Out of Iraq: The Dangero Story of Two Gay Soldiers | Time

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• ISIS IS BEATEN. BUT IRAQ IS STILL HELL FOR LGBT+ PEOPLE.EQUALYFAY THREATS, IA MURRS, PERSECUTN, AND FEAR: THE FIRST EVER STUDY OF S KD BY ADVOCY GROUP IRAQUEER REVEALS A HEART-WRENCHG PORTRA OF LGBT LIFE IRAQ.TIM TEEMANSENR EDOR AND WRERUPDATED JUN. 25, 2018 1:37PM EDT / PUBLISHED JUN. 22, 2018 5:05AM EDT PHOTO ILLTRATN BY THE DAILY BEASTOMAR IS A 28-YEAR-OLD GAY IRAQI WHO NOW LIV LEBANON. “MY BOYIEND WAS KILLED FEBARY 2017,” HE SAID. “WE HAD BEEN TOGETHER FOR TWO YEARS, AND HE WAS MY ONLY SUPPORT SYSTEM. SHORTLY AFTER THAT, I HAD TO PE TO SAVE MY LIFE.”OMAR AND HIS AD PARTNER ARE FAR OM ALONE. NETY-SIX PERCENT OF LGBT+ IRAQIS HAVE FACED SOME FORM OF VERBAL OR PHYSIL VLENCE, THE FIRST EVER STUDY OF LGBT LIFE AND EXPERIENCE IRAQ HAS FOUND. IN 2017, MORE THAN 220 LGBT+ PEOPLE WERE KILLED THE UNTRY, THE SURVEY TIMAT. SCE 2003, THE STUDY SAYS THERE HAVE BEEN ANNUAL “KILLG MPAIGNS” IRAQ AIMED AT LGBT+ PEOPLE.OMAR’S EXPERIENCE IS ONE OF 257 LGBT+ IRAQI TTIMONI THAT FORM THE BASIS OF FIGHTG FOR THE RIGHT TO LIFE: THE STATE OF LGBT+ HUMAN RIGHTS IRAQ. THE REPORT WAS PILED BY ADVOCY GROUP IRAQUEER AND A PARTNER GROUP THAT WISH TO REMA ANONYMO FOR SAFETY REASONS. THE YEAR-LONG REARCH PROJECT ALSO SPOKE TO 11 ERNMENT OFFICIALS OR EMPLOYE, 16 RELIG LEARS, AND 201 MEMBERS OF IRAQI SOCIETY, AND SOUGHT TO GLEAN RMATN ABOUT IRAQI LGBT+ EXPERIENC BETWEEN 2015 AND 2018. IRAQUEER IS THE FIRST AND ONLY LGBT+ ANIZATN FOCG ON IRAQ AND THE KURDISH REGN. IT WAS FOUND 2015. COURTY IRAQUEER AMIR ASHOUR, FOUNR AND EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR OF IRAQUEER, TOLD THE DAILY BEAST: “THIS SURVEY IS THE FIRST OF S KD IRAQ. STATISTICS ABOUT THE LGBT+ MUNY IRAQ HAVE NEVER BEEN SHARED AS FAR AS WE KNOW. THIS NUMBER MIGHT SOUND SMALL WHEN PARED TO OTHER STUDI UNTRI LIKE THE U.K. BUT FOR A UNTRY LIKE IRAQ, WHERE ANY KD OF PUBLIC PARTICIPATN N LEAD TO FACG VLENCE AND POTENTIALLY ATH, THIS NUMBER IS POSIVELY SURPRISG.”ARMED GROUPS LIKE ISIS AND ASA’EB AHL AL-HAQ HAVE BEEN TWO OF THE MA GROUPS THREATENG THE LGBT+ MUNY, THE REPORT SAYS, WH ISIS’ PERSECUTN PARTICULARLY NOTORLY RERD IMAG OF GAY MEN BEG THROWN OFF BUILDGS.ARMED GROUPS HAVE ALSO ED BRICKS, GAS BOTTL, GUNS, AND OTHER WEAPONS TO KILL QUEER PEOPLE, IRAQUEER SAID.THE KILLGS HAVE TAKEN PLACE AS RECENTLY AS SEPTEMBER 2017. SEVERAL GAY MEN HAVE ALSO REPORTED THAT THEY HAVE BEEN SEXUALLY ASSLTED BY MEMBERS OF SUCH GROUPS.LGBT PEOPLE WERE ALSO PHYSILLY AND VERBALLY HARASSED BY TRIB AND FAY MEMBERS, WHO ACCE THEM OF SPOILG THE FAY’S “HONOR.” THIRTY-ONE PERCENT OF VLATNS AGAST LGBT PEOPLE WERE BY ARMED IAS, 27 PERCENT BY FAY, 22 PERCENT BY THE ERNMENT, 10 PERCENT BY ISIS, AND 10 PERCENT BY “OTHERS.” ISIS HAS MTED 30 KILLGS OF GAY MEN, ACRDG TO IRAQUEER AND OUTRIGHT INTERNATNAL. “THE ANNUAL KILLG MPAIGNS THAT HAVE BEEN HAPPENG FOR MORE THAN A ARE STILL UNADDRSED BY THE ERNMENT, AND NOT EVEN ONE PERSON HAS BEEN HELD ACUNTABLE FOR KILLG A GAY PERSON.”— AMIR ASHOUR, FOUNR AND EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR OF IRAQUEER THE SURVEY FOUND THAT NEARLY HALF, 42 PERCENT, OF THE VLENCE AGAST LGBT+ PEOPLE TOOK PLACE CENTRAL IRAQ, 32 PERCENT IRAQI KURDISTAN, AND 26 PERCENT SOUTHERN IRAQ.“LGBT+ DIVIDUALS IRAQ ARE FACG LIFE-THREATENG DANGER,” ASHOUR TOLD THE DAILY BEAST. “THE ANNUAL KILLG MPAIGNS THAT HAVE BEEN HAPPENG FOR MORE THAN A ARE STILL UNADDRSED BY THE ERNMENT, AND NOT EVEN ONE PERSON HAS BEEN HELD ACUNTABLE FOR KILLG A GAY PERSON. “THE FACT THAT 96 PERCENT OF LGBT+ PEOPLE RPOND TO THIS SURVEY SAYG THAT THEY HAVE FACED VLENCE IS HORRIFYG. NOT ONLY BEG VISIBLE IS IMPOSSIBLE, BUT ALSO THE MERE PERCEPTN OR THE MOR THAT ONE IS GAY N LEAD TO THAT PERSON’S ATH. THE REPORT CLUS TAILS OF ALL THE DIFFERENT VLATNS FACED BY THE LGBT+ MUNY, AND ALL OF THEM SHARE THE SAME LACK OF TST THE IRAQI ERNMENT.”THE VAST MAJORY OF LGBT+ RPONNTS TO IRAQUEER’S SURVEY LIVED IRAQ, ALTHOUGH SOME ASYLUM SEEKERS ALSO RELATED THEIR EXPERIENC; 61.5 PERCENT OF THOSE SURVEYED WERE GAY, 26.1 PERCENT LBIAN, 2.6 PERCENT BISEXUAL, 8.3 PERCENT TRANSGENR, AND 1.5 PERCENT FED THEMSELV AS “OTHERS.” “WE NEED OUR RIGHT TO LIFE. WE NEED OUR RIGHT TO HEALTH. WE NEED TO BE ABLE TO NOT BE AAID EVERY TIME WE MIGHT LEAVE OUR HO. WE NEED TO BE PROTECTED OM ILLEGAL POLICE RAIDS OF OUR HOM, AND THE VLENCE MTED BY ALL KDS OF GROUPS AGAST .”— AMIR ASHOUR “SCE THE UNED STAT AND UNED KGDOM LED VASN 2003, ONE MIGHT ARGUE THAT ALL IRAQIS HAVE BEEN FACG LIFE-THREATENG CIRCUMSTANC,” THE REPORT READS. “BUT THE SUATN FOR LGBT+ DIVIDUALS IS WORSE AND MORE DANGERO BEE THEY LACK ANY LEGAL PROTECTN WHATSOEVER AND TO DATE THERE IS NO POLIL WILL ON THE PART OF THE ERNMENT TO ADDRS HUMAN RIGHTS VLATNS AGAST LGBT+ DIVIDUALS. THE ERNMENT REF TO ACKNOWLEDGE LGBT+ DIVIDUALS AS IRAQI CIZENS AND IS NOT WILLG TO PROTECT THEM.”“THE NEEDS OF IRAQI LGBT+ PEOPLE ARE VERY BASIC,” ASHOUR TOLD THE DAILY BEAST. “WE NEED OUR RIGHT TO LIFE. WE NEED OUR RIGHT TO HEALTH. WE NEED TO BE ABLE TO NOT BE AAID EVERY TIME WE MIGHT LEAVE OUR HO. WE NEED TO BE PROTECTED OM ILLEGAL POLICE RAIDS OF OUR HOM, AND THE VLENCE MTED BY ALL KDS OF GROUPS AGAST . FOR NOW, WE JT WANT TO KNOW THAT OUR LIV MEAN SOMETHG.” THE REPORT FEATUR A NUMBER OF LGBT+ VOIC OM WH IRAQ. RANA OM BABYLON SAID: “I WILL DIE WHOUT ANYONE KNOWG THAT I WAS A LBIAN. ALL THE FEELGS I HAVE, AND ALL THE GIRLS I HAD CSH ON WILL REMA SECRETS I WILL TAKE WH ME TO MY GRAVE. I DON’T THK I WILL EVER LIVE TO SEE AN IRAQ THAT WEL PEOPLE LIKE ME.” “MY DAD IS A POLICE OFFICER AND HE FOUND OUT THAT I AM GAY. HE’S BEEN THREATENG TO KILL ME SCE THEN. I’VE BEEN STAYG AT MY IEND’S HOE SCE, AND RARELY GO OUT.”— MAZ, A GAY MAN LIVG BAGHDAD MAZ, A GAY MAN LIVG BAGHDAD, TOLD IRAQUEER JANUARY 2018: “I PED MY FAY’S HOME SIX MONTHS AGO. MY DAD IS A POLICE OFFICER AND HE FOUND OUT THAT I AM GAY. HE’S BEEN THREATENG TO KILL ME SCE THEN. I’VE BEEN STAYG AT MY IEND’S HOE SCE, AND RARELY GO OUT.” RAWA, A 26-YEAR-OLD GAY MAN, SAID HE WAS UNABLE TO KEEP HIS JOB BEE OF SEXUAL HARASSMENT AND VLENCE. “I WAS RAPED BY MY BOSS WHEN I WAS WORKG AS A BARISTA. HE THEN THREATENED THAT HE WILL REPORT ME TO THE POLICE IF I SAID ANYTHG. I HAD NO CHOICE BUT TO PE.” HANA, WHO IS 31 YEARS OLD AND LIV THE KURDISTAN REGN OF IRAQ, SAID: “EVERY DAY I SPEND WH MY HBAND, ANOTHER PART OF ME DI. MY FATHER FORCED ME TO MARRY MY . I NO LONGER REGNIZE MYSELF THE MIRROR.” MEMBERS OF THE TRANS MUNY FACE PARTICULAR DANGER “SIMPLY BY EXISTG,” THE REPORT SAID. HORMONE TREATMENTS ARE NOT LEGAL AND SO MAKE TRANSNG EVEN MORE DANGERO. GENR NFIRMATN SURGERY IS NOT PERMTED BY THE LAW, AND IF PEOPLE MANAGE TO HAVE THE SURGERY OUTSI THE UNTRY, THEY FACE DIFFICULTI OBTAG LEGAL DOCUMENTS THAT REFLECT THEIR GENR INTY. COURTY IRAQUEER TRANS PEOPLE ALSO REPORTED VERBAL, PHYSIL, AND SEXUAL ABE AT VAR CHECKPOTS ACROSS BAGHDAD AND OTHER CI, IRAQUEER SAID. OTHER LGBT DIVIDUALS, PECIALLY “MASCULE” WOMEN, “FEME” MEN, AND TRANS PEOPLE, HAVE FACED PHYSIL ABE NORTHERN IRAQ UNR THE KURDISTAN REGNAL ERNMENT. SAZGAR, A 41-YEAR-OLD LBIAN, WAS TAED BY THE POLICE SEVERAL TIM. “A POLICE OFFICER THREATENED TO RAPE ME AND SAID THAT MIGHT MAKE ME A REAL WOMAN,” SHE TOLD IRAQUEER. “THE LGBT+ MUNY IRAQ DO NOT ONLY NEED LGBT+ ACTIVISM,” ASHOUR TOLD THE DAILY BEAST. “WE NEED HUMAN RIGHTS ACTIVISM. WE NEED WOMEN’S RIGHTS GROUPS, CHILDREN’S RIGHTS ACTIVISTS, AND OTHERS WHO FOC ON TN, HEALTH, AND SUCH TO BE CLIVE WHEN THEY WORK ON HUMAN RIGHTS. WE NEED THE SOCIETY TO REGNIZE THAT ADVOTG FOR HUMAN RIGHTS DO NOT E TEGORI. WE EHER HAVE EQUALY OR WE DON’T.” “I PED A MUTE AFTER MY DAD UGHT ME WH MY BOYIEND MY ROOM. IF I HAD STAYED TO GATHER MY DOCUMENTS, I WOULD’VE BEEN AD BY NOW.”— AMMAR, AN ASYLUM SEEKER GERMANY EIGHTY-NE PERCENT OF THOSE SURVEYED SAID THE IRAQI MEDIA’S RELENTLSLY ANTI-LGBT+ VERAGE HAD NEGATIVELY FLUENCED THEIR SELF-PERCEPTN.LGBT ASYLUM SEEKERS OM IRAQ HAVE TO FLEE THEIR HOM THE MOMENT OF DISVERY SO QUICKLY THAT THEY DO NOT HAVE TIME TO GATHER CCIAL DOCUMENTS. AMMAR, AN ASYLUM SEEKER GERMANY, TOLD IRAQUEER: “I PED A MUTE AFTER MY DAD UGHT ME WH MY BOYIEND MY ROOM. IF I HAD STAYED TO GATHER MY DOCUMENTS, I WOULD’VE BEEN AD BY NOW.” “TO ENSURE HUMAN RIGHTS FOR THE LGBT+ MUNY, IRAQ DO NOT NEED TO PASS OR AMEND LEGISLATN. THE IRAQI GOVERNMENT SIMPLY NEEDS TO RPECT AND IMPLEMENT S OWN MMENTS TO THE NATNAL NSTUTN AND LAWS, AND HONOR S MMENTS UNR INTERNATNAL HUMAN RIGHTS LAW,” IRAQUEER’S SURVEY NCLUS. COURTY IRAQUEER “OUR MOST IMPORTANT ASK IS TO PROTECT THE LGBT+ MUNY OM THE KILLG MPAIGNS ANIZED AGAST THEM, AND TO HOLD PERPETRATORS ACUNTABLE FOR THEIR CRIM,” ASHOUR TOLD THE DAILY BEAST. “WHOUT OUR RIGHT TO LIFE, THERE IS NO POT TO TALK ABOUT ANY OF OUR OTHER RIGHTS. THE IRAQI ERNMENT MT RPECT AND APPLY IRAQI AND TERNATNAL LAWS, BOTH OF WHICH SHOULD BE ENOUGH TO PROTECT LGBT+ DIVIDUALS OM KILLGS AND HUMAN RIGHTS ABE.