Dear Friend,
Just over a year ago, as the United States was finalizing its withdrawal from Afghanistan, we knew that the Taliban’s persecution of LGBTQ people would be relentless and vicious.
With the imminent threat of violence and death to LGBTQ Afghans, Immigration Equality and our allies sprung to action to find routes of safety for our community.
We immediately hired an expert in refugee resettlement, who worked tirelessly alongside our existing staff to coordinate an evacuation for these vulnerable people.
When opportunities to resettle refugees in the United States stalled, we found another way-- through Canada. Between August and December of last year, our attorneys found, vetted, and referred dozens of Afghans for refugee resettlement. As of this week, 19 of those Afghans have been accepted, and are now living in Canada. Several more are still waiting for final approval and flight details, but we are confident we will get them all to safety.
If you’re interested in learning more about the situation currently facing LGBTQ Afghan refugees, I encourage you to take a few minutes to read this story in the Daily Beast. Here’s an excerpt from one of our clients:
"After a period of time in a camp in a neighboring country, Talha made it to Canada. “Emotionally I feel free here. I can be what I am and,” Talha’s voice broke. He began crying again and the line was silent for some minutes before he could speak again. “It was so hard… for us. We left our families, our country, our friends. And now we are safe we can be whatever we want and we can live here without any harassment, without any fear. People accept us. We don’t have any worries, we are not scared. We can be like a bird that’s free, that has its freedom and can fly everywhere it can go.”
We won’t forget about LGBTQ Afghans, and we trust you aren’t going to either, Friend. Can you make a gift today to ensure that our work to resettle and advocate for LGBTQ Afghans can continue? Give today.
Gratefully,
Aaron C. Morris
Executive Director
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