As Taliban threats grow, LGBTQ+ Afghans struggle for work and food
LGBTQ+ Afghans face increasing threats and violence five months since the Taliban seized power, with many forced into hiding and unable to earn a living amid a worsening economic crisis, researchers said on Wednesday.
Sixty LGBTQ+ Afghans who were interviewed by rights groups said the community was being targeted by members of the hardline Islamist movement and their supporters, making it too risky for them to work or even leave the house.
Two gay men said they had been raped by Taliban fighters, while many others said they had been threatened or attacked, found the report by Human Rights Watch and OutRight Action International, an LGBTQ+ nonprofit.
With Afghanistan’s economy deep in crisis and millions at risk of starvation this winter, many of those interviewed said their inability to go out to work was an even bigger concern. “A lot of queer people have lost their jobs,” said Nihan, a trans woman who left her job at a print shop after the Taliban swept back to power last August. “Even if they hide themselves, the problem is they need to feed themselves,” she told the report’s researchers.