“ALSO, WE WANT THE PUBLIC TO KNOW WHAT DIFFICULTI WE ARE FACG AS A MUNY AND AS AN ANIZATN, AND HOPEFULLY MOTIVATE THEM TO SUPPORT FANCIALLY AND POLILLY. SADLY, WE DO NOT HAVE A LOT OF SPACE TO DO ANY OF THAT SI IRAQ, NOT PUBLICLY AND SAFELY AT LEAST. WE NEED TO RELY ON OUR SUPPORTERS GLOBALLY TO HELP BUILD A STRONGER BASE THAT N ENABLE TO STRENGTHEN OUR WORK SI IRAQ.” “PEOPLE’S DONATNS N POTENTIALLY SAVE LGBT+ IRAQIS’ LIV. HELP PROVI SAFE HOG, MEDIL SERVIC, AND OTHER BASIC NEEDS.”— AMIR ASHOUR MANY PEOPLE IRAQUEER HAS SPOKEN TO ARE HOMELS OR LIVG TEMPORARY SUATNS AS THEY ARE CHASED BY DIFFERENT GROUPS AND DO NOT HAVE THE MEANS TO SUPPORT THEMSELV, ASHOUR SAID. “PEOPLE’S DONATNS N POTENTIALLY SAVE LGBT+ IRAQIS’ LIV,” SAID ASHOUR. “HELP PROVI SAFE HOG, MEDIL SERVIC, AND OTHER BASIC NEEDS.” TO THOSE WHO ARE POLILLY NNECTED, ASHOUR ASKS THAT THEY LOBBY THEIR ERNMENTS AND THE IRAQI ERNMENT “TO RPECT AND IMPLEMENT HUMAN RIGHTS STANDARDS.”THE REPORT DO NOT CLU THE STORI OF THOSE PEOPLE WHO WERE KILLED AND WERE NOT ABLE TO SHARE THEIR STORY, ASHOUR SAID. “HOW MUCH MORE WOULD WE BE ABLE TO DOCUMENT IF WE WERE WORKG A SAFER UNTRY WHERE WE WOULDN’T BE AAID OF NDUCTG SUCH REARCH AND PEOPLE WOULD NOT BE SRED OF SHARG THEIR STORI?” PERSONAL LGBT+ STORIES FROM INSIDE IRAQA GAY MAN HIS TWENTITELL ABOUT YOUR CHILDHOOD, AND GROWG UP. YOUR FAY, YOUR EXPERIENCE OF BEG LGBT.I WAS BORN TO A VERY REGULAR MIDDLE-CLASS KURDISH FAY. BOTH MY PARENTS HELD AND STILL HOLD ERNMENT EMPLOYEE POSNS. AS A KID, I WAS CUR, SOCIAL, AND ALWAYS YEARNG TO LEARN ABOUT THGS AND PEOPLE. I LEARNED ARABIC THROUGH WATCHG RTOONS LONG BEFORE I STARTED SCHOOL. I DID VERY WELL SCHOOL AND I MA MY PARENTS PROUD.ALTHOUGH I HAD ALWAYS FELT DIFFERENT OM MY IENDS, THE FEELGS OF BEG DIFFERENT AND ISOLATN BEGAN TO TENSIFY AS I APPROACHED PUBERTY. I HAD SOME IENDS WHO WOULD SHOW ME PORNOGRAPHIC IMAG AND VIOS, AND I SOON REALIZED THAT I WAS TERTED MAL. AT FIRST, I DIDN’T KNOW WHAT WAS LLED OR THAT WASN’T ACCEPTED BY SOCIETY. HOWEVER, DIDN’T TAKE LONG FOR ME TO LEARN THE WORD THROUGH THE TER. WHAT I WAS, WAS LLED “GAY.” I LEARNED THAT BEG GAY WASN’T WELED BY SOCIETY AND I WOULD SPEND HOURS EVERY NIGHT GOOGLG “HOW TO STOP BEG GAY.” THE ANSWERS I GOT WEREN’T WHAT I HOPED TO FD. I SANK TO A PERD WHERE I WOULD SPERATELY PRAY TO GOD HE WOULD CHANGE ME, BUT TO NO AVAIL. I FALLY ACCEPTED THAT I ULDN’T STOP BEG GAY, BUT I STILL DIDN’T ACCEPT MY INTY. I WAS TERMED TO NCEAL MY INTY AND TO STAY CELIBATE FOREVER.WHEN I STARTED HIGH SCHOOL AT AN ALL-MALE SCHOOL, ONE OF MY CLASSMAT AND I FELL FOR EACH OTHER. WE NEVER SPOKE OF BEG GAY BUT WE WERE LOVE. THE EXPERIENCE DIDN’T END UP WELL AND I SANK TO A VERY EP, NOW DIAGNOSED, CLIL PRSN. IT TOOK A FEW YEARS FOR ME TO GET BETTER, AND EVEN NOW I STILL STGGLE WH PRSN. I BEGAN TO ACCEPT MY INTY THROUGH THE PROCS. I WAS VERY LUCKY TO HAVE OPEN-MD IENDS. I SLOWLY ME OUT TO MY CLOSE IENDS, ALL OF WHOM WERE SUPPORTIVE OF ME AND MY INTY.FAST FORWARD TO NOW, I HAVE FULLY ACCEPTED MY INTY AND I AM SURROUND BY IENDS WHO ARE EHER LGBT THEMSELV OR WHO ARE VERY SUPPORTIVE. I NSIR THEM MY FAY. SOME OF LIVE DIFFERENT UNTRI, AND WE VIS EACH OTHER AS OFTEN AS MONEY AND VISA SUATNS ALLOW.WHAT HAPPENED TO YOU?I HAVE ONLY HAD ONE ALTERTN WH THE POLICE. I WAS DATG A GUY AT THE TIME AND WE WOULD DRIVE TO THE MOUNTAS TO PE REALY. IT WAS VERY LATE AT NIGHT AND A POLICE R DROVE BY . THEY STOPPED AND TOLD THAT THEY HAD SEEN KISSG. THEY STARTED BEATG AND SULTG . BUT THEY LET GO THE END.WHAT HAPPENED NEXT?I NEVER DROVE TO THE MOUNTAS AGA.WHERE ARE YOU NOW?I AM A LLEGE STUNT KURDISTAN/IRAQ.HOW ARE YOU DOG NOW?I AM AT A VERY DARK PLACE. I AM STGGLG WH MY PRSN, WHICH HAS AFFECTED ALL ASPECTS OF MY LIFE. EVEN THOUGH I HAVE MANY IENDS WHO ARE SUPPORTIVE OF ME, I STILL FEEL LIKE I DON’T BELONG WHERE I AM AT.WHAT WOULD YOU LIKE TO SEE HAPPEN WHEN TO THE LGBT PEOPLE AND LIFE IRAQ?I WOULD LIKE THE UNTRY TO REVER OM THE RECENT AND THE OLR EVENTS. I WOULD LIKE THE SECURY AND THE SAFETY SUATNS TO IMPROVE. I WOULD LIKE THE SOCIETY TO BEE MORE CIVIL AND TED. I WOULD LIKE THE SOCIETY TO OPEN S ARMS TO EVERYONE REGARDLS OF THEIR DIFFERENC. AND MOST OF ALL, I WOULD LIKE THE LGBT+ MUNY TO FEEL SAFE AND AT HOME, AND TO FEEL LIKE THEY BELONG. TIM TEEMAN
• TORTURED AND KILLED IRAQ FOR BEG GAY
• MURRED FOR ‘LOOKG GAY’: HOW LGBT IRAQIS ARE FIGHTG FOR THEIR LIVNOT GIVG UPAFTER KARAR NHI WAS REPORTEDLY MURRED BAGHDAD, IRAQUEER’S AMIR ASHOUR REVEALS ISIS’ NOTOR ANTI-GAY VLENCE IS ONLY ONE STGGLE FACG LGBT PEOPLE IRAQ.TIM TEEMANSENR EDOR AND WRERUPDATED JUL. 06, 2017 11:21AM EDT / PUBLISHED JUL. 06, 2017 1:00AM EDT TWTERIF IRAQI ACTOR AND MOL KARAR NHI WAS KIDNAPPED, TORTURED, AND MURRED BAGHDAD BEE HE “LOOKED GAY” WOULD E AS NO SURPRISE TO AMIR ASHOUR, THE FOUNR AND EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR OF THE HUMAN RIGHTS ANIZATN IRAQUEER.“I THK IRAQ MOST OF THE MURRS THAT HAVE HAPPENED AGAST QUEER PEOPLE, OR PEOPLE PERCEIVED TO BE, HAVE BEEN BEE OF THEIR APPEARANCE,” ASHOUR TOLD THE DAILY BEAST. “THERE IS STILL THE MISNCEPTN OF HOW PEOPLE LOOK VERS THE PERCEIVED IA OF THEIR SEXUAL ORIENTATN. “THE ARMED GROUPS WHO DO THE KILLGS TEND TO THK ONE IS AN EXTENSN OF THE OTHER. THERE IS A BLURRED UNRSTANDG OF WHAT GENR INTY AND GENR EXPRSN MEAN VERS WHAT SEXUAL ORIENTATN MEANS.”IRAQUEER, ASHOUR TOLD THE DAILY BEAST, IS “AWARE OF SEVEN PEOPLE BEG KILLED THIS PAST JANUARY FOR SIAR REASONS TO KARAR’S. THOSE SEVEN PEOPLE WERE MORED TO BE ON A LIST OF 100 NAM OF DIVIDUALS WHO WERE TARGETED BY AN ARMED GROUP.” IRAQUEER ULD NOT SHARE THE PEOPLE’S NAM, ASHOUR SAID. NHI, A GRADUATE OF BAGHDAD UNIVERSY’S COLLEGE OF FE ARTS, WAS FOUND AD ON A BY ROAD THE MIDDLE OF BAGHDAD. HE HAD REPORTEDLY RECEIVED ATH THREATS BEE OF HIS LONG HAIR AND ATTIRE. HIS BODY SHOWED SIGNS OF TORTURE AND STAB WOUNDS, ACRDG TO KURDISTAN 24.ATTU REPORTED THAT NHI HAD SAID A FACEBOOK POST THAT HE EMBODIED “EVERY YOUNG MAN FIGHTG WH ALL HIS HONOR TO FEND THE NATN.” HIS PICTUR, HE SAID, WERE “THEATRIL AND CEMATIC WORKS OF ART, WHICH I PRI MYSELF ON... I CHERISH MY PERSONAL EEDOM TO BUILD A UNIQUE EXTERNAL APPEARANCE.” HE DISMISSED THE CEL MENTS HE RECEIVED: “I REMA SILENT ABOUT THE ABIVE RPONS THAT UNDOUBTEDLY REFLECT THE LEVEL OF THEIR WRERS.”“THERE HAS NOT BEEN REAL RMATN SAYG THAT KARAR WAS GAY,” SAID ASHOUR. “IT’S AN ASSUMPTN WHOEVER KILLED HIM MA BASED ON HOW HE LOOKED. ONE OF THE PEOPLE WHOSE KILLG WE DOCUMENTED A UPLE OF YEARS AGO WAS THE FATHER OF FOUR CHILDREN. HE WAS STRAIGHT ACRDG TO EVERYONE HIS CIRCLE. HE WAS KILLED BEE HE HAD LONG HAIR.” TWTER THE MURR OF NHI REVEALS THAT THE DANGERS FACED BY LGBTQ PEOPLE IRAQ WILL NOT END IF AND WHEN ISIS IS ELIMATED, SAID ASHOUR.“THE PROBLEMS OF THE LGBTQ+ MUNY DID NOT STOP WH ISIS, AND ARE NOT GOG TO STOP WH THE ELIMATN OF ISIS. THE IRAQI ERNMENT HAS BEEN ANNOUNCG THAT ISIS IS BEG FEATED AND THE LIPHATE IS LLAPSG, AND THE TERNATNAL MUNY SAW ISIS THROWG PEOPLE THOUGHT TO BE GAY OFF THE TOPS OF BUILDGS, AND THOUGHT THAT WAS THE WORST THG FACG .“BUT REALY WE’VE BEEN FACG AN ANIZED KILLG MPAIGN SCE 2006, AND THAT’S NOT GOG TO STOP WH THE ELIMATN OF ISIS. THE FIRST ENEMY OF LGBT PEOPLE IRAQ IS THE ERNMENT SELF. NOT ONLY ARE THEY NOT PROVIDG PROTECTN FOR , BUT THEY ARE DIRECTLY VOLVED VLATG OUR RIGHTS.”ASHOUR TOLD THE DAILY BEAST THAT POLICE FORC AND SECURY GUARDS STOP DIVIDUALS AT CHECKPOTS WHO LOOK DIFFERENT, OR IF THEY ARE TRANSGENR AND GOG THROUGH HORMONAL TREATMENT, PARG HOW THEY LOOK THE PRENT WH THE PICTURE THAT LOOKS DIFFERENT ON THEIR INTIFITN RDS. IRAQUEER HAS VIO OF DIVIDUALS BEG HUIATED AND PHYSILLY ABED SUCH SUATNS.ONE OF THE MA ARMED GROUPS BAGHDAD, ASHOUR SAID, HAD ANNOUNCED A PARTNERSHIP WH THE ERNMENT THE NAME OF FIGHTG ISIS, AND THIS GROUP WAS ONE OF THE MA GROUPS ANIZG THE KILLG MPAIGNS OF GAY MEN AND FEME MEN PERCEIVED TO BE GAY.ASHOUR SAID, “REGARDLS OF THE FACT THAT THE IRAQI CONSTUTN PROTECTS PRIVACY AND EEDOM OF EXPRSN THE IRAQI ERNMENT HAS NOT BEEN TAKG ANY STEPS TO HOLD THE PEOPLE KILLG QUEER PEOPLE ACUNTABLE, OR UPHOLDG LAWS WHICH PROTECT DIVIDUALS REGARDLS OF PEOPLE’S PERCEIVED IA OF WHO THEY ARE.”