BBC Three - How Gay Is Pakistan?

Contents:

• GAY BRISH PAKISTANI (GBP) MEETUP GROUP
• GROWG UP GAY A PAKISTANI HOEHOLD, 'MY BETIFUL LNDRETTE' GAVE ME HOPE
• AWARD-WNG PAKISTANI LGBTQ SHORT FILM TAK UNFLCHG LOOK AT GAY LIFE SOUTH ASIA
• GAY PAKISTAN: WHERE SEX IS AVAILABLE AND RELATNSHIPS ARE DIFFICULT
• GAY DATG PAKISTAN
• PAKISTANI KILLER MURRED 3 GAY MEN AFTER HAVG SEX WH THEM
• E-PAPER TODAY'S PAPER EDITOR'S PICKS NEWSPAPER PICKS OPINION EDORIALS COLUMNS LETTERS NEWS LATT HEADL TOP STORI NATNAL SPORTS LIFTYLE & ENTERTAMENT BS INTERNATNAL EDOR'S PICKS SNIPPETS LAHORE KARACHI ISLAMABAD MULTIMEDIA NEWS IN PICTUR CARTOONS VIOS BLOGS BLOGS WRE FOR US CONNECT WITH US (FUNCTN() { GOOGLETAG.DISPLAY('DIV-GPT-AD-1681976543902-0'); }); #DIV-GPT-AD-1681976543902-0{ TEXT-ALIGN: CENTER; } ‘GAY’ PAKISTANIS NIED ASYLUM UK
• HOW GAY IS PAKISTAN?

GAY BRISH PAKISTANI (GBP) MEETUP GROUP

The P Word is a new play wrten by and starrg Waleed Akhtar which explor the experience of gay Pakistani men the UK and the stggle of LGBTQ+ asylum seekers.

Spl to two halv, the first act we meet Billy (Akhtar), a gay Pakistani man who has faced discrimatn om all sis and spends his days on Grdr. We also meet gay asylum seeker Zafar (Esh Alladi), who fled Pakistan when his father tried to kill him, only to be met wh a hostile Home Office.

The P Word talks about the gay muny general, and how there n be problematic spac wh that as well. I waed until after she had gone to bed, and I watched wh a sense of amazement that a mastream film about a gay Pakistani immigrant fallg love wh a handsome, Brish gang member even existed. It was 2005, and my teenage years were spent watchg gay men take leadg rol on televisn for the first time shows like Will & Grace and Queer as Folk, as well as watchg openly gay Graham Norton and Pl O’Grady host primetime talkshows.

GROWG UP GAY A PAKISTANI HOEHOLD, 'MY BETIFUL LNDRETTE' GAVE ME HOPE

It is this lovemakg that transforms the former dilapidated social club to somethg the film, Omar’s , who he was expected to marry, intifi his homosexualy, but mak no fs of . ” As a self-nsc, semi-closeted gay who traed himself to look wh sire but never touch, is here I was remd of the power and vulnerabily admtg a need for physil ’s the moment when Omar embrac Johnny outsi the newly renovated lndrette, to an dience of Johnny’s right-wg extremist gang members, when Johnny secretly licks Omar’s neck, that shows My Betiful Lnrette at s headit. Exclive: Director Iqran Rasheed tells Attu he hop his work will help move forward the nversatn untri where remas illegal to be gay.

Aadat (‘Hab’), om Pakistani film-maker Iqran Rasheed, tak an timate and unflchg look at the reali of gay life South Asia, a regn where LGBTQ life remas largely relegated to the shadows. Homophobic people e relign to fend their hatred towards an already vulnerable muny.

Homosexualy remas illegal Pakistan and punishable wh jail time. Gay rights. Pakistan is not the kd of place that most people would associate wh gay liberatn.

AWARD-WNG PAKISTANI LGBTQ SHORT FILM TAK UNFLCHG LOOK AT GAY LIFE SOUTH ASIA

But some say the untry is a great place to be gay - even scribg the port cy of Karachi as "a gay man's paradise".

Unrground parti, group sex at shr and "marriag of nvenience" to members of the oppose sex are jt some of the surpris that gay Pakistan has to offer. Danyaal, as he's asked to be known, is a 50-somethg bsman who liv an affluent part of Karachi, and his smartphone to anise Karachi's gay party scene. "The days there are smartphone apps that e GPS to tell you how close you are to another gay person wh an onle profile.

GAY PAKISTAN: WHERE SEX IS AVAILABLE AND RELATNSHIPS ARE DIFFICULT

There are thoands of gay men onle Pakistan at any one time. "If you want sex too, 's a gay man's paradise. "The vatn-only parti are a rare opportuny for gay men to be open about their sexualy.

