Kabul was known as one of the few “liberal” cities in Afghanistan. The word liberal is in quotation marks and italicized because it is liberal compared to the rest of the country.
Now that the Taliban has taken over, most people who expressed themselves differently and openly are forced to adhere to Sharia Law, completely change their ways, hide their identity or be killed.
The U.S. State Department reported in 2020 that even before the Taliban took power in August, LGBTQ people in Afghanistan faced “discrimination, assault and rape,” and “homosexuality was widely seen as taboo and indecent.” Laws against lesbian, gay and transgender people made their existence illegal and punishable by up to two years in jail.