***DAY TO DAY, IRAQI LGBTQ+ PEOPLE LIVE FEAR, ASHOUR SAID.“EVERYONE MATAS A REALLY LOW PROFILE. THEIR SOCIAL CIRCL ARE SMALL. THE SOCIAL CIRCL THE KURDISH REGN ARE A B BIGGER, BUT DO NOT MEAN VLENCE IS NOT HAPPENG THERE ALSO. THOSE WHO HAVE LIMED TN AND LIMED FANCE HAVE TROUBLE FDG JOBS AND MATAG A LIVG, AND ONLY THK OF SURVIVG TO THE NEXT DAY.”PEOPLE ARE ALSO BEG TARGETED BY ANTI-GAY ATTACKERS THROUGH DATG APPS. “EVERYONE IS AAID FOR THEIR LIV. THEY ARE JT TRYG TO HI THEIR SEXUALY AS MUCH AS THEY N,” SAID ASHOUR.A RECENT NEW YORK TIM REPORT TAILED THE PLIGHT OF MOHAMMED, A 26-YEAR-OLD GAY IRAQI CIVIL ENGEER PRENTLY STUCK TURKEY, A VICTIM OF PRINT TMP’S 120-DAY EEZE ON REFUGEE RETTLEMENT.IRAQUEER WORKS WH LGBTQ+ PEOPLE IRAQ, TURKEY, LEBANON, AND THOSE WHO HAVE MA TO EUROPE AND THE WT.“EVERY SGLE ONE IS FACG DIFFICULTI DIFFERENT FORMS,” SAID ASHOUR. “THOSE IRAQ FD DIFFICULT TO LEAVE THE UNTRY. IT IS NOT JT ABOUT GETTG MONEY TO BUY A TICKET, BUT ‘CAN WE GET TO ANOTHER UNTRY?’”TURKEY REQUIR AN E-VISA OM IRAQIS, WHICH THEORY ARE EASY TO OBTA, HE SAID, BUT NOT EVERYONE GETS THEM. “LEBANON IS VERY HARD TO SURVIVE . THEY N’T GET JOBS, AND IF THEY DON’T HAVE MONEY THEY N’T SUPPORT THEMSELV AND FD SOMEWHERE TO LIVE.”OTHER GAY IRAQI REFUGE WHO HAVE BEEN ABLE TO APPLY TO RETTLEMENT PROGRAMS N BY THE UNED NATNS AND OTHER ANIZATNS FACE DIFFICULTI WHEN NONTED WH THE BAN JT ANNOUNCED BY PRINT TMP. “THEIR S WERE BEG PROCSED AND FALIZED AND SUDNLY THEY HAVE A HOLD PUT ON THEM, AND ARE BEG ASKED TO WA AN FE PERD OF TIME,” SAID ASHOUR. “WAG IS JT ONE PROBLEM. THEY ARE NOT GETTG ANY SUPPORT OM THE UN OR OTHER ANIZATNS TERMS OF LIVG EXPENS AND FDG HOG. HOW N WE EXPECT PEOPLE TO SURVIVE AND WA FOR AN AVERAGE OF TWO YEARS WHEN THEY DON’T HAVE MONEY OR ACCS TO JOBS THE UNTRI THEY ARE WAG ? “THE SUATN IS REALLY, REALLY DIFFICULT. THE FACT THAT THE U.S. IS PULLG AWAY OM S LEADG ROLE QUEER RIGHTS TERNATNALLY IS MAKG EVEN HARR FOR .”THAT IRAQUEER EXISTS IS E FOR OPTIMISM, SAID ASHOUR. “JT TWO YEARS AGO I WAS TRAVELG WH [LGBT ANIZATN] OUTRIGHT INTERNATNAL, THROUGH EVERY SGLE CY IRAQ LOOKG FOR OTHER POSSIBLE ACTIVISTS AND THERE WERE LERALLY NONE. NOW WE HAVE NE FULL-TIME EMPLOYE AND A WORK OF MORE THAN 200 PEOPLE.”IRAQUEER, WHICH IS ALSO REQUTG DONATNS, IS TRAG MEMBERS OF TWO FEMIST ANIZATNS IRAQ TO WORK ON LGBTQ+ ISSU.“WE ARE G TOGETHER TO CREATE A BLUEPRT FOR FUTURE GENERATNS TO FOLLOW, AND PEOPLE ARE FDG SOME SENSE OF BELONGG KNOWG THAT IRAQUEER EXISTS AND BEG ABLE TO TALK TO ,” SAID ASHOUR.THE ANIZATN IS ALSO VENTG WORDS THAT DIDN’T EXIST ARABIC AND KURDISH TO ENURAGE THE IRAQI PUBLIC TO E RPECTFUL WORDS, “RATHER THAN WORDS THAT TRANSLATE TO ‘FAGGOT’ OR OFFENSIVE TERMS HAVE BEEN ED FOR SO MANY YEARS,” ASHOUR SAID.THE WORD “QUEER” SELF WAS ED NEGATIVELY, UNTIL—AS ACTIVISTS THE WT DID THE 1990S—IRAQUEER RECLAIMED . THE “LGBT+ MUNY” ARABIC, SAID ASHOUR, TRANSLATED TO “THE ABNORMAL MUNY,” OR “THE GAY MUNY.” THE LATTER IS OK, SAID ASHOUR, BUT HE WOULD PREFER THE MORE CLIVE LBGTQ+.AN TERVIEWER ON ONE OF IRAQI TV’S MA WORKS JT TERVIEWED HIM, AND AFTER SHE ED “THE ABNORMAL MUNY,” HE SAID HE WOULD NOT NTUE WH THE TERVIEW UNLS SHE ED “LGBTQ+.” THE PRENTER DID, AND ASHOUR IS TERTED TO SEE IF THE NEW WORD MAK THE FAL CUT: “I’M NOT GOG TO BELIEVE TILL I SEE ON FRIDAY.”***ASHOUR, LIKE THE HIGH-PROFILE GAY SYRIAN REFUGEE SUBHI NAHAS (WHO WAS ONE OF THE GRAND MARSHALS AT NYC PRI 2016), HAS VOTED HIMSELF TO ACTIVISM SCE LEAVG HIS NATIVE UNTRY.  HE FORMED IRAQUEER 2015. HALF-KURD, HALF-ARAB, ASHOUR NOW LIV AS A POLIL REFUGEE—MEANG, HE SAID, THAT HE NNOT RETURN TO IRAQ— MALMö, SWEN. HE IS “VERY BLSED” TO BE CLOSE TO HIS FAY AND IS DAILY MUNITN WH HIS MOTHER AND SIBLGS IRAQ WHO ARE VERY SUPPORTIVE OF HIM. HIS MOTHER, HE SAID, ABANDONED HALF HER SOCIAL WORK BEE OF THEIR HOMOPHOBIA.SCE BEG A REFUGEE, “EVERYTHG ELSE MY LIFE HAS BEEN MUCH MORE PLITED THAN WAS,” ASHOUR SAID, OM APPLYG TO SCHOOLS TO TRAVEL AND BASIC LIVG.“I DON’T HAVE AN IRAQI PASSPORT, I DON’T HAVE A SWEDISH PASSPORT. I’M NOT PROTECTED BY ANY REAL ERNMENT. THAT PLIT MY SUATN MUCH MORE. BUT I’VE NEVER BEEN HAPPIER TO BE HONT, BEE I’M LIVG WHO I REALLY AM AND STANDG FOR WHAT I BELIEVE . THE WORK OF IRAQUEER, AND THE REGNAL AND TERNATNAL ACTIVISTS I HAVE GOTTEN TO KNOW, HAS BEEN AMAZG AND VERY SPIRG TO WORK WH. IT’S MUCH BIGGER THAN JT BEG ABLE TO LIVE ONE UNTRY. ACTIVISM IS BASILLY MY LIFE NOW.”THE IMPACT OF IRAQUEER’S WORK HAS BEEN FELT BY LGBTQ+ IRAQIS TOO.“I WISH I ULD SHOW YOU THE EMAILS WE RECEIVE OM PEOPLE,” SAID ASHOUR. “WE ARE A VERY YOUNG ANIZATN AND NO WAY SAYG WE HAVE CHANGED EVERYTHG. BUT PEOPLE REACH OUT TO SAY, ‘WE N FALLY INTIFY WH YOU, SOMEONE PUBLIC, AND NOT ONLY PUBLIC BUT NOT ASHAMED AND PROUDLY ADVOTG FOR WHO ARE WE ARE.’“AS AN ANIZATN WE ARE NOT ONLY FOCG ON QUEER ISSU. WE ARE NOT SAYG ‘LOOK AT THE POOR PEOPLE,’ BUT JT PEOPLE. WE’RE NOT ASKG FOR QUEER RIGHTS BUT OUR HUMAN RIGHTS THE SAME AS EVERYONE ELSE. THE APPROACH WE ARE TAKG IS NOT, ‘WE ARE HERE, HELP , WE NEED HELP,’ BUT THAT WE ARE TAKG AN ACTIVE ROLE AND OWNG OUR FUTURE. “WE ARE PHG FOR LOTS OF PEOPLE TO REACH OUT, TO OFFER THEIR SERVIC, TO VOLUNTEER WH , TO BE ACTIVE PARTICIPANTS. SOME PEOPLE SAY, ‘WE WANT YOU TO STOP THE KILLGS,’ AND WE SAY, ‘WE WISH. WE’D LIKE TO.’ WE HAVE TO STRIKE A BALANCE. WE REALIZE WE ARE NOT ABLE TO DO EVERYTHG PEOPLE EXPECT TO DO, BUT BY TAKG THGS SLOWLY AND STEADILY WE WILL HOPEFULLY GROW AND ACHIEVE OUR GOALS THE LONG TERM.”***FOR NOW, THE THREATS TO LGBT+ IRAQIS REMA ON ALL SIS: OM ISIS, IAS, AND THE ERNMENT AND S OWN FORC. “ON TOP OF THAT, ALSO FAI ARE A SOURCE OF THREAT, PECIALLY THE EXTEND FAY,” ASHOUR SAID. “MALY LGBTQ+ PEOPLE JT THK OF SURVIVG. OF URSE PEOPLE BELIEVE OUR RIGHTS AND EXISTENCE, BUT THE PROBLEM IS LIVG SO MUCH FEAR FOR SO MANY YEARS THOSE DIVIDUALS WHO SUPPORT ARE SILENT. THEY DON’T TALK ABOUT THGS PUBLICLY. THEREFORE, WE TEND TO REMA BY OURSELV OR REACH OUT TO A SMALL CIRCLE WHO ARE QUEER. OR, LIKE WHAT HAPPENED TO KARAR, WE GET KILLED.”ASHOUR IS AWARE OF A LOT OF PEOPLE WHO ARE LGBTQ+ ALLI, AND HAS MANY WORKS SI AND OUTSI IRAQ. “BUT THE PEOPLE WHO MOST NEED THIS ARE SI THE UNTRY AND DON’T HAVE ACCS TO A CENT JOB, TN, AND PROBABLY DON’T HAVE A SOCIAL CIRCLE THEY N RELY ON. I REALLY HOPE PEOPLE WHO DON’T INTIFY AS LGBTQ+ BUT WHO ARE SUPPORTIVE E OUT AND SUPPORT .”FEME GAY MEN, REGARDLS OF THEIR SEXUALY, FACE THE MOST PERSECUTN, ASHOUR SAID. TRANS WOMEN FACE SIAR VLENCE. BEE OF CULTURAL STEREOTYP, ASHOUR SAID, FEME GAY MEN ARE SEEN AS PEOPLE WHO HAVE STOPPED SHORT OF TRANSNG TO FEMALE. TRANS WOMEN ALSO SUFFER BEE CULTURALLY THEY ARE SEEN AS MEN WHO HAVE CHOSEN TO GIVE UP THEIR MALE “POWER” TO BEE A WOMAN.“LBIANS FACE DOUBLE DISCRIMATN AS WOMEN AND LBIANS,” SAID ASHOUR. “THEY ARE OFTEN VISIBLE, EHER FORCED TO MARRIAGE OR IF NOT, KEPT ‘PROTECTED’ WH THEIR HOM BY THE MALE FIGUR THEIR FAI. THEY DO NOT HAVE THE SPACE TO EXPLORE WHO THEY ARE OR REACH OUT TO OTHERS.”WHILE THERE ARE NO LAWS AGAST HOMOSEXUALY IRAQ, “THE MA PROBLEM,” SAID ASHOUR, IS THE NON-APPLITN OF EXISTG LAWS THAT SHOULD PROTECT LGBTQ+ PEOPLE OM PERSECUTN AND VLENCE.“THE CONSTUTN SAYS THAT EVERYONE IS EQUAL UNR THE LAW, AND DO NOT DISCRIMATE ON THE BASIS OF RACE, ETHNICY ET CETERA. THERE IS NO MENTN OF LGBTQ+ PEOPLE PER SE, BUT OUR RIGHTS SHOULD BE PROTECTED,” SAID ASHOUR. “LAWS ON ‘PUBLIC MORALY’ AND ‘HONOR’ ARE SO VAGUE THEY ARE ED AGAST ALL THE TIME,” HE ADD. “ACRDG TO THE LAWS DRKG WATER ULD BE PUNISHABLE. THEY DO NOT FE WHAT ‘DAMAGG TO PUBLIC HONOR’ IS.” MEANWHILE, LGBTQ+ PEOPLE, AND THOSE SPECTED OF BEG LGBTQ+ LIKE NHI, ARE MURRED, “AND SUCH CRIM ARE EXCED AWAY AS HONOR CRIM OR FAY MATTERS, OR SOMETHG THE IAS NEED TO TAKE RE OF WHICH THE LAW NNOT TERFERE WH.”NHI’S MURR, WHICH HAS GARNERED SO MUCH TERNATNAL VERAGE, MAY BE A SIGNIFINT, FG MOMENT, ASHOUR SAID.“IT MAY HAVE PEOPLE ASKG, ‘WHERE DO WE WANT TO GO OM HERE?’ IT REMDS ME OF THE ATTENTN THE EMO KILLGS GOT 2012. THE MEDIA VERAGE IS GREAT, BUT UNLS THE TERNATNAL MUNY HOLDS IRAQ ACUNTABLE, AND UNLS IRAQ MS FULLY TO THE HUMAN RIGHTS TREATI HAS SIGNED LAST FEW S, THE REPORTG WILL NOT MEAN MUCH. MEDIA VERAGE WILL NOT PROTECT . HOLDG IRAQ ACUNTABLE WILL.” TIM TEEMAN
• THIS NEW MOVIE TELLS THE TORTURED LOVE STORY OF TWO GAY IRAQI SOLDIERS
• GAYS LIVG SHADOWS OF NEW IRAQ

