The Rainbow Refugee Podcast: Bridges of Hope

Lost and (Not)Found: Part 3

The final part of ‘Lost and (Not)Found’ follows the journey of Shahriyar* who fled the Taliban persecution in Afghanistan to Iran, back to Afghanistan, on to Pakistan and eventually to Germany where he continues to defend and advocate for the rights of LGTBIQ Afghans everywhere. After this episode, we will be taking a break for a few weeks. In the meantime, we invite you to revisit our three-part pilot episode and the special In(sight) episode. This episode is in Dari. The English transcript will be available next week. Content Warning: Homophobia, transphobia, sexism and misogyny, stalking or harassment, violence, torture, murder, depression, abuse, and death.

The (In)sight episode

This episode reflects on and unpacks the story of Shahriyar* so far. Hosts Ryan and Zohra share their insights on the persecution of LGBTIQ Afghans under Taliban rule, Shahriyar’s dire efforts to leave Afghanistan and the role of organisations like ILGA Asia in providing humanitarian assistance. This episode is English. More details are available here [https://www.ilgaasia.org/publications/2022/9/2/the-rainbow-refugee-podcast-the-insight-episode]. Content Warning: Homophobia, transphobia, sexism and misogyny, violence, torture, murder, depression, abuse, and death.

Lost And (Not)Found: Part 2

Part two of ‘Lost and (Not)Found’ continues to follow Shahriyar, a 21-year-old gay man from Herat, and his journey as he talks about how women and LGBTIQ+ Afghans are persecuted under the Taliban’s rule and how they are protecting themselves and each other as acts of solidarity in resistance. This episode is in Dari with English transcripts available here [https://www.ilgaasia.org/publications/rainbow-refugee-podcast-episode-1-2]. Content Warning: Homophobia, Transphobia, Sexism and misogyny, Stalking or harassment, Violence, Torture, Murder, Depression, Abuse, Death.

Lost And (Not)Found: Part 1

Part one of our first episode is titled ‘Lost and (Not)Found’ and it features Shahriyar*, a 21-year-old gay man from Herat, who talks about the continuing threats against LