Neda 24 -- Iranian Queer Magazine

TeTu

Marine Casalis

Turkey for the Iranian refugees is not the Eldorado

Threatened of death in the homeland for the only fact that they are homosexual, some Iranian gays and lesbians thought to find a safe refuge through Turkey. But on the other side of the border, the racism anti with LGBT is on too. And the only hope is to obtain asylum in Canada or the US.

The sound of the stereo is heard from the main street in this month of August with a big heat the evening is cool in Nevsehir a town of 80000 inhabitants the south east of the capital of Turkey, Ankara. Many benfit from the coming Ramadham to shop for thins. During that time the first floor of the “Festival” restaurant is busy. Today, Soroush celebrates his 24^th birthday. He is Iranian and gay and has been a refugee in Turkey for two years. Sixty guests gather in the main room. They are lights with different colors. Soroush invited the Iranian refufees of Nevsehir that he knows. The guests look at themselves, sit on long benches along the walls, face to face. Gay, Lesbian and transsexual friends in one part, Christian and Baha’i families in another part. On the gay side two men go for dancing in the empty dance floor. On the other side the others are trying to look indeferent but they are not. Or they try to make a smile.

Iranians don’t need a visa to go to Turkey. A strong argument to choose the right exit for the ones who flee persecution. After having been arrested because of his activism for human and homosexual rights, at the end of July 2009, Farrokh Editor in chief of the online newspaper “Neda” Iranian Queer magazine left Iran. His modest apartment on the first floor he explains: “Officially, in Iran, homosexuality does not exist the physical sexual act is only defined. Love between two people of the same sex is not recognized. Some Iranians Are “cured” to get rid of their homosexuality.”

After gaining their refugee status, the Iranian LGBT wait for being accepted in another country. But the wait is long. Sent in the most fundamentalist town of the country, they must face new violence from the locals and from the other refugees. For Roodabeh, 32 year old lesbian for two years of refuge in Kaysery ”Turkey is like Iran but without the veil”

From one the UNHCR officials in Ankara, Around 4000 Iranian refugees live in turkey. In July 2010 they were more than 110 LGBT refugees spread in thirty Satellite fundamentalist towns like Kayseri, Negde, Nevsehir and Isparta. The reason to this policy still remains veiled. Said Harun Abakay from the ASAM in Kayseri. “ Why are they sent in conservative cities and not Istanbul, Ankara or Izmir? Here locals don’t like LGBT people. Not only refugees but generally LGBT but mainly LGBT.” For one UNHCR official this policy is explained as followed:” The Turkish government thinks that these towns, smaller than Ankara or Istanbul, are easier to control.”

Twice more marginalized

With this geographical “excuses” given by the Turkish authorities when they signed the 1951 convention and the 1967, non European asylum seekers are taken in charge by the UNHCR. Once registered with the UNCH and ministry of interior, the asylum seekers are sent to one of the satellite cities. An interview with UNHCR will allow them to obtain or not refugee status. Once this status is obtained, they may apply for another country. For the LGBT it’s mostly Canada or the United States. The wait might go up to five years.

From leaving Iran and arriving in the new country, time slows down and gradually begins to stop… then Niv and Ali both, Left Tehran in August 2009. They live in Nevsehir and applied together. Inside the homosexual couple, each of the partners has his own case, but these cases are followed together. 11 months after they arrived they gained their refugee status.

In a corner of a room an image of the Christ is hung on the wall above a table. Copies of passport, letters in Farsi and English, notes, pieces of paper are piled up.

Sit facing the wall they are filling the application forms for Canada with huge difficulty. None of them speaks English, Niv Sighs: “Here it’s worse than Iran, I do not regret doming here but only because we have the hope to leave” Worse than Iran because in Turkey they are marginalized twice as much, both LGBT and refugees.

Long black hair, and some piercings Maysam has been in Turkey for 18 months the. The time of Iftar is approaching. Looking to the square of Republic Maysam explains:” You know, It is not because you see many women without veil and who go out with short sleeves that locals are not fundamentalists. In Iran the government is fundamentalist. Here the locals are fundamentalist at heart!”

