【Mike Horner Archives】

Every day of Pride Month,Mike Horner Archives Mashable will be sharing illuminating conversations with members of the LGBTQ community who are making history right now.

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Arsham Parsi has been an activist for close to 18 years, and he's not planning on stopping anytime soon.

Parsi, who is gay, was living in Iran in 2001 when he started Rangin Kamin (Rainbow Group), a group for LGBTQ Iranians which he later renamed Persian Gay and Lesbian Organization, and which was later renamed again as the Iranian Queer Organization (IRQO). Because homosexuality is illegal in Iran and can be punished with death, Parsi registered the organization in Norway and kept most of his LGBTQ activism online, where he operated a chatroom for queer Iranians. Parsi himself fled to Turkey in 2005, claimed refugee status, and was eventually resettled in Toronto, where he founded a new organization, the International Railroad for Queer Refugees (IRQR).

Now, Parsi serves as the executive director of IRQR, which assists LGBTQ refugees who have fled their home countries because of their identities and are currently living in Turkey. The organization provides food, shelter, guidance, and education until they are eventually resettled.

SEE ALSO: Goodbye, 'Broad City'. Your queerness was a gift.

Mashable spoke with Parsi about the refugee crisis, why LGBTQ refugees are particularly vulnerable, and why he believes society has a moral obligation to protect them.

The interview below has been edited for length and clarity.

Mashable: Tell me about your history as an activist.

Arsham Parsi:I do a lot of things, but I've been working with refugees since 2008. I started my activism work (supporting LGBTQ Iranians) in 2001 when I was in Iran. At IRQR, we focus on LGBTQ refugees. For us, they are the most urgent cases.

In general, I try to advance human rights for LGBTQ people in Iran. It's a long-term goal. The ultimate goal is to decriminalize homosexuality. Homosexuality is punishable by death in Iran. Some people believe [queer people] have to be cut in half to death. Others believe they need to be stoned … These people are all in agreement that LGBTQ people have to be killed, they just disagree about the method.

So we have to help refugees right now and today. Our focus is on saving those lives and giving them a new chance at life. Refugee resettlement is a long-term process.

Mashable: How large is IRQR and who does it serve?

AP:There are close to 4 million refugees currently living in Turkey. In total, we have about 2,200 LGBTQ people from all nationalities living there. The majority of refugees who are LGBTQ in Turkey are from Iran, then Iraq.

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Our job is to follow up on cases, document people's stories, provide them to the Turkish government and UNHCR (United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees). When refugees [ultimately] come to Canada and the US [or some other country], our job is done. We send them to another organization to receive services.

Since 2005, we've provided services to about 2,000 LGBTQ refugees. Our [successful resettlement rate] is about 83 percent of them.

Mashable: How has the political climate impacted your ability to provide services?

AP:Since President Trump introduced the travel ban, it's really affected LGBTQ people. The United States doesn't accept refugees from Iran. Most of the LGBTQ refugees in Turkey are from Iran. After the travel ban was introduced, it was supposed to stop [refugees from coming into the United States] for just 120 days. But it's been 120 days for a couple years now. Nothing's happened.

When we tried to raise the issue in the media, President Trump provided a major distraction. That's his strategy — every day something new happens. There's no guarantee that another incident won't happen in the next 20 minutes.

The UNHCR doesn’t know what will happen with these refugees. The United States said it wouldn't work with any refugees except Afghans. We have several refugees who were interviewed and processed and then they were rejected because they didn’t meet criteria because they're from Iran. It's very unfair. There's no way we [activists and people who serve refugees] support the Iranian regime. I fled Iran because of the regime. All of these refugees left the country because of the regime and the persecution they're facing there. Right now these limitations don't hurt the regime. [The travel ban] only affects people.

The refugee resettlement process used to take 12 to 18 months. After President Trump's travel ban, it has increased to 4 years minimum.

Mashable: What factors make LGBTQ particularly vulnerable as refugees?

AP:LGBTQ refugees are the most vulnerable group of refugees. The majority of them are aged 16 to 35. When they left Iran they were (likely) living with parents or were students. They didn't have jobs. They don't have family support. They don’t have money. They were probably brought illegally to Turkey, and they have to work illegally in Turkey.

I was [recently] talking to one of the refugees who worked from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. For 12 hours of work, he got $6.

Turkish people can also be religious and homophobic. There's been a political shift in Turkey. LGBTQ cultural activities are banned in the capital city. Turkish LGBTQ people have a lot of problems.

PTSD is also very vivid for LGBTQ refugees. Imagine escaping overnight and leaving all your belongings to go to another country. You don’t know the language, you don’t know anyone there, you don’t have money, you don’t have the support of family. You have to work, then you have to wait for four years to be settled. That could make you sick.

Mashable: What are your hopes for LGBTQ refugees?

AP:I have a dream that one day there will be no refugees. There will be no persecution. [They'll say to me], "We don’t need your service anymore." I'll tell them to go and live their lives. That's my very longterm dream.

My [immediate] hope is that the situation will change. These politicians and people will come to this conclusion that decisions affect lives. The majority of these refugees had a good life in Iran. Because of their sexuality, they had to leave if they wanted to stay alive. They didn’t leave to take advantage of taxpayers. We have to understand that sometimes people have no other alternatives. Refugees are persecuted, and we should give them asylum. This is our obligation as a society — to protect them.

Read more great Pride Month stories:

• Explore Stonewall National Monument's digital makeover and add your own story

• The best YouTube videos to help you come out

• Representation is abysmal, so here are 15 animated characters the trans community has claimed

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