The world watched in shock as the Taliban swiftly took control of Afghanistan in August after 20 years of U.S.-led occupation and war.
By late September, more than 120,000 people had been evacuated. But today, tens of thousands of LGBTQ Afghans remain there, in extreme danger and fearing for their lives, according to agencies trying to get them out.
Same-sex activity was already criminalized in Afghanistan. The Taliban, however, has vowed to institute strict Sharia law. A Taliban judge stated in July that gay men would be subject to death by stoning or being crushed by a wall toppled on them.
Countless LGBTQ Afghans have gone into hiding while they desperately hope to be rescued or to find successful ways out of Afghanistan on their own —