Saving Gays from Iran - André Hielkema
The IRanian Queer Railroad (IRQR)
Homosexuality is a capital crime in Iran. Recently the IRanian Queer Railroad (IRQR) was
set up in response to this. It is a new organisation designed specifically to help the growing
number of LGBT Iranians forced to leave their country because of the violently homophobic
policies of the ayatollahs’ theocracy. Gay activist, Arsham Parsi, founded this body dedicated
exclusively to helping sexual dissidents flee persecution. He choose to call his agency the
IRanian Queer Railroad (IRQR) after the Underground Railroad in the nineteenth century
which was an informal network of routes and safe houses helping black slaves in America to
escape to freedom in Canada. IRQR works together with other human rights organisations,
consulates and offices of the UN High Commissioner for Refugees in transit countries like
Turkey, Pakistan and India.
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