Current Events > Taliban using monkeypox as an excuse to round up and arrest LGBTQ+ Afghans

(+) Yeah! (+)

https://www.pinknews.co.uk/2022/06/03/taliban-afghanistan-lgbtq-monkeypox/

Two gay men who live in Kabul told PinkNews that the Talibans persecution of LGBTQ+ people has been ramping up ever since monkeypox started being detected in Europe. The virus which is usually found in parts of Central and West Africa is seeing outbreaks UK, Spain, Portugal and some other locations, with queer men making up the majority of confirmed cases. While not sexually transmitted, public health officials believe monkeypox is being transmitted in these networks through close contact during sex though experts have also suggested the statistics may be skewed towards queen men because they are more conscious of their sexual health. Right now, Afghanistan has not officially recorded any cases of monkeypox but that hasnt stopped the Taliban from using the spread of the virus to crack down on and attack the LGBTQ+ community. Maalek*, a gay man living in Kabul, told PinkNews that the Talibans persecution of LGBTQ+ people has only worsened since the monkeypox outbreaks began. The Taliban have no scientific knowledge about the disease, Maalek says. The Ministry of Health has stated that no cases of the disease have been registered, yet they are still looking for excuses to harass the Afghan gay community.

He continues: Wherever they see handsome men wearing no local clothes, they check their cell phones and, if they find the slightest evidence that they are gay, they arrest them and take them away. When they detain homosexuals, [they tell the public its to] prevent the spread of monkeypox. According to Maalek, trans people are just as much at risk. If the Taliban finds a nude photo on a persons phone, they will beat and detain them. Being detained by the Taliban is a terrifying prospect for Maalek. He knows a gay man who was arrested and raped by six Taliban members. He now suffers from a mental illness and has fled Kabul, Maalek says. The Taliban do not like anyone to wear fashionable clothes. They threaten all homosexuals with death after being detained. They say they should wear local clothes, should not shave their beards and act as they wish. Like most LGBTQ+ Afghans, Maalek has been forced to change his behaviour and the way he presents himself to the world in a bid to stay safe from the Taliban. We no longer go to beauty salons to cut our beards, we can not even cut our hair in a modern way. We can not wear stylish and acceptable clothes. Trans people cannot even come out of their house because they are arrested immediately. Personally, I go out in local clothes now. I do not bring my smartphone with me when I leave home. I try not to leave home without doing my homework. Their checkpoints are very dangerous. Im afraid in Afghanistan. Im afraid of being arrested by the Taliban, Timur says. Im not leaving home. Im scared and miserable. Im asking the big governments of London and other countries to help me and all LGBTQ+ people leave Afghanistan.

Please don't give republicans any ideas

I was wondering who would start doing this first, Taliban or America.

Does excuse really apply here if rounding up the gays was already standard protocol for them anyway?

Does the Taliban really need a reason to crack down on the gay community? I thought that was just a thing that was naturally going to happen.