ISIS IS BEATEN. BUT IRAQ IS STILL HELL FOR LGBT+ PEOPLE.EQUALYFAY THREATS, IA MURRS, PERSECUTN, AND FEAR: THE FIRST EVER STUDY OF S KD BY ADVOCY GROUP IRAQUEER REVEALS A HEART-WRENCHG PORTRA OF LGBT LIFE IRAQ.TIM TEEMANSENR EDOR AND WRERUPDATED JUN. 25, 2018 1:37PM EDT / PUBLISHED JUN. 22, 2018 5:05AM EDT PHOTO ILLTRATN BY THE DAILY BEASTOMAR IS A 28-YEAR-OLD GAY IRAQI WHO NOW LIV LEBANON. “MY BOYIEND WAS KILLED FEBARY 2017,” HE SAID. “WE HAD BEEN TOGETHER FOR TWO YEARS, AND HE WAS MY ONLY SUPPORT SYSTEM. SHORTLY AFTER THAT, I HAD TO PE TO SAVE MY LIFE.”OMAR AND HIS AD PARTNER ARE FAR OM ALONE. NETY-SIX PERCENT OF LGBT+ IRAQIS HAVE FACED SOME FORM OF VERBAL OR PHYSIL VLENCE, THE FIRST EVER STUDY OF LGBT LIFE AND EXPERIENCE IRAQ HAS FOUND. IN 2017, MORE THAN 220 LGBT+ PEOPLE WERE KILLED THE UNTRY, THE SURVEY TIMAT. SCE 2003, THE STUDY SAYS THERE HAVE BEEN ANNUAL “KILLG MPAIGNS” IRAQ AIMED AT LGBT+ PEOPLE.OMAR’S EXPERIENCE IS ONE OF 257 LGBT+ IRAQI TTIMONI THAT FORM THE BASIS OF FIGHTG FOR THE RIGHT TO LIFE: THE STATE OF LGBT+ HUMAN RIGHTS IRAQ. THE REPORT WAS PILED BY ADVOCY GROUP IRAQUEER AND A PARTNER GROUP THAT WISH TO REMA ANONYMO FOR SAFETY REASONS. THE YEAR-LONG REARCH PROJECT ALSO SPOKE TO 11 ERNMENT OFFICIALS OR EMPLOYE, 16 RELIG LEARS, AND 201 MEMBERS OF IRAQI SOCIETY, AND SOUGHT TO GLEAN RMATN ABOUT IRAQI LGBT+ EXPERIENC BETWEEN 2015 AND 2018. IRAQUEER IS THE FIRST AND ONLY LGBT+ ANIZATN FOCG ON IRAQ AND THE KURDISH REGN. IT WAS FOUND 2015. COURTY IRAQUEER AMIR ASHOUR, FOUNR AND EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR OF IRAQUEER, TOLD THE DAILY BEAST: “THIS SURVEY IS THE FIRST OF S KD IRAQ. STATISTICS ABOUT THE LGBT+ MUNY IRAQ HAVE NEVER BEEN SHARED AS FAR AS WE KNOW. THIS NUMBER MIGHT SOUND SMALL WHEN PARED TO OTHER STUDI UNTRI LIKE THE U.K. BUT FOR A UNTRY LIKE IRAQ, WHERE ANY KD OF PUBLIC PARTICIPATN N LEAD TO FACG VLENCE AND POTENTIALLY ATH, THIS NUMBER IS POSIVELY SURPRISG.”ARMED GROUPS LIKE ISIS AND ASA’EB AHL AL-HAQ HAVE BEEN TWO OF THE MA GROUPS THREATENG THE LGBT+ MUNY, THE REPORT SAYS, WH ISIS’ PERSECUTN PARTICULARLY NOTORLY RERD IMAG OF GAY MEN BEG THROWN OFF BUILDGS.ARMED GROUPS HAVE ALSO ED BRICKS, GAS BOTTL, GUNS, AND OTHER WEAPONS TO KILL QUEER PEOPLE, IRAQUEER SAID.THE KILLGS HAVE TAKEN PLACE AS RECENTLY AS SEPTEMBER 2017. SEVERAL GAY MEN HAVE ALSO REPORTED THAT THEY HAVE BEEN SEXUALLY ASSLTED BY MEMBERS OF SUCH GROUPS.LGBT PEOPLE WERE ALSO PHYSILLY AND VERBALLY HARASSED BY TRIB AND FAY MEMBERS, WHO ACCE THEM OF SPOILG THE FAY’S “HONOR.” THIRTY-ONE PERCENT OF VLATNS AGAST LGBT PEOPLE WERE BY ARMED IAS, 27 PERCENT BY FAY, 22 PERCENT BY THE ERNMENT, 10 PERCENT BY ISIS, AND 10 PERCENT BY “OTHERS.” ISIS HAS MTED 30 KILLGS OF GAY MEN, ACRDG TO IRAQUEER AND OUTRIGHT INTERNATNAL. “THE ANNUAL KILLG MPAIGNS THAT HAVE BEEN HAPPENG FOR MORE THAN A ARE STILL UNADDRSED BY THE ERNMENT, AND NOT EVEN ONE PERSON HAS BEEN HELD ACUNTABLE FOR KILLG A GAY PERSON.”— AMIR ASHOUR, FOUNR AND EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR OF IRAQUEER THE SURVEY FOUND THAT NEARLY HALF, 42 PERCENT, OF THE VLENCE AGAST LGBT+ PEOPLE TOOK PLACE CENTRAL IRAQ, 32 PERCENT IRAQI KURDISTAN, AND 26 PERCENT SOUTHERN IRAQ.“LGBT+ DIVIDUALS IRAQ ARE FACG LIFE-THREATENG DANGER,” ASHOUR TOLD THE DAILY BEAST. “THE ANNUAL KILLG MPAIGNS THAT HAVE BEEN HAPPENG FOR MORE THAN A ARE STILL UNADDRSED BY THE ERNMENT, AND NOT EVEN ONE PERSON HAS BEEN HELD ACUNTABLE FOR KILLG A GAY PERSON. “THE FACT THAT 96 PERCENT OF LGBT+ PEOPLE RPOND TO THIS SURVEY SAYG THAT THEY HAVE FACED VLENCE IS HORRIFYG. NOT ONLY BEG VISIBLE IS IMPOSSIBLE, BUT ALSO THE MERE PERCEPTN OR THE MOR THAT ONE IS GAY N LEAD TO THAT PERSON’S ATH. THE REPORT CLUS TAILS OF ALL THE DIFFERENT VLATNS FACED BY THE LGBT+ MUNY, AND ALL OF THEM SHARE THE SAME LACK OF TST THE IRAQI ERNMENT.”THE VAST MAJORY OF LGBT+ RPONNTS TO IRAQUEER’S SURVEY LIVED IRAQ, ALTHOUGH SOME ASYLUM SEEKERS ALSO RELATED THEIR EXPERIENC; 61.5 PERCENT OF THOSE SURVEYED WERE GAY, 26.1 PERCENT LBIAN, 2.6 PERCENT BISEXUAL, 8.3 PERCENT TRANSGENR, AND 1.5 PERCENT FED THEMSELV AS “OTHERS.” “WE NEED OUR RIGHT TO LIFE. WE NEED OUR RIGHT TO HEALTH. WE NEED TO BE ABLE TO NOT BE AAID EVERY TIME WE MIGHT LEAVE OUR HO. WE NEED TO BE PROTECTED OM ILLEGAL POLICE RAIDS OF OUR HOM, AND THE VLENCE MTED BY ALL KDS OF GROUPS AGAST .”— AMIR ASHOUR “SCE THE UNED STAT AND UNED KGDOM LED VASN 2003, ONE MIGHT ARGUE THAT ALL IRAQIS HAVE BEEN FACG LIFE-THREATENG CIRCUMSTANC,” THE REPORT READS. “BUT THE SUATN FOR LGBT+ DIVIDUALS IS WORSE AND MORE DANGERO BEE THEY LACK ANY LEGAL PROTECTN WHATSOEVER AND TO DATE THERE IS NO POLIL WILL ON THE PART OF THE ERNMENT TO ADDRS HUMAN RIGHTS VLATNS AGAST LGBT+ DIVIDUALS. THE ERNMENT REF TO ACKNOWLEDGE LGBT+ DIVIDUALS AS IRAQI CIZENS AND IS NOT WILLG TO PROTECT THEM.”“THE NEEDS OF IRAQI LGBT+ PEOPLE ARE VERY BASIC,” ASHOUR TOLD THE DAILY BEAST. “WE NEED OUR RIGHT TO LIFE. WE NEED OUR RIGHT TO HEALTH. WE NEED TO BE ABLE TO NOT BE AAID EVERY TIME WE MIGHT LEAVE OUR HO. WE NEED TO BE PROTECTED OM ILLEGAL POLICE RAIDS OF OUR HOM, AND THE VLENCE MTED BY ALL KDS OF GROUPS AGAST . FOR NOW, WE JT WANT TO KNOW THAT OUR LIV MEAN SOMETHG.” THE REPORT FEATUR A NUMBER OF LGBT+ VOIC OM WH IRAQ. RANA OM BABYLON SAID: “I WILL DIE WHOUT ANYONE KNOWG THAT I WAS A LBIAN. ALL THE FEELGS I HAVE, AND ALL THE GIRLS I HAD CSH ON WILL REMA SECRETS I WILL TAKE WH ME TO MY GRAVE. I DON’T THK I WILL EVER LIVE TO SEE AN IRAQ THAT WEL PEOPLE LIKE ME.” “MY DAD IS A POLICE OFFICER AND HE FOUND OUT THAT I AM GAY. HE’S BEEN THREATENG TO KILL ME SCE THEN. I’VE BEEN STAYG AT MY IEND’S HOE SCE, AND RARELY GO OUT.”