LGBTQ+ Afghans fear being forgotten 100 days since Taliban takeover – GAY TIMES – Gay Times Magazine
‘PANIC AND ANXIETY’
For LGBTQ+ people who remain in Afghanistan, the situation has deteriorated markedly since Aug. 15.
One gay man contacted by email said a friend had been killed after gay material was found on his mobile phone during a checkpoint search.
“(The) Taliban killed him and (gave) his dead body to his father,” he said. “Capturing and killing my friend makes it clear that the Taliban are trying to find and eliminate LGBT people.”
Killings involving LGBTQ+ Afghans have not been independently verified, and a Taliban spokesman contacted by WhatsApp message did not respond to a request for comment.
Some of those who are still in hiding said family members were becoming suspicious about why they wanted to stay out of sight.
“I’m in a state of panic and anxiety,” one transgender Afghan told the Thomson Reuters Foundation by email.
“The situation of Afghan LGBT people is bad and dire. I have a very bad feeling and sometimes I hate myself for being born (trans),” the person wrote, asking not to be named.
Another gay man who is still in Afghanistan said he had “experienced the (worst) moments” of his life since the Taliban’s sudden return to power.
With fears growing of a wider humanitarian crisis as the country heads deeper into winter but runs short on funds to be able to feed its 40 million-strong population, many are worried that LGBTQ+ people will be forgotten.
“It’s clear that the situation and the humanitarian crisis is not going to be a short-term thing,” said Powell.
“There is also the danger of news fatigue. I think it’s going to be harder to maintain public pressure for governments to be able to justify increasing asylum,” he added.
U.S. and British officials said they would keep working to evacuate at-risk populations, including members of the LGBTQ+ community.
A U.S. State Department official said its “commitment to the people of Afghanistan is enduring”.
British Foreign Secretary and Minister for Women and Equalities Liz Truss said in a statement that Britain “played a key role getting these (LGBTQ+) people out and will continue to do all we can to help at-risk Afghans leave the country”.
But fearing for their safety, many lesbian, gay, bisexual and trans Afghans want the international community to do more.
“We need help to evacuate,” the second gay man said. “(There is) still a chance to get out of here but time is not much, and the Taliban are looking for us.”
Calling the Taliban’s return a “catastrophe” for the country’s LGBTQ+ community, the trans Afghan urged Western governments to “be decisive and serious”.
Mohammad, who managed to cross into Pakistan in an ambulance, pretending to be sick, counts himself among the lucky ones.
But he fears deportation when his two-month visa expires, and said his immediate future looked bleak.
“I have a limited stay here in Pakistan and I don’t have much resources,” he said. “I have no reason to be optimistic.”
Reporting by Hugo Greenhalgh.
GAY TIMES and Openly/Thomson Reuters Foundation are working together to deliver leading LGBTQ+ news to a global audience.