“I am complex, I am many things; I am an Arab, I am Syrian, I am a woman, I am queer, I am Muslim, I am binational, I am tall, I am too thin; my sect is Sunni, my clan is Omari, my tribe is Quraysh, my city is Damascus.”
These are the words written on a blog known as A Gay Girl in Damascus by its owner the day before she's said to have been arrested or kidnapped or ... something. Even the witness, Arraf's cousin, isn't sure. And a number of people have come together demanding her release.
The woman's name is, supposedly, Amina Arraf, and she's said to be a gay woman of Syrian descent from the U.S. She began blogging to give an honest look at what's going on in Syria with regard to women's issues, gay issues, life in Syria, history, politics and living in Syria, where it's illegal to be gay. Arraf openly criticized President Bashar Assad in her blog, as well.
The story hit the media and then a Croatian woman named Jelena Lecic emerged. Lecic says the pictures Arraf posted were of her, not Arraf, and they were taken from Facebook. Researchers looked into Arraf's U.S. records and her family and found nothing. And not even Arraf's Canadian girlfriend has ever met her in person. So now many are questioning the existence of the woman known as Amina Arraf.
There is no doubt that prudence would be wise in a situation such as that of the gay girl in Damascus. So perhaps she is real and changed the faces and names to protect herself and her family. Or not. But if she is, we hope she gets home safe.
Editor's Note, June 13: Amina turned out to be fiction.
These are the words written on a blog known as A Gay Girl in Damascus by its owner the day before she's said to have been arrested or kidnapped or ... something. Even the witness, Arraf's cousin, isn't sure. And a number of people have come together demanding her release.
The woman's name is, supposedly, Amina Arraf, and she's said to be a gay woman of Syrian descent from the U.S. She began blogging to give an honest look at what's going on in Syria with regard to women's issues, gay issues, life in Syria, history, politics and living in Syria, where it's illegal to be gay. Arraf openly criticized President Bashar Assad in her blog, as well.
The story hit the media and then a Croatian woman named Jelena Lecic emerged. Lecic says the pictures Arraf posted were of her, not Arraf, and they were taken from Facebook. Researchers looked into Arraf's U.S. records and her family and found nothing. And not even Arraf's Canadian girlfriend has ever met her in person. So now many are questioning the existence of the woman known as Amina Arraf.
There is no doubt that prudence would be wise in a situation such as that of the gay girl in Damascus. So perhaps she is real and changed the faces and names to protect herself and her family. Or not. But if she is, we hope she gets home safe.
Editor's Note, June 13: Amina turned out to be fiction.
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