On the street there are many insulations “Bayan Gibi” which means “Looks like a woman” or “Saclara Bak” meaning “look at his hair”or “Kupeye Bak” meaning “look at his perrcings” ore “Top” meaning “ testicles” an insulting expression to address gays. These words are the only ones that Maysam dares to tell.

Sasan, Young man decided to quit Iran when in December 2009 his parents wanted to force him to get married. In Nevsehir he lives with an Iranian and the Iranian’s wife who is a Romanian transsexual. Disgusted he shows us the rusted gate on the street:”Look, children of the area threw shit on our gate!”

Ashkan 32 years old living in Kayseri for more than a year and a half tells us how he was aggressed 8months earlier:” It was 11p.m. when a car approached me. A man asked me the time. They saw that I was a foreigner, then four men left the car an hit me. They knew I was gay. Now I never go out after nine. I avoid the street. I don’t want, but it starts again!” The police advice not to go out late at night, Ashkan added bitterly. None the less aggressions have been less numerous for a few years. Harun Abakay, whose NGO runs an education action says, the situation has been better since we opened our office five years ago.

Maysam explains that to avoid aggressions and hostility of the locals a must hide his homosexuality. “The attitude of the locals forced me to change. The way I talk has changed. I can’t recognize myself in a mirror.”

These changes are unavoidable to be unseen, but are not enough to guarantee a job. KamranIs tired. In Shiraz he worked in a deluxe hotel. Today he sells his arms to a company which produces cement. Ten hours per day six day a week. He makes 20TL (10Euros) per day. “Of course, nobody knows that I am gay, unless I wouldn’t find a job. Sometimes the Turkish don’t want to pay us all later. And if they do, they do it much later. But me, I’m hungry now, I’m thirsty and I need to pay the rent!” A UNHCR official:”Asylum seekers and refugees are allowed to work but authorizations are so complicated to obtain that none of the Turkish employers hire legal Iranian refugees.”

By the law, asylum seekers and refugees must pay the residence fee which was in 2008 roughly 177 Euros for six months. It’s possible to apply for an exemption, but without this expense money is missing!

Ali, Niv’s partner works as a mechanic. He makes roughly 185 Euros per month for hard physical work, six days per week from 8:30 a.m. till 6:00 p.m. while, accepting the humiliation because he has no other option. He explains that the Turkish make almost the double income. Niv cooks a “Zereshk polo” on a small electric heater put just on a chair. If Ali and Niv have succeeded to build a family atmosphere, the lonely ness takes most of the LGBT refugees.

Tired, Maysam confides us about his isolation. “It has been more than ten months that I haven’t had real contact with other Iranians or even with other LGBT. Everyone has his own problems. We are all very lonely here and we prefer to hide our homosexuality from the other refugees. They think we are dirty” If in other towns or Cities like Nevsehir or Nigde LGBT or none LGBT refugees know each other and sometime help each other, the relations and contacts don’t go further than greetings.

Though Ramin 25 years old living in Nigde insists:” We don’t have to think about us only, there is not only LGBT but all the other Iranian LGBY refugees too.” Very engaged in the protests of the opposition in June 2009, he gave from Iran interviews to foreign Media about homosexuality and political situation. He fled after receiving threats and was injured buy gun at that period. Now he has lived in Nigde with two Iranians, 20 and 25 year old refugees.

Sometimes suspicion arises among LGBT refugees. Roodabeh Lives with Hengameh she is 39 years old and confirms the suspicion which is between refugees:” If I find a job, I take the risk to see another Iranian tell my employer that I am a lesbian to take my place. The atmosphere is hateful.”

When some people obtain the refugee status after 3 or 4 months others wait foe 2 or 3 year! Misunderstanding and jealousy rise up. Some people do not hesitate to emphasize their case for delivering the story which is demanded. Many people criticize UNHCR for its intrusive questions during the interviews when it comes to LGBT cases. Ashkan had to explain what he felt during his first sexual experience, describe his partner’s and his favorite positions. Kamran is angry with himself:”I didn’t properly answer to the questions I should not have stopped talking. When I left I realized that I did not succeed to convince them and I was ashamed of me.”

Some first names have been changed.

Marine Casalis

Neda, Iranian Queer Magazine - info@nedamagazine.net	سال سوم \| شماره ی بیست و چهارم \| ژانویه 2011 \| شناسنامه و تماس \| آرشیو ن د ا