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Queers Do Exist in Iran and need your support

During the last year generous donations from IGLHRG, Egale Canada, Al-Fatiha Foundation and many individual human rights defenders made it possible for Iranian Queer Organization to help Iranian queer community around the world.

Throughout the passed year, we in IRQO were amazingly successful at creating a global shift in consciousness around Iranian queer issues. From the national and international conferences and meetings we attended and organized, to media and public awareness campaigns we engaged in, IRQO has raised significant awareness about the plight of Iranian queers.

In January of 2007, we organized a Human Rights Symposium, which brought together acclaimed scholars and human rights activists, and provided a forum of its first kind for examining the systematic violation of human rights in Iran based on gender, sexual orientation, ethnicity, religion and disability. Without your contributions, this event would not have been possible. Your donations also made it possible for us to purchase a computer and some other essential office equipments, which enabled us in turn to publish our monthly journal, Cheraq, without interruption. Providing a space for sharing experiences, stories, and academic debates, Cheraq, which is now received by more than 4000 Iranians every month, is slowly but effectively helping to create a proud and informed Iranian queer community. Its continuing success, however, depends in part on the support of gracious donors like yourselves.

Throughout the past year, IRQO has also played an extremely influential role in cases of Iranian queer asylum seekers. The Organization sends letters of support on behalf of Iranian queer asylum seekers to the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, and to European countries where refugees usually are tried for their cases; and follows up their cases to the end with care. As a result of our efforts, more than seventy refugees have been granted status just in the past year, many of whom had been waiting for three or four years. By documenting and reporting cases of torture, persecution, execution and other human rights violations that occur in Iran on a regular basis, IRQO has helped remove any international doubt about the dismal situation of queers in Iran.

IRQO has also been trying in the past year to financially support queer asylum seekers. Many Iranian queer asylum seekers live under extreme financial difficulties as their families and friends have abandoned them. In Turkey, they are not permitted to work and do not have access to health facilities, medication, food and proper housing. They often live in crowded houses, with no heat and sanitary facilities. At present, to give you and example, in a small two-bedroom apartment, the same flat IRQO has paid for with your donations, 7 of our refugees live in terror as the landlord has sold the building. To move to another apartment a considerable amount of money is needed for down payments, as it is the way for renting flats in Turkey. The young men will also have to rent more then one flat and there is absolutely no money for it. A portion of your donations were used to pay off the rent of them and also other asylum seekers for a period of one year, and also at random. Unfortunately, IRQO has no more money left to support these people and many of them are thus in immediate danger of homelessness if additional donations are not offered to us soon.

We are thankful for your past contributions and we hope we have given you an idea on how much it has been instrumental in easing our financial burden and advancing our cause. We further hope we have made our urgent need for your continuing support apparent. We would be more than happy to provide you with further information about our activities.

We are grateful for your concerns and compassion on behalf of Iranian queers, and we look forward to your future contributions.

(a Refugee house in Turkey - 7 of our refugees live in this house)

for more information please read About IRQO.

for membership please read Get Involved