LGBT Activism in Iraq

On October 3, 1932 Britain granted Iraq independence, and one of the first laws that passed was the banning of homosexuality.[1]

In 1958, The 14 July Revolution, known as the 1958 Iraqi coup d'état, brought an end to a monarchy and established a brand new government.[3] During this regime, LGBT people found a new voice, and greater visibility of LGBT people were making it into the mainstream culture. This is seen most in Baghdad between the end of the Iran-Iraq War in 1988 and the Iraqi invasion of Kuwait in August 1990, where scenes depicting gay men became more affluent,[4] as well as female hormones being freely available in many Iraqi pharmacies.[5]

This increase in freedoms would slowly begin to fade late into the Saddam regime as he gained more power over the Iraq government. A cultural shift started to form, with an emphasis on conservative values that glorified military action, and masculinity. There has been no evidence of organized violence against LGBT people before 2003.[4]

Starting in 2003, a large spike in Anti-LGBT violence can be seen, with many people outside of the LGBT community, ranging from journalist, citizens, and even some politicians in Iraq, reporting how brutal many of the attacks were.[6] It is around this time that many LGBT activist organizations, such as The Organization of Women's Freedom in Iraq and Iraqi LGBT, started to form in response to the growing violence. The largest amounts of murder and death would happen during this time period, and despite the formation of many LGBT activist organization, many would be forced to disband, go underground, or travel to different countries to continue work there.[7]

The war's end in 2008, saw a decrease in violence for people's daily lives, and this allowed a surge in nightlife, including gay nightlife, in Baghdad, Basra, Najaf, and other cities for people in the LGBT community.[4] This, however, also came with sadrist militiamen, part of the Mahdi Army, to reposition themselves to killing people who identify as homosexual.[8]

According to a New York Times story in April 2009, Shiʿi clerics in Baghdad "devoted a portion of Friday Prayer services to inveighing against homosexuality."[4] This emboldened many a people, and saw that the increase of LGBT activity, slowed down significantly.

Early 2012 saw the saw a large wave of killings done to "emo" people, and would later be called the "Emo Killings". These killings were done by Mahdi Army, and were largely criticized as needless acts of violence.[4] Many Shi'i clerics, as well as the chairperson of the human rights committee of the Iraqi parliament, denounced these killings, though were also against emo culture as a whole.[4]

The OWFI started in 2003 and has a focus on ensuring pioneering work to rebuild Iraq with secular democracy and human rights for all.[9] Following the battles for Mosul and other nearby cities against ISIS, over 3 million people have found themselves displaced, with 10 million needing humanitarian aid,[8] OWFI spearheaded an organized effort to change Iraq's Anti-Shelter Policy, which only allowed government run shelters to exist. OWFI led over 40 different local organization to change these policies, and expand the basic civil liberties of people in the region.[10]

Iraqueer formed in March 2015 with LGBT+ members all over Iraq, with the express goal of raising the awareness level among and about LGBT+ identities in the Iraqi society, and to advocate for LGBT+ rights in Iraq.[11] Iraqueer has three main methods of achieving its goal, by providing education, advocacy, and direct services. In terms of education, Iraqueer has published several guides ranging from security to health safety along with the novel Living in The Margins, containing LGBT stories from people living in Iraq.[12] They also upload videos to YouTube that talk about the different aspects of being an LGBT individual in Iraq. Finally, they host several workshops dedicated to teaching people about gender and sexuality, how to lobby and properly advocate, and to maintain safety and security in times of crisis. Iraqueer has submitted several reports international bodies, including the United Nations, talking about the state of LGBT people in Iraq.[13] Lastly, Iraqueer maintains safe houses in Iraq for LGBT people seeking safety or asylum.

Iraqi LGBT is a LGBT rights organization, establish in September 2005, that was created in response to the rise in violence against LGBT people.[14] Their main goal is the creation and maintenance of several different "safe houses" in Iraq, where people who are fleeing from prosecution can find protection and safety.[14] Though they have done activist work promoting tolerance in Iraq, Iraqi LGBT focuses on relocating LGBT people to safer countries, and providing legal help for the LGBT people seeking asylum.

Founded in 2008, International Railroad for Queer Refugees (IRQR) provides financial and resettlement assistance for LGBT asylum seekers who are fleeing their homes because of prosecution for their sexual orientation, or gender identity.[15] They also provide assistance and workshops for local organizations, so they can be better prepared in dealing with legal and social ramifications, as well as maintaining a network with different organizations so information can be spread easily, and not be intercepted by government officials.[16]

In 1971, Iraq ratified the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR) treaty, which placed a mandate on Iraqi officials to act against actions done to antagonize or oppress protected and minority groups,[21] among these civil and political rights include; The Right to Life and Security, Protection Against Torture and Inhuman and Degrading Treatment, and The Guarantee of Non-Discrimination. Iraq has continuously violated these rights, and although the UN Human Rights Committee has condemned Iraq for violating the treaty, it has not faced any major consequences because of it.[20]