— MAZ, A GAY MAN LIVG BAGHDAD MAZ, A GAY MAN LIVG BAGHDAD, TOLD IRAQUEER JANUARY 2018: “I PED MY FAY’S HOME SIX MONTHS AGO. MY DAD IS A POLICE OFFICER AND HE FOUND OUT THAT I AM GAY. HE’S BEEN THREATENG TO KILL ME SCE THEN. I’VE BEEN STAYG AT MY IEND’S HOE SCE, AND RARELY GO OUT.” RAWA, A 26-YEAR-OLD GAY MAN, SAID HE WAS UNABLE TO KEEP HIS JOB BEE OF SEXUAL HARASSMENT AND VLENCE. “I WAS RAPED BY MY BOSS WHEN I WAS WORKG AS A BARISTA. HE THEN THREATENED THAT HE WILL REPORT ME TO THE POLICE IF I SAID ANYTHG. I HAD NO CHOICE BUT TO PE.” HANA, WHO IS 31 YEARS OLD AND LIV THE KURDISTAN REGN OF IRAQ, SAID: “EVERY DAY I SPEND WH MY HBAND, ANOTHER PART OF ME DI. MY FATHER FORCED ME TO MARRY MY . I NO LONGER REGNIZE MYSELF THE MIRROR.” MEMBERS OF THE TRANS MUNY FACE PARTICULAR DANGER “SIMPLY BY EXISTG,” THE REPORT SAID. HORMONE TREATMENTS ARE NOT LEGAL AND SO MAKE TRANSNG EVEN MORE DANGERO. GENR NFIRMATN SURGERY IS NOT PERMTED BY THE LAW, AND IF PEOPLE MANAGE TO HAVE THE SURGERY OUTSI THE UNTRY, THEY FACE DIFFICULTI OBTAG LEGAL DOCUMENTS THAT REFLECT THEIR GENR INTY. COURTY IRAQUEER TRANS PEOPLE ALSO REPORTED VERBAL, PHYSIL, AND SEXUAL ABE AT VAR CHECKPOTS ACROSS BAGHDAD AND OTHER CI, IRAQUEER SAID. OTHER LGBT DIVIDUALS, PECIALLY “MASCULE” WOMEN, “FEME” MEN, AND TRANS PEOPLE, HAVE FACED PHYSIL ABE NORTHERN IRAQ UNR THE KURDISTAN REGNAL ERNMENT. SAZGAR, A 41-YEAR-OLD LBIAN, WAS TAED BY THE POLICE SEVERAL TIM. “A POLICE OFFICER THREATENED TO RAPE ME AND SAID THAT MIGHT MAKE ME A REAL WOMAN,” SHE TOLD IRAQUEER. “THE LGBT+ MUNY IRAQ DO NOT ONLY NEED LGBT+ ACTIVISM,” ASHOUR TOLD THE DAILY BEAST. “WE NEED HUMAN RIGHTS ACTIVISM. WE NEED WOMEN’S RIGHTS GROUPS, CHILDREN’S RIGHTS ACTIVISTS, AND OTHERS WHO FOC ON TN, HEALTH, AND SUCH TO BE CLIVE WHEN THEY WORK ON HUMAN RIGHTS. WE NEED THE SOCIETY TO REGNIZE THAT ADVOTG FOR HUMAN RIGHTS DO NOT E TEGORI. WE EHER HAVE EQUALY OR WE DON’T.” “I PED A MUTE AFTER MY DAD UGHT ME WH MY BOYIEND MY ROOM. IF I HAD STAYED TO GATHER MY DOCUMENTS, I WOULD’VE BEEN AD BY NOW.”— AMMAR, AN ASYLUM SEEKER GERMANY EIGHTY-NE PERCENT OF THOSE SURVEYED SAID THE IRAQI MEDIA’S RELENTLSLY ANTI-LGBT+ VERAGE HAD NEGATIVELY FLUENCED THEIR SELF-PERCEPTN.LGBT ASYLUM SEEKERS OM IRAQ HAVE TO FLEE THEIR HOM THE MOMENT OF DISVERY SO QUICKLY THAT THEY DO NOT HAVE TIME TO GATHER CCIAL DOCUMENTS. AMMAR, AN ASYLUM SEEKER GERMANY, TOLD IRAQUEER: “I PED A MUTE AFTER MY DAD UGHT ME WH MY BOYIEND MY ROOM. IF I HAD STAYED TO GATHER MY DOCUMENTS, I WOULD’VE BEEN AD BY NOW.” “TO ENSURE HUMAN RIGHTS FOR THE LGBT+ MUNY, IRAQ DO NOT NEED TO PASS OR AMEND LEGISLATN. THE IRAQI GOVERNMENT SIMPLY NEEDS TO RPECT AND IMPLEMENT S OWN MMENTS TO THE NATNAL NSTUTN AND LAWS, AND HONOR S MMENTS UNR INTERNATNAL HUMAN RIGHTS LAW,” IRAQUEER’S SURVEY NCLUS. COURTY IRAQUEER “OUR MOST IMPORTANT ASK IS TO PROTECT THE LGBT+ MUNY OM THE KILLG MPAIGNS ANIZED AGAST THEM, AND TO HOLD PERPETRATORS ACUNTABLE FOR THEIR CRIM,” ASHOUR TOLD THE DAILY BEAST. “WHOUT OUR RIGHT TO LIFE, THERE IS NO POT TO TALK ABOUT ANY OF OUR OTHER RIGHTS. THE IRAQI ERNMENT MT RPECT AND APPLY IRAQI AND TERNATNAL LAWS, BOTH OF WHICH SHOULD BE ENOUGH TO PROTECT LGBT+ DIVIDUALS OM KILLGS AND HUMAN RIGHTS ABE.“ALSO, WE WANT THE PUBLIC TO KNOW WHAT DIFFICULTI WE ARE FACG AS A MUNY AND AS AN ANIZATN, AND HOPEFULLY MOTIVATE THEM TO SUPPORT FANCIALLY AND POLILLY. SADLY, WE DO NOT HAVE A LOT OF SPACE TO DO ANY OF THAT SI IRAQ, NOT PUBLICLY AND SAFELY AT LEAST. WE NEED TO RELY ON OUR SUPPORTERS GLOBALLY TO HELP BUILD A STRONGER BASE THAT N ENABLE TO STRENGTHEN OUR WORK SI IRAQ.” “PEOPLE’S DONATNS N POTENTIALLY SAVE LGBT+ IRAQIS’ LIV. HELP PROVI SAFE HOG, MEDIL SERVIC, AND OTHER BASIC NEEDS.”— AMIR ASHOUR MANY PEOPLE IRAQUEER HAS SPOKEN TO ARE HOMELS OR LIVG TEMPORARY SUATNS AS THEY ARE CHASED BY DIFFERENT GROUPS AND DO NOT HAVE THE MEANS TO SUPPORT THEMSELV, ASHOUR SAID. “PEOPLE’S DONATNS N POTENTIALLY SAVE LGBT+ IRAQIS’ LIV,” SAID ASHOUR. “HELP PROVI SAFE HOG, MEDIL SERVIC, AND OTHER BASIC NEEDS.” TO THOSE WHO ARE POLILLY NNECTED, ASHOUR ASKS THAT THEY LOBBY THEIR ERNMENTS AND THE IRAQI ERNMENT “TO RPECT AND IMPLEMENT HUMAN RIGHTS STANDARDS.”THE REPORT DO NOT CLU THE STORI OF THOSE PEOPLE WHO WERE KILLED AND WERE NOT ABLE TO SHARE THEIR STORY, ASHOUR SAID. “HOW MUCH MORE WOULD WE BE ABLE TO DOCUMENT IF WE WERE WORKG A SAFER UNTRY WHERE WE WOULDN’T BE AAID OF NDUCTG SUCH REARCH AND PEOPLE WOULD NOT BE SRED OF SHARG THEIR STORI?” PERSONAL LGBT+ STORIES FROM INSIDE IRAQA GAY MAN HIS TWENTITELL ABOUT YOUR CHILDHOOD, AND GROWG UP. YOUR FAY, YOUR EXPERIENCE OF BEG LGBT.I WAS BORN TO A VERY REGULAR MIDDLE-CLASS KURDISH FAY. BOTH MY PARENTS HELD AND STILL HOLD ERNMENT EMPLOYEE POSNS. AS A KID, I WAS CUR, SOCIAL, AND ALWAYS YEARNG TO LEARN ABOUT THGS AND PEOPLE. I LEARNED ARABIC THROUGH WATCHG RTOONS LONG BEFORE I STARTED SCHOOL. I DID VERY WELL SCHOOL AND I MA MY PARENTS PROUD.ALTHOUGH I HAD ALWAYS FELT DIFFERENT OM MY IENDS, THE FEELGS OF BEG DIFFERENT AND ISOLATN BEGAN TO TENSIFY AS I APPROACHED PUBERTY. I HAD SOME IENDS WHO WOULD SHOW ME PORNOGRAPHIC IMAG AND VIOS, AND I SOON REALIZED THAT I WAS TERTED MAL. AT FIRST, I DIDN’T KNOW WHAT WAS LLED OR THAT WASN’T ACCEPTED BY SOCIETY. HOWEVER, DIDN’T TAKE LONG FOR ME TO LEARN THE WORD THROUGH THE TER. WHAT I WAS, WAS LLED “GAY.” I LEARNED THAT BEG GAY WASN’T WELED BY SOCIETY AND I WOULD SPEND HOURS EVERY NIGHT GOOGLG “HOW TO STOP BEG GAY.” THE ANSWERS I GOT WEREN’T WHAT I HOPED TO FD. I SANK TO A PERD WHERE I WOULD SPERATELY PRAY TO GOD HE WOULD CHANGE ME, BUT TO NO AVAIL. I FALLY ACCEPTED THAT I ULDN’T STOP BEG GAY, BUT I STILL DIDN’T ACCEPT MY INTY. I WAS TERMED TO NCEAL MY INTY AND TO STAY CELIBATE FOREVER.WHEN I STARTED HIGH SCHOOL AT AN ALL-MALE SCHOOL, ONE OF MY CLASSMAT AND I FELL FOR EACH OTHER. WE NEVER SPOKE OF BEG GAY BUT WE WERE LOVE. THE EXPERIENCE DIDN’T END UP WELL AND I SANK TO A VERY EP, NOW DIAGNOSED, CLIL PRSN. IT TOOK A FEW YEARS FOR ME TO GET BETTER, AND EVEN NOW I STILL STGGLE WH PRSN. I BEGAN TO ACCEPT MY INTY THROUGH THE PROCS. I WAS VERY LUCKY TO HAVE OPEN-MD IENDS. I SLOWLY ME OUT TO MY CLOSE IENDS, ALL OF WHOM WERE SUPPORTIVE OF ME AND MY INTY.FAST FORWARD TO NOW, I HAVE FULLY ACCEPTED MY INTY AND I AM SURROUND BY IENDS WHO ARE EHER LGBT THEMSELV OR WHO ARE VERY SUPPORTIVE. I NSIR THEM MY FAY. SOME OF LIVE DIFFERENT UNTRI, AND WE VIS EACH OTHER AS OFTEN AS MONEY AND VISA SUATNS ALLOW.WHAT HAPPENED TO YOU?I HAVE ONLY HAD ONE ALTERTN WH THE POLICE. I WAS DATG A GUY AT THE TIME AND WE WOULD DRIVE TO THE MOUNTAS TO PE REALY. IT WAS VERY LATE AT NIGHT AND A POLICE R DROVE BY . THEY STOPPED AND TOLD THAT THEY HAD SEEN KISSG. THEY STARTED BEATG AND SULTG . BUT THEY LET GO THE END.WHAT HAPPENED NEXT?I NEVER DROVE TO THE MOUNTAS AGA.WHERE ARE YOU NOW?I AM A LLEGE STUNT KURDISTAN/IRAQ.HOW ARE YOU DOG NOW?I AM AT A VERY DARK PLACE. I AM STGGLG WH MY PRSN, WHICH HAS AFFECTED ALL ASPECTS OF MY LIFE. EVEN THOUGH I HAVE MANY IENDS WHO ARE SUPPORTIVE OF ME, I STILL FEEL LIKE I DON’T BELONG WHERE I AM AT.WHAT WOULD YOU LIKE TO SEE HAPPEN WHEN TO THE LGBT PEOPLE AND LIFE IRAQ?I WOULD LIKE THE UNTRY TO REVER OM THE RECENT AND THE OLR EVENTS. I WOULD LIKE THE SECURY AND THE SAFETY SUATNS TO IMPROVE. I WOULD LIKE THE SOCIETY TO BEE MORE CIVIL AND TED. I WOULD LIKE THE SOCIETY TO OPEN S ARMS TO EVERYONE REGARDLS OF THEIR DIFFERENC. AND MOST OF ALL, I WOULD LIKE THE LGBT+ MUNY TO FEEL SAFE AND AT HOME, AND TO FEEL LIKE THEY BELONG. TIM TEEMAN

