Slash readers – save a life
I’ve copied this information wholesale from
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but thought I’d pass it on in case some people hadn’t heard of it.
Ruth says:
A lot of us write and/or read m/m stories and enjoy them thoroughly. We love the characters, we love the romance, we love happy endings. And as authors, we can make that happen. But guess what? In Iran and other places in that part of the world there are no happy endings for gay people in real life if they are “caught.” There is arrest, torture, and death.
My friend told me about a 19-year-old Iranian gay student named Mehti. Here’s the short version, and the links follow.
As a mid-teen, Mehti discovered he was gay. In the West being gay is often difficult; in the Mid-East it can cost you your life. He had a brief relationship with another boy his own age. He subsequently went to the UK on a student visa. While there he learned that his boyfriend had been arrested, tortured, and executed for being homosexual. Apparently during the torture he gave them Mehti’s name. His father, who had originally ordered Mehti to return home, now warned him not to come home because the authorities were looking for him and he would be arrested. He applied for asylum, which was refused. He fled to the Netherlands where he was arrested and refused asylum. The UK plans to extradite him from the Netherlands and then deport him back to Iran.
Please read the posts on the following links for the whole horrible tale. Perhaps you can think of a way to help and to keep this kid alive by making other people aware. Pray, if you believe in it. Speak up when you encounter homophobia, because this is what it can lead to. Continue to enjoy the m/m romances, but remember… real life bites.
Don’t Leave Iranian Gays Abandoned (article written by Mehti)
http://www.ukgaynews.org.uk/Archive/07/April/1801.htm
Christmas Gift from the Netherlands for Gay Iranian: One Way Ticket to the UK http://www.ukgaynews.org.uk/Archive/07/Dec/2401.htm
They Hang Gay Teenagers, Don’t They?http://slog.thestranger.com/2007/12/they_hang_gay_teenagers_dont_they
Peter Tatchell’s website. Tatchell works internationally for Human Rights, Global Justice, and Democracy
http://www.petertatchell.net/
You can sign the petition here to stop the UK deporting him back to Iran:
