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LGBT safe houses forced to close due to lack of funding

Gay in Iraq

Friday, 9 November 2007

It's an understatement to say life in Baghdad isn't safe. But imagine being gay or lesbian in this most volatile of cities?

Baghdad's LGBT population once enjoyed the security of five gay safe houses. Now due to lack of funds they are down to only three, as bills can’t be paid.

Outrage and Peter Tatchell are trying to address the issue, highlighting both the role these safe houses play and the needs of those who use them. The refuges were set up two years ago, to provide a place of safety for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender Iraqis who have fled homophobic threats and attempts to kill them by religious fundamentalists and death squads.

"Iraqi LGBT has made a huge effort to keep all of its five safe houses running, to provide refuge for gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender Iraqis who have fled homophobic violence and threats to kill them." said Ali Hili, founder and coordinator of the human rights group, Iraqi LGBT. "Many of the people we helped have been targeted by the Iraqi police and by Shia militia and other fundamentalist factions. Because of a lack of funds, three safe houses have had to close their doors. This decision will break a lot of hearts, but we have no other choice. We don't have the financial support to sustain these refuges."

The future is far from safe outside these refuges. "Over 30 gay residents who we cared for in these three safe houses now have to take their chances in a country where religious militia regularly seek out gays and execute them" commented Hili. "We feel deserted by the international gay community."

"The world has let us down so badly," said Sabah, a 29-year-old lesbian, who worked as a carer and ran a safe house in the south of Iraq. "Nowadays, we don't dare be seen in the neighbourhoods where we used to live."

"It is too dangerous for anyone known to be gay or to have had a homosexual past" said Safa, a gay man in the city of Ammara, where he has been hiding for the last eight months from the police and Shia death squads. Safa fled his hometown of Najaf because he was known to be gay and feared assassination.

"Iraqi LGBT is doing amazing, heroic work" said Peter Tatchell " and its members inside Iraq are taking huge personal risks to protect the victims of homophobic persecution. Their efforts are truly inspirational. I urge the international LGBT community to rally round and raise the funds needed to sustain the remaining two safe houses.”

http://iraqilgbtuk.blogspot.com