Omar is a 28-year-old gay Iraqi who now liv Lebanon. ”Armed groups like ISIS and Asa’eb Ahl Al-Haq have been two of the ma groups threateng the LGBT+ muny, the report says, wh ISIS’ persecutn particularly notorly rerd imag of gay men beg thrown off groups have also ed bricks, gas bottl, guns, and other weapons to kill queer people, IraQueer killgs have taken place as recently as September 2017. Several gay men have also reported that they have been sexually asslted by members of such people were also physilly and verbally harassed by trib and fay members, who acce them of spoilg the fay’s “honor.

TORTURED AND KILLED IRAQ FOR BEG GAY

” ISIS has mted 30 killgs of gay men, acrdg to IraQueer and Outright Internatnal.

MURRED FOR ‘LOOKG GAY’: HOW LGBT IRAQIS ARE FIGHTG FOR THEIR LIVNOT GIVG UPAFTER KARAR NHI WAS REPORTEDLY MURRED BAGHDAD, IRAQUEER’S AMIR ASHOUR REVEALS ISIS’ NOTOR ANTI-GAY VLENCE IS ONLY ONE STGGLE FACG LGBT PEOPLE IRAQ.TIM TEEMANSENR EDOR AND WRERUPDATED JUL. 06, 2017 11:21AM EDT / PUBLISHED JUL. 06, 2017 1:00AM EDT TWTERIF IRAQI ACTOR AND MOL KARAR NHI WAS KIDNAPPED, TORTURED, AND MURRED BAGHDAD BEE HE “LOOKED GAY” WOULD E AS NO SURPRISE TO AMIR ASHOUR, THE FOUNR AND EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR OF THE HUMAN RIGHTS ANIZATN IRAQUEER.“I THK IRAQ MOST OF THE MURRS THAT HAVE HAPPENED AGAST QUEER PEOPLE, OR PEOPLE PERCEIVED TO BE, HAVE BEEN BEE OF THEIR APPEARANCE,” ASHOUR TOLD THE DAILY BEAST. “THERE IS STILL THE MISNCEPTN OF HOW PEOPLE LOOK VERS THE PERCEIVED IA OF THEIR SEXUAL ORIENTATN. “THE ARMED GROUPS WHO DO THE KILLGS TEND TO THK ONE IS AN EXTENSN OF THE OTHER. THERE IS A BLURRED UNRSTANDG OF WHAT GENR INTY AND GENR EXPRSN MEAN VERS WHAT SEXUAL ORIENTATN MEANS.”IRAQUEER, ASHOUR TOLD THE DAILY BEAST, IS “AWARE OF SEVEN PEOPLE BEG KILLED THIS PAST JANUARY FOR SIAR REASONS TO KARAR’S. THOSE SEVEN PEOPLE WERE MORED TO BE ON A LIST OF 100 NAM OF DIVIDUALS WHO WERE TARGETED BY AN ARMED GROUP.” IRAQUEER ULD NOT SHARE THE PEOPLE’S NAM, ASHOUR SAID. NHI, A GRADUATE OF BAGHDAD UNIVERSY’S COLLEGE OF FE ARTS, WAS FOUND AD ON A BY ROAD THE MIDDLE OF BAGHDAD. HE HAD REPORTEDLY RECEIVED ATH THREATS BEE OF HIS LONG HAIR AND ATTIRE. HIS BODY SHOWED SIGNS OF TORTURE AND STAB WOUNDS, ACRDG TO KURDISTAN 24.ATTU REPORTED THAT NHI HAD SAID A FACEBOOK POST THAT HE EMBODIED “EVERY YOUNG MAN FIGHTG WH ALL HIS HONOR TO FEND THE NATN.” HIS PICTUR, HE SAID, WERE “THEATRIL AND CEMATIC WORKS OF ART, WHICH I PRI MYSELF ON... I CHERISH MY PERSONAL EEDOM TO BUILD A UNIQUE EXTERNAL APPEARANCE.” HE DISMISSED THE CEL MENTS HE RECEIVED: “I REMA SILENT ABOUT THE ABIVE RPONS THAT UNDOUBTEDLY REFLECT THE LEVEL OF THEIR WRERS.”“THERE HAS NOT BEEN REAL RMATN SAYG THAT KARAR WAS GAY,” SAID ASHOUR. “IT’S AN ASSUMPTN WHOEVER KILLED HIM MA BASED ON HOW HE LOOKED. ONE OF THE PEOPLE WHOSE KILLG WE DOCUMENTED A UPLE OF YEARS AGO WAS THE FATHER OF FOUR CHILDREN. HE WAS STRAIGHT ACRDG TO EVERYONE HIS CIRCLE. HE WAS KILLED BEE HE HAD LONG HAIR.” TWTER THE MURR OF NHI REVEALS THAT THE DANGERS FACED BY LGBTQ PEOPLE IRAQ WILL NOT END IF AND WHEN ISIS IS ELIMATED, SAID ASHOUR.“THE PROBLEMS OF THE LGBTQ+ MUNY DID NOT STOP WH ISIS, AND ARE NOT GOG TO STOP WH THE ELIMATN OF ISIS. THE IRAQI ERNMENT HAS BEEN ANNOUNCG THAT ISIS IS BEG FEATED AND THE LIPHATE IS LLAPSG, AND THE TERNATNAL MUNY SAW ISIS THROWG PEOPLE THOUGHT TO BE GAY OFF THE TOPS OF BUILDGS, AND THOUGHT THAT WAS THE WORST THG FACG .“BUT REALY WE’VE BEEN FACG AN ANIZED KILLG MPAIGN SCE 2006, AND THAT’S NOT GOG TO STOP WH THE ELIMATN OF ISIS. THE FIRST ENEMY OF LGBT PEOPLE IRAQ IS THE ERNMENT SELF. NOT ONLY ARE THEY NOT PROVIDG PROTECTN FOR , BUT THEY ARE DIRECTLY VOLVED VLATG OUR RIGHTS.”ASHOUR TOLD THE DAILY BEAST THAT POLICE FORC AND SECURY GUARDS STOP DIVIDUALS AT CHECKPOTS WHO LOOK DIFFERENT, OR IF THEY ARE TRANSGENR AND GOG THROUGH HORMONAL TREATMENT, PARG HOW THEY LOOK THE PRENT WH THE PICTURE THAT LOOKS DIFFERENT ON THEIR INTIFITN RDS. IRAQUEER HAS VIO OF DIVIDUALS BEG HUIATED AND PHYSILLY ABED SUCH SUATNS.ONE OF THE MA ARMED GROUPS BAGHDAD, ASHOUR SAID, HAD ANNOUNCED A PARTNERSHIP WH THE ERNMENT THE NAME OF FIGHTG ISIS, AND THIS GROUP WAS ONE OF THE MA GROUPS ANIZG THE KILLG MPAIGNS OF GAY MEN AND FEME MEN PERCEIVED TO BE GAY.ASHOUR SAID, “REGARDLS OF THE FACT THAT THE IRAQI CONSTUTN PROTECTS PRIVACY AND EEDOM OF EXPRSN THE IRAQI ERNMENT HAS NOT BEEN TAKG ANY STEPS TO HOLD THE PEOPLE KILLG QUEER PEOPLE ACUNTABLE, OR UPHOLDG LAWS WHICH PROTECT DIVIDUALS REGARDLS OF PEOPLE’S PERCEIVED IA OF WHO THEY ARE.”***DAY TO DAY, IRAQI LGBTQ+ PEOPLE LIVE FEAR, ASHOUR SAID.“EVERYONE MATAS A REALLY LOW PROFILE. THEIR SOCIAL CIRCL ARE SMALL. THE SOCIAL CIRCL THE KURDISH REGN ARE A B BIGGER, BUT DO NOT MEAN VLENCE IS NOT HAPPENG THERE ALSO. THOSE WHO HAVE LIMED TN AND LIMED FANCE HAVE TROUBLE FDG JOBS AND MATAG A LIVG, AND ONLY THK OF SURVIVG TO THE NEXT DAY.”PEOPLE ARE ALSO BEG TARGETED BY ANTI-GAY ATTACKERS THROUGH DATG APPS. “EVERYONE IS AAID FOR THEIR LIV. THEY ARE JT TRYG TO HI THEIR SEXUALY AS MUCH AS THEY N,” SAID ASHOUR.A RECENT NEW YORK TIM REPORT TAILED THE PLIGHT OF MOHAMMED, A 26-YEAR-OLD GAY IRAQI CIVIL ENGEER PRENTLY STUCK TURKEY, A VICTIM OF PRINT TMP’S 120-DAY EEZE ON REFUGEE RETTLEMENT.IRAQUEER WORKS WH LGBTQ+ PEOPLE IRAQ, TURKEY, LEBANON, AND THOSE WHO HAVE MA TO EUROPE AND THE WT.“EVERY SGLE ONE IS FACG DIFFICULTI DIFFERENT FORMS,” SAID ASHOUR. “THOSE IRAQ FD DIFFICULT TO LEAVE THE UNTRY. IT IS NOT JT ABOUT GETTG MONEY TO BUY A TICKET, BUT ‘CAN WE GET TO ANOTHER UNTRY?’”TURKEY REQUIR AN E-VISA OM IRAQIS, WHICH THEORY ARE EASY TO OBTA, HE SAID, BUT NOT EVERYONE GETS THEM. “LEBANON IS VERY HARD TO SURVIVE . THEY N’T GET JOBS, AND IF THEY DON’T HAVE MONEY THEY N’T SUPPORT THEMSELV AND FD SOMEWHERE TO LIVE.”OTHER GAY IRAQI REFUGE WHO HAVE BEEN ABLE TO APPLY TO RETTLEMENT PROGRAMS N BY THE UNED NATNS AND OTHER ANIZATNS FACE DIFFICULTI WHEN NONTED WH THE BAN JT ANNOUNCED BY PRINT TMP. “THEIR S WERE BEG PROCSED AND FALIZED AND SUDNLY THEY HAVE A HOLD PUT ON THEM, AND ARE BEG ASKED TO WA AN FE PERD OF TIME,” SAID ASHOUR. “WAG IS JT ONE PROBLEM. THEY ARE NOT GETTG ANY SUPPORT OM THE UN OR OTHER ANIZATNS TERMS OF LIVG EXPENS AND FDG HOG. HOW N WE EXPECT PEOPLE TO SURVIVE AND WA FOR AN AVERAGE OF TWO YEARS WHEN THEY DON’T HAVE MONEY OR ACCS TO JOBS THE UNTRI THEY ARE WAG ? “THE SUATN IS REALLY, REALLY DIFFICULT. THE FACT THAT THE U.S. IS PULLG AWAY OM S LEADG ROLE QUEER RIGHTS TERNATNALLY IS MAKG EVEN HARR FOR .”THAT IRAQUEER EXISTS IS E FOR OPTIMISM, SAID ASHOUR. “JT TWO YEARS AGO I WAS TRAVELG WH [LGBT ANIZATN] OUTRIGHT INTERNATNAL, THROUGH EVERY SGLE CY IRAQ LOOKG FOR OTHER POSSIBLE ACTIVISTS AND THERE WERE LERALLY NONE. NOW WE HAVE NE FULL-TIME EMPLOYE AND A WORK OF MORE THAN 200 PEOPLE.”IRAQUEER, WHICH IS ALSO REQUTG DONATNS, IS TRAG MEMBERS OF TWO FEMIST ANIZATNS IRAQ TO WORK ON LGBTQ+ ISSU.