Help a trans Iraqi woman on her journey to safety

On 27.6.24, Iraq passed the Anti-Prostitution and Homosexuality Law, which imposed penalties of up to 15 years in prison for LGBTQ+ individuals for being gay/lesbian/transgender. The penalties were tightened to persecute and imprison LGBTQ+ rights defenders, after individuals and allies were living with the risk of murder and rape. The state legislated this under its auspices.

Inan M.B., a trans woman/writer and LGBTQ+ rights advocate, has seen her life become increasingly vulnerable the longer she remains in Iraq. She now faces the risk of imprisonment for being trans and for being an LGBTQ+ rights advocate, which puts her at risk of prosecution. From laws that earlier this year allowed the death of a trans woman after she was gang-raped in prison after being placed in a men’s prison, the danger that Inan M.B. faces increases every day. Being a non-normative, identifiable woman makes her face daily hatred from the public and she may also become a victim of the militias that have played a major role in killing the LGBTQ+ community. Now, from a biased law based on hatred and malice, it allows them to pursue her simply because she is a trans woman.

Inan M.B. cannot work in places that at least help her in making money because it would make her more visible to society, which makes her more vulnerable to danger and persecution. In her previous job, she was exploited and worked 15-14 hours a day for wages that were not enough to cover her daily needs. Inan M.B. also tries not to write (her main job) because this work would put her name and presence in public view as an advocate for LGBTQ+ rights, which is a crime under the law that was enacted earlier this year.

Inan M.B. had previously succeeded in raising money through donations and was able to get rid of her accumulated debts and meet the basic requirements for travel, but she is still unable to flee the country to obtain a better life. As a trans woman, a writer, and an advocate for LGBTQ+ rights, all of which have become crimes in Iraq. Inan M.B. has a plan that she cannot reveal for her own safety and also to not reveal her location or the time of her presence in a place where she is likely to be, so that she is not exposed to the different types of danger that we mentioned earlier. The first of which is murder.