LGBTQ people in Afghanistan are facing an extremely dangerous situation. The Taliban took control of the country in August 2021, and have a long history of persecuting LGBTQ people. They have imposed harsh punishments, including execution, on those who are suspected to be gay, lesbian, bisexual, or transgender.
Many LGBTQ people in Afghanistan are now in hiding. They are afraid to go outside, to go to work, or to even talk to their friends and family. They are living in constant fear of being captured and punished by the Taliban.
The situation for LGBTQ people in Afghanistan is dire. They need help. Some organizations are working from outside the country to help Afghan LGBTQ individuals. These organizations are providing food, shelter, and medical care to those who are in need. They are also trying to help LGBTQ people get to safety.
A Kauser News Journalist in Kabul Interviewed an Afghan female who identifies as gay. Due to security, she refused to mention her name.
She is a 38-year-old lesbian. When she was 20 years old, she realized her sexual orientation and began a relationship with a woman she worked with, however, to protect herself from harm, she kept the relationship and her sexuality secret from her friends, family, and community. Her family eventually began to seek a husband for her. She approached a male friend and offered to secretly pay him a monthly fee in order to become engaged to her and keep her sexual identity and relationships a secret. He agreed and this arrangement continued when he left for Iran under the guise of earning money for their marriage. During that time, her fiancé’s friend who knew her secret began to blackmail her and required a monthly payment under threat of exposing her. After the U.S. withdrawal and the Taliban takeover of the government in 2021, things got even worse for her. As a woman, she was no longer able to work, so the friend of her fiancé decided that she would make her payment in the form of sex with him and other men on a regular basis. If she refused, he said he would report her to the Taliban which would mean certain death. Feeling she had no other choice; she has been subjected to ongoing sexual assault since that time.
She said that she personally knows of at least 25 other gay women in Kabul who are suffering under similarly dire circumstances. In an environment in which it is the cultural norm to reject and persecute LGBTQ individuals, and under the rule of a government that tortures and executes people if there is even a rumor of homosexuality, they live in a state of constant fear and terror. Though persecution based on sexual orientation is considered a valid request for asylum by many countries, one must find their way out of Afghanistan and into one of those countries on their own, which presents a whole host of obstacles and dangerous risks, especially for women.
*Kauser Media Group supports the cause of LGBTQ individuals in Afghanistan. By conducting interviews and sharing their stories, we are hoping to shed some light on the difficulties and dangers faced by LGBTQ individuals in the country. This kind of reporting can help raise awareness, mobilize support, and potentially influence policies to provide aid and protection.
