untry’s send largt cy.

'YOU N'T BE OUT': GAY EGYPTIANS NTUE TO FEAR PERSECUTN

He is also a gay man who has spent most of his life what has bee one of the most dangero plac to be a sexual mory.

“It’s difficult to be gay Egypt, ” he told NBC News. ”A fan of Lebane alternative rock band Mashrou' Leila holds a rabow flag durg their ncert at the Ehniyat Internatnal Ftival Ehn town, Lebanon on Augt 12, Saidi / Rters fileHomosexualy is not explicly illegal this untry that bridg northeast Ai wh the Middle East, but people are routely arrted and imprisoned on the basis of their actual or perceived sexual orientatn and genr inty, acrdg to Amnty September was the worst crackdown the untry’s history, wh up to 76 people beg taed, acrdg to the human-rights anizatn.

The crackdown was sparked after a gay man wavg a rabow flag was arrted durg a ncert Cairo. The cint garnered ternatnal attentn, but one year later, gay Egyptians and human-rights advot say the persecutn ntu, and Egypt’s LGBTQ muny is livg fear.

GAY CAIRO

EGYPTIAN LAWWhile same-sex sexual relatns are not explicly prohibed Egyptian law, a 2017 report by the Internatnal Lbian, Gay, Bisexual, Trans and Intersex Associatn (ILGA) found that “the Law on the Combatg of Prostutn, and the law agast bchery have been ed liberally to imprison gay men recent years.

” As such, ILGA clus Egypt s list of 72 untri that crimalize, however, said, “It’s not jt gay, bisexual and transgenr people who the thori are after. “You don’t even necsarily need to be gay to get arrted, jt seen to be associated wh the LGBTQ muny. ”GAY LIFE IN EGYPTOmar said the LGBTQ muny has not always been so aggrsively targeted.

THE TTH ABOUT BEG GAY ANCIENT EGYPT

The revolutn, he explaed, opened the floodgat to extreme polics Egypt and forced the gay muny unrground.

“There are spots that are, to some extent, gay iendly, but even the plac cled after 2011. They didn’t want to look like they were that iendly towards gay people, so they closed their bars and fés and left. There have been wispread reports of Egyptian thori g gay datg apps to entrap gay men.

GAY DATG EGYPT

Omar said his neighbor was then arrted and ported om police are not the only on g the apps to persecute gay men, acrdg to Omar. Those wh homophobic tents have also been known to e them.

Last month, a newspaper showed screenshots of gay datg app Grdr wh the headle “Documentg the most dangero onle gay anizatn. ” Another Egyptian newspaper had an vtigate article about “Polari, ” or gay slang.

ALL POSTS TAGGED "EGYPTIAN GAY MEN"

The wrer claimed to be “exposg the secret dictnary of gay people Egypt” and ced rears to report anybody heard g the “language. “I unt on the gay muny to survive, ” he said. ”“The ernment has targeted sexual and genr mori for heavy-hand reprsn, wh more than 230 lbian, gay, bisexual, and transgenr (LGBT) people prosecuted on ‘bchery’ charg, ” the anizatn Magdi, a rearcher for Human Rights Watch’s Middle East and North Ai divisn, told NBC News the ternatnal muny should be dog more to protect LGBTQ Egyptians.