GAY DATG PAKISTAN

"Gay men will make every effort to stop any vtment a same-sex relatnship bee they know that one day they will have to get married to a woman, " he says. For participants, 's anonymo group kd of behavur is, of urse, not ndoned by Pakistan's relig Pakistanis view homosexualy as sful.

The vast majory of clerics terpret the Qoranic story of Lot as a clear ditn that God nmns homosexual men. The shre is far om the only place Karachi where gay sex is eely is, for example, easy to buy om a malchi walah - a massr who offers massage and "extras" for the equivalent of £5, or $7. " Technilly, homosexual acts are illegal Pakistan.

"In almost all s charg will be dropped, Iqbal says, but the boys will be forced to get married by their ocsnally, though, Pakistani parents do rencile themselv to children enterg a long-term gay and Ali are one such uple who have ma thgs work, agast the odds. For many gay men Pakistan, a heterosexual marriage and a life of anonymo gropg is the long-term life n be even more difficult for gay women.

PAKISTANI KILLER MURRED 3 GAY MEN AFTER HAVG SEX WH THEM

So how do gay women make their liv work? I know some gay guys and maybe we'll do a al so we put money together and they have one portn of the hoe and we'll have another portn.

"Fatima, who ntribut to an vatn-only onle gay support group, believ 's only "a matter of time" before Pakistan begs to bate gay rights openly, and people clare their homosexualy wh pri. "Gay rights Ameri me after women had basic rights. "I thk 's selfish for me to e out and mpaign for gay rights now.

E-PAPER TODAY'S PAPER EDITOR'S PICKS NEWSPAPER PICKS OPINION EDORIALS COLUMNS LETTERS NEWS LATT HEADL TOP STORI NATNAL SPORTS LIFTYLE & ENTERTAMENT BS INTERNATNAL EDOR'S PICKS SNIPPETS LAHORE KARACHI ISLAMABAD MULTIMEDIA NEWS IN PICTUR CARTOONS VIOS BLOGS BLOGS WRE FOR US CONNECT WITH US (FUNCTN() { GOOGLETAG.DISPLAY('DIV-GPT-AD-1681976543902-0'); }); #DIV-GPT-AD-1681976543902-0{ TEXT-ALIGN: CENTER; } ‘GAY’ PAKISTANIS NIED ASYLUM UK

But there will still be private spac where gay Pakistanis n exprs their sexualy of the nam of the ntributors have been changed to protect their n hear more on this story on BBC Rad 4's Crossg Contents, on Thursday 29 Augt at 11:00am or on Assignment on the World Service on the same day.

Around 2, 000 Pakistan’s have applied for asylum the UK sce 2016, who claim to be part of the lbian, gay, bisexual or transgenr (LGBT) muny. The HO untry guidance about Pakistan accepted that the general populatn and the fay do not see homosexualy a posive light but is generally tolerant enough to accept the suatn as long as they are not affected. The guidance also acknowledged that asslts on gay men and lbians are said to be rare Pakistan.

HOW GAY IS PAKISTAN?

Last month, a gay asylum seeker who appealed the cisn of the UK Home Office to refe his claim was told by an immigratn judge that he was not “effemate” to be gay. Pakistani killer murred three gay men he met onle by breakg their necks after havg sex wh them ‘to stop them spreadg the evil of homosexualy’ Muhammed Ejaz, 28, nfsed to killg the three men he met onleMembers of the gay muny are worried he will be seen as a hero Pakistan's nservative Islamic societyEjaz has exprsed regret for the murrs but claims he was dog to prevent wrongdog Published: 20:51 BST, 28 April 2014 | Updated: 21:30 BST, 28 April 2014 The se of Muhammed Ejaz, the Pakistani paramedic who murred three gay men he met onle - has sent shockwav through the untry's already persecuted gay, a 28-year-old father-of-two, was arrted last week and nfsed to three btal murrs, sayg he wanted to send a msage about the 'evils' of homosexualy, though police sist he had sex wh his victims first.

The killgs have sent shockwav through the unrground gay muny the eastern cy of Lahore, which fears Ejaz uld be lnised as a hero a nservative Islamic society where homosexualy is stigmatised and sodomy is punishable by up to 10 years jail.

Some members of the gay muny are worried he uld be held up as a hero a society where homosexuals are persecuted and sodomy rri a 10-year prison sentence The 28-year-old paramedic admted to the btal murrs after beg arrted by police last week In an terview wh AFP om his prison cell Sunday night, Ejaz exprsed remorse over the killgs but said he was actg to stop wrongdog.