Urging Protection for LGBTQ+ Refugees Facing Systematic Persecution
​To: UNHCR Egypt, International Human Rights Organizations, and Global Protection Agencies.
​Subject: Urgent Appeal for Resettlement and Protection of LGBTQ+ Refugees in Egypt.
​Every day, we wake up to a singular, harrowing question: How do we survive today without being targeted?
​We are Shoog and Sara, two LGBTQ+ refugees currently living in a state of "invisible exile" in Egypt. We were forced to flee our home country due to state-sanctioned criminalization, direct death threats, and a reality where staying meant certain imprisonment or worse. However, crossing borders did not bring us the safety we were promised by international law.
​The Reality of Marginalization in Egypt:
As members of the LGBTQ+ community in Egypt, we are trapped in a legal and social vacuum. Despite being registered refugees, we face:
​Systemic Neglect: Meaningful legal protection is non-existent. International reports consistently document arbitrary detentions and targeted harassment of LGBTQ+ individuals, often conducted under the guise of "debauchery" or "morality" laws.
​Barriers to Justice: For refugees like us, reporting a crime or a threat is not an option—it is an additional risk. The very institutions meant to protect us often become the source of our persecution. This creates a culture of "forced silence" as a primary survival strategy.
​Physical and Psychological Precarity: We live in constant fear of exposure. Every suspicious glance or unstable housing situation could lead to physical harm or deportation back to the dangers we fled.
​Our Current Situation:
We have secured a temporary, modest shelter that acts as our only shield against the street's hostility. But this is a fragile stability. We are currently awaiting the UNHCR and specialized organizations like Rainbow Railroad to facilitate our resettlement to a third country—a place where our existence is not a crime.
​The Urgent Call to Action:
We are not asking for privilege; we are demanding the basic human right to live without the constant threat of violence. We urge the international community and humanitarian agencies to:
​Prioritize LGBTQ+ Asylum Claims: Acknowledge the extreme vulnerability of LGBTQ+ refugees in Egypt and expedite our resettlement files.
​Provide Immediate Protection Support: Facilitate emergency housing and security assistance for those of us living in "high-risk" urban environments.
​Hold Official Entities Accountable: Advocate for the end of arbitrary targeting and systemic marginalization of the LGBTQ+ community within refugee populations.
​Your intervention is more than administrative assistance; it is an act of protection. Every day that passes without a move toward a safe haven is a day we spend on the edge of disaster.
​By supporting our journey, you are affirming that our lives matter and that survival should not be a daily battle for dignity. Help us reach a future where we can finally breathe without fear.