“WE ARE G TOGETHER TO CREATE A BLUEPRT FOR FUTURE GENERATNS TO FOLLOW, AND PEOPLE ARE FDG SOME SENSE OF BELONGG KNOWG THAT IRAQUEER EXISTS AND BEG ABLE TO TALK TO ,” SAID ASHOUR.THE ANIZATN IS ALSO VENTG WORDS THAT DIDN’T EXIST ARABIC AND KURDISH TO ENURAGE THE IRAQI PUBLIC TO E RPECTFUL WORDS, “RATHER THAN WORDS THAT TRANSLATE TO ‘FAGGOT’ OR OFFENSIVE TERMS HAVE BEEN ED FOR SO MANY YEARS,” ASHOUR SAID.THE WORD “QUEER” SELF WAS ED NEGATIVELY, UNTIL—AS ACTIVISTS THE WT DID THE 1990S—IRAQUEER RECLAIMED . THE “LGBT+ MUNY” ARABIC, SAID ASHOUR, TRANSLATED TO “THE ABNORMAL MUNY,” OR “THE GAY MUNY.” THE LATTER IS OK, SAID ASHOUR, BUT HE WOULD PREFER THE MORE CLIVE LBGTQ+.AN TERVIEWER ON ONE OF IRAQI TV’S MA WORKS JT TERVIEWED HIM, AND AFTER SHE ED “THE ABNORMAL MUNY,” HE SAID HE WOULD NOT NTUE WH THE TERVIEW UNLS SHE ED “LGBTQ+.” THE PRENTER DID, AND ASHOUR IS TERTED TO SEE IF THE NEW WORD MAK THE FAL CUT: “I’M NOT GOG TO BELIEVE TILL I SEE ON FRIDAY.”***ASHOUR, LIKE THE HIGH-PROFILE GAY SYRIAN REFUGEE SUBHI NAHAS (WHO WAS ONE OF THE GRAND MARSHALS AT NYC PRI 2016), HAS VOTED HIMSELF TO ACTIVISM SCE LEAVG HIS NATIVE UNTRY.  HE FORMED IRAQUEER 2015. HALF-KURD, HALF-ARAB, ASHOUR NOW LIV AS A POLIL REFUGEE—MEANG, HE SAID, THAT HE NNOT RETURN TO IRAQ— MALMö, SWEN. HE IS “VERY BLSED” TO BE CLOSE TO HIS FAY AND IS DAILY MUNITN WH HIS MOTHER AND SIBLGS IRAQ WHO ARE VERY SUPPORTIVE OF HIM. HIS MOTHER, HE SAID, ABANDONED HALF HER SOCIAL WORK BEE OF THEIR HOMOPHOBIA.SCE BEG A REFUGEE, “EVERYTHG ELSE MY LIFE HAS BEEN MUCH MORE PLITED THAN WAS,” ASHOUR SAID, OM APPLYG TO SCHOOLS TO TRAVEL AND BASIC LIVG.“I DON’T HAVE AN IRAQI PASSPORT, I DON’T HAVE A SWEDISH PASSPORT. I’M NOT PROTECTED BY ANY REAL ERNMENT. THAT PLIT MY SUATN MUCH MORE. BUT I’VE NEVER BEEN HAPPIER TO BE HONT, BEE I’M LIVG WHO I REALLY AM AND STANDG FOR WHAT I BELIEVE . THE WORK OF IRAQUEER, AND THE REGNAL AND TERNATNAL ACTIVISTS I HAVE GOTTEN TO KNOW, HAS BEEN AMAZG AND VERY SPIRG TO WORK WH. IT’S MUCH BIGGER THAN JT BEG ABLE TO LIVE ONE UNTRY. ACTIVISM IS BASILLY MY LIFE NOW.”THE IMPACT OF IRAQUEER’S WORK HAS BEEN FELT BY LGBTQ+ IRAQIS TOO.“I WISH I ULD SHOW YOU THE EMAILS WE RECEIVE OM PEOPLE,” SAID ASHOUR. “WE ARE A VERY YOUNG ANIZATN AND NO WAY SAYG WE HAVE CHANGED EVERYTHG. BUT PEOPLE REACH OUT TO SAY, ‘WE N FALLY INTIFY WH YOU, SOMEONE PUBLIC, AND NOT ONLY PUBLIC BUT NOT ASHAMED AND PROUDLY ADVOTG FOR WHO ARE WE ARE.’“AS AN ANIZATN WE ARE NOT ONLY FOCG ON QUEER ISSU. WE ARE NOT SAYG ‘LOOK AT THE POOR PEOPLE,’ BUT JT PEOPLE. WE’RE NOT ASKG FOR QUEER RIGHTS BUT OUR HUMAN RIGHTS THE SAME AS EVERYONE ELSE. THE APPROACH WE ARE TAKG IS NOT, ‘WE ARE HERE, HELP , WE NEED HELP,’ BUT THAT WE ARE TAKG AN ACTIVE ROLE AND OWNG OUR FUTURE. “WE ARE PHG FOR LOTS OF PEOPLE TO REACH OUT, TO OFFER THEIR SERVIC, TO VOLUNTEER WH , TO BE ACTIVE PARTICIPANTS. SOME PEOPLE SAY, ‘WE WANT YOU TO STOP THE KILLGS,’ AND WE SAY, ‘WE WISH. WE’D LIKE TO.’ WE HAVE TO STRIKE A BALANCE. WE REALIZE WE ARE NOT ABLE TO DO EVERYTHG PEOPLE EXPECT TO DO, BUT BY TAKG THGS SLOWLY AND STEADILY WE WILL HOPEFULLY GROW AND ACHIEVE OUR GOALS THE LONG TERM.”***FOR NOW, THE THREATS TO LGBT+ IRAQIS REMA ON ALL SIS: OM ISIS, IAS, AND THE ERNMENT AND S OWN FORC. “ON TOP OF THAT, ALSO FAI ARE A SOURCE OF THREAT, PECIALLY THE EXTEND FAY,” ASHOUR SAID. “MALY LGBTQ+ PEOPLE JT THK OF SURVIVG. OF URSE PEOPLE BELIEVE OUR RIGHTS AND EXISTENCE, BUT THE PROBLEM IS LIVG SO MUCH FEAR FOR SO MANY YEARS THOSE DIVIDUALS WHO SUPPORT ARE SILENT. THEY DON’T TALK ABOUT THGS PUBLICLY. THEREFORE, WE TEND TO REMA BY OURSELV OR REACH OUT TO A SMALL CIRCLE WHO ARE QUEER. OR, LIKE WHAT HAPPENED TO KARAR, WE GET KILLED.”ASHOUR IS AWARE OF A LOT OF PEOPLE WHO ARE LGBTQ+ ALLI, AND HAS MANY WORKS SI AND OUTSI IRAQ. “BUT THE PEOPLE WHO MOST NEED THIS ARE SI THE UNTRY AND DON’T HAVE ACCS TO A CENT JOB, TN, AND PROBABLY DON’T HAVE A SOCIAL CIRCLE THEY N RELY ON. I REALLY HOPE PEOPLE WHO DON’T INTIFY AS LGBTQ+ BUT WHO ARE SUPPORTIVE E OUT AND SUPPORT .”FEME GAY MEN, REGARDLS OF THEIR SEXUALY, FACE THE MOST PERSECUTN, ASHOUR SAID. TRANS WOMEN FACE SIAR VLENCE. BEE OF CULTURAL STEREOTYP, ASHOUR SAID, FEME GAY MEN ARE SEEN AS PEOPLE WHO HAVE STOPPED SHORT OF TRANSNG TO FEMALE. TRANS WOMEN ALSO SUFFER BEE CULTURALLY THEY ARE SEEN AS MEN WHO HAVE CHOSEN TO GIVE UP THEIR MALE “POWER” TO BEE A WOMAN.“LBIANS FACE DOUBLE DISCRIMATN AS WOMEN AND LBIANS,” SAID ASHOUR. “THEY ARE OFTEN VISIBLE, EHER FORCED TO MARRIAGE OR IF NOT, KEPT ‘PROTECTED’ WH THEIR HOM BY THE MALE FIGUR THEIR FAI. THEY DO NOT HAVE THE SPACE TO EXPLORE WHO THEY ARE OR REACH OUT TO OTHERS.”WHILE THERE ARE NO LAWS AGAST HOMOSEXUALY IRAQ, “THE MA PROBLEM,” SAID ASHOUR, IS THE NON-APPLITN OF EXISTG LAWS THAT SHOULD PROTECT LGBTQ+ PEOPLE OM PERSECUTN AND VLENCE.“THE CONSTUTN SAYS THAT EVERYONE IS EQUAL UNR THE LAW, AND DO NOT DISCRIMATE ON THE BASIS OF RACE, ETHNICY ET CETERA. THERE IS NO MENTN OF LGBTQ+ PEOPLE PER SE, BUT OUR RIGHTS SHOULD BE PROTECTED,” SAID ASHOUR. “LAWS ON ‘PUBLIC MORALY’ AND ‘HONOR’ ARE SO VAGUE THEY ARE ED AGAST ALL THE TIME,” HE ADD. “ACRDG TO THE LAWS DRKG WATER ULD BE PUNISHABLE. THEY DO NOT FE WHAT ‘DAMAGG TO PUBLIC HONOR’ IS.” MEANWHILE, LGBTQ+ PEOPLE, AND THOSE SPECTED OF BEG LGBTQ+ LIKE NHI, ARE MURRED, “AND SUCH CRIM ARE EXCED AWAY AS HONOR CRIM OR FAY MATTERS, OR SOMETHG THE IAS NEED TO TAKE RE OF WHICH THE LAW NNOT TERFERE WH.”NHI’S MURR, WHICH HAS GARNERED SO MUCH TERNATNAL VERAGE, MAY BE A SIGNIFINT, FG MOMENT, ASHOUR SAID.“IT MAY HAVE PEOPLE ASKG, ‘WHERE DO WE WANT TO GO OM HERE?’ IT REMDS ME OF THE ATTENTN THE EMO KILLGS GOT 2012. THE MEDIA VERAGE IS GREAT, BUT UNLS THE TERNATNAL MUNY HOLDS IRAQ ACUNTABLE, AND UNLS IRAQ MS FULLY TO THE HUMAN RIGHTS TREATI HAS SIGNED LAST FEW S, THE REPORTG WILL NOT MEAN MUCH. MEDIA VERAGE WILL NOT PROTECT . HOLDG IRAQ ACUNTABLE WILL.” TIM TEEMAN

“The annual killg mpaigns that have been happeng for more than a are still unaddrsed by the ernment, and not even one person has been held acuntable for killg a gay person. Not only beg visible is impossible, but also the mere perceptn or the mor that one is gay n lead to that person’s ath. 5 percent of those surveyed were gay, 26.

” “My dad is a police officer and he found out that I am gay. ”— Maz, a gay man livg BaghdadMaz, a gay man livg Baghdad, told IraQueer January 2018: “I ped my fay’s home six months ago. My dad is a police officer and he found out that I am gay.

THIS NEW MOVIE TELLS THE TORTURED LOVE STORY OF TWO GAY IRAQI SOLDIERS

” Rawa, a 26-year-old gay man, said he was unable to keep his job bee of sexual harassment and vlence. ”PERSONAL LGBT+ STORIES FROM INSIDE IRAQA gay man his twentiTell about your childhood, and growg up.

What I was, was lled “gay. ” I learned that beg gay wasn’t weled by society and I would spend hours every night Googlg “how to stop beg gay. I fally accepted that I uldn’t stop beg gay, but I still didn’t accept my inty.

We never spoke of beg gay but we were love. BAGHDAD, Iraq, May 28, 2009— -- Two gay men were killed Baghdad's Sadr Cy slum, and police nfirmed they found the bodi of four more men, all killed durg a 10-day perd after an unknown Shie ia group urged a crackdown on homosexuals the Uned Natns Office for the Coordatn of Humanarian Affairs believ as many as 30 people have been killed durg the last three months bee they were -- or were perceived to be -- a letter to Iraqi Prime Mister Nouri al-Maliki, the human rights group Amnty Internatnal lled for "urgent and ncerted actn" to end the vlence agast the gay muny, the group reported on s Web se. Homosexualy is prohibed almost everywhere the Middle East, but ndns have bee pecially dangero recent years for gays and lbians, as relig ias have bee more powerful sce the U.

GAYS LIVG SHADOWS OF NEW IRAQ

-led vasn of an Iraqi ary source claimed the recent killgs were lked to tribal vlence, not ias, and his characterizatn of the killgs hts at how ep homophobia ns Iraqi society. Their trib killed them to rtore their fay honor, " an Iraqi army member who did not want to give his name told ABC army source said the bodi of four gay men were unearthed Sadr Cy March 25, each bearg signs readg "pervert" Arabic on their chts.

The Iraqi army source also said two of the men found ad were wearg diapers and women's gay men were found elsewhere Sadr Cy, alive but bearg the srs of severe torture.

Acrdg to the source, the group clus not only Iraqis but also Iranians and young men who might have cut their hair short and grown beards when relig gangs ntrolled much of Iraq now drs a more Wtern style as ernment forc take back of those men have now reportedly been acced of beg gay by Asaieb al-Haq. In the last 10 days Sadr Cy, wns said at least five ffee shops, which are popular wh Iraqi gays, were set on Sourc Claim Gay Prostutn Is on the RiseAcrdg to army members who rry out patrols on the streets of Baghdad, smetic peddlers are sellg a number of products targeted at gay men, pills and hormon to enlarge their breasts, hair removal smetics, and sk otments.