Last year, Freedom of Information figures obtained by Metro revealed just 97 LGBTQ+ Afghans had been relocated to the UK. This pride month, Metro spoke to five LGBTQ+ Afghans to gain insight into how life has changed for their community.
It doesn’t help that I also have to hide my identity from my family who don’t know I’m trans. They hate LGBTQ+ people and would throw me out if they found out. I’m unable to work because I’d be asked about my sexuality, so I have to rely on them for money.
Some of my friends have been arrested by the Taliban and I know that if I continue to go outside I will be captured if not killed for my activities, especially as soldiers are hunting us down. Although I live with my family, they do not know that I’m a lesbian and would reject me if they found out. Life for LGBTQ+ people was difficult even before the Taliban, but now it’s a matter of life and death.
I cannot show my activities and fight for our because if the Taliban found out, they would certainly kill me. We have the right to choose who we love and to be accepted without persecution, but this is becoming harder.'says he's both optimistic and worried about the future ‘As soon as allied forces withdrew and the Taliban made their way into Kabul, I knew I would need protection because of my status as a spy. The fact I’m also a gay man added another layer of risk, so I had to escape.
They used explosives as part of what my bosses described as the fiercest attack launched by the group. I remember feeling so scared and fearful of what would happen to me if they captured me and realised I was gay.
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