Group Rcu Gay Men Targeted In Iraq : NPR

Contents:

• WHAT IS LIKE TO BE A GAY MAN LIVG IRAQ?
• 2 GAY IRAQI SOLDIERS FOUND LOVE AMID WAR. THEN THE ATH THREATS STARTED
• THIS NEW MOVIE TELLS THE TORTURED LOVE STORY OF TWO GAY IRAQI SOLDIERS
• HOW ISLAMIST GANGS E TER TO TRACK, TORTURE AND KILL IRAQI GAYS
• GROUP RCU GAY MEN TARGETED IN IRAQ
• DON'T ASK, DO KILL: GAYS PERSECUTED IRAQ

WHAT IS LIKE TO BE A GAY MAN LIVG IRAQ?

Followg on om our report March, OutNews Global spoke exclively wh two gay men om Sulaymaniyah about what life is really like for LGBT+ people Iraq. Forced to flee Kamaran* scrib life for a gay man Iraq as a relentls stggle: “It’s like beg between four walls and hidg who you are om the muny, and even yourself. “There are still homophobic people that are also refuge om other untri, and once they know you are gay they make fun of you and verbally abe you.

2 GAY IRAQI SOLDIERS FOUND LOVE AMID WAR. THEN THE ATH THREATS STARTED

In a untry wh such strong relig and culture beliefs that ntue to fuel a fire of homophobia society, mt be challengg to meet other LGBT+ the first place? ISIS, which held large swaths of Iraqi terrory until recently, has also targeted gay men, tossg many to their aths om tall buildgs.

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

Even durg the days of Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell, when the US did not officially allow gay people to serve the ary, Hrebid says a base officer allowed them to spend time together at the Amerin base. In the plac, beg gay is still seen as a s or disease to be routed out, which has taken the form of gay men beg hurled om the top of buildgs or stoned to ath.

TIME spoke to the uple featured a film that spans a and four untri about what was like to grow up that part of the world, why they ma this film and how feels to watch gay refuge flee persecutn the Middle East now that they’re safe Washgton state. And if they fd about [ beg gay], of urse we will get killed or be tortured to be exampl for others … It ma me feel like they’re tyg my hands and my legs and I nnot move.

HOW ISLAMIST GANGS E TER TO TRACK, TORTURE AND KILL IRAQI GAYS

"So often women will lie and protect the perpetrators, pecially if they are known to them, as they are sred to trigger a crimal vtigatn which might put them at risk of retributn, " she ptn, Sami's life improved after he moved to BaghdadHuman Rights Watch is also aware of stanc of sexual vlence perpetrated agast gay men and trans women Iraq - though seems that the too are often not reported to the police.

"The crim ntue to be unr-reported bee social norms do not allow for men to talk about the thgs, and the fact that reportg might also reveal that the victims are gay, which uld lead to more vlence and discrimatn. "If I were to pla about beg raped, the police are likely to see me not as a victim but might even put me jail bee I would be seen as a party to the cint, which would be seen as act of homosexualy - which is illegal, " he says. Extremist religsy of primarily the fundamentialist varieti of both Islam and Christiany drive enough legislators, relig lears, and laypeople the societi to keep their "kill the gays" laws and cultural practic alive.

GROUP RCU GAY MEN TARGETED IN IRAQ

Executn methods and motivatns the 12 untri clu beheadgs and so-lled honor killgs, the latter mted agast LGBT people by none other than their own fay data llectn is difficult bee of the opaquens of prosecutns the untri, 's clear that Iran and Sdi Arabia are the two ernments most guilty of killg people for beg gay.

DON'T ASK, DO KILL: GAYS PERSECUTED IRAQ

However, the self-proclaimed Islamic State Iraq and Syria has likely executed more people for beg gay or for beg acced of beg gay than any regnized state has done recent years.