"Illegal" Gays

Here's a blog post on the tragic situation of gay men living in Syria, an Arab country in Southwest Asia:

I'm from Syria, I live in Aleppo, the second largest city in the country. I'm 32 years old now, & have been struggling with the situation here ever since I knew I was gay.

I will make this short & state some points that are very noticeable and tell you about a devastating experience I have been through;

1. It's ILLEGAL to be gay in this country and one might go to jail if known as gay.
2. People think it's immoral to be gay or to have homosexual desires.
3. We have some cruising areas in the country and they get raided frequently now, so the internet is the safest place to meet people.
4. People who try to pay for anything that is defined as gay-related over the internet would be followed & arrested sometimes, so it's scary to subscribe for any online services.
5. People who are noticed accessing homosexual sites from an internet cafe could be arrested too.

One devastating experience I had was when I was fired for being gay and was threatened to be exposed if I sought the remainder of my benefits & salary.

Currently we cannot see any changes in the way this country treats homosexuals. The situation is getting worse than it was years ago, with undercover cops trying to get people arrested just for wanting to have sex.

I hope the information above tells something about the situation here. All what I hope for is to try to make up a counseling forum to help people who are struggling with their sexuality. I have heard of 2 suicides last year, and although I cannot confirm the validity of that news, I think it's true because of all the suffering and stress in this country and in the Middle East in general.

M.

(lifted from planetromeo.com)

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Makes me realize how lucky we Filipino gay men are...

(image lifted from http://www.traveladventures.org/continents/asia/images/syrian-people01mini.jpg)