Here’s a cause people might like to support – sponsoring an Iranian boat in Amsterdam’s Canal Pride Parade 2017.
The Iranian government has a long and devastating history of violating LGBTI Rights. We (Iranian LGBTIs) have been imprisoned, tortured and in many cases executed. At the same time, social acceptance of LGBTI remains low in Iran in comparison with other target groups of the Iranian regime: many Iranian LGBTIs cannot come out to their families due to religious beliefs and societal norms. And those who do face anger, isolation, rejections and sometimes violence. This situation in Iran has resulted in many LGBTI fleeing to Western countries.
Amsterdam Canal Pride Parade 2017 – one of the most famous pride parades in the world – has invited us to show “This is my pride!” The first Iran-boat in any major Pride Parade worldwide. We (the Iranian LGBTI community) are going to come out of the closet, show ourselves in public and prove to all that we are not ashamed of ourselves and we exist even though social traditions and the government of Iran are against us. Equally important, we are joining the Pride Parade 2017 in support of the millions of LGBTI still facing extreme governmental repression and societal prejudice and our “Loose the Noose” campaign specifically will advocate against capital punishment for LGBTI in Iran.
Here’s the link if you’d like to make a donation.
