Help us bring 'Q', a Yemeni gay man, to safety

Dear Friends and Supporters,

We are reaching out to you today to rally support for Q, an incredibly brave young man from Yemen who dreams of living a life where he can freely express his true self. Q identifies as gay, and unfortunately in his home country, being gay is not only taboo but also forbidden by law. This oppressive environment has forced Q to hide his LGBTQ identity, denying him the chance to live openly and embrace his individuality.

My name is Patrick Santana and I'm from Littleton, Colorado. I want to share the story of Q, whom I met on Instagram in 2023. As Q and I started chatting, I learned about his situation. I also learned about the dire situation of all LGBTQ people in Yemen, where the law calls for the death penalty for "homosexuality". Q's resilience and determination to live authentically touched me deeply and I feel compelled to help him in any way I can. His story similarly inspired William (Billy) Pietrykowski to become a co-partner in this effort to help Q get out of Yemen.

We set up this GoFundMe campaign to support Q in pursuing freedom and a better future. The funds raised will be directly sent to Q to help him get the travel visas, permissions, and airfare to leave Yemen. His goal is to get to a country where he can seek asylum. It's an arduous and risky journey ahead for Q — but it begins with having the funds to simply leave the country of Yemen. Once he is on the ground in an LGBTQ-friendly country, he can begin his second challenge: achieving asylum status in a new country without anti-gay laws.

Many organizations such as Rainbow Railroad (https://www.rainbowrailroad.org/about) can assist Q once he's on the ground in a safe country. However, these organizations offer no assistance in getting to a safe country. The hardest part is left to individual Yemenis like Q: getting out of the country. International organizations offer no assistance to individuals until they're in a safe country for gay people. So that means I'm asking friends like you for financial help to get Q out of Yemen.

Please consider even a small donation to save the life of this gentle and brave LGBTQ brother.

PS: The photo above is a real picture of the area of Yemen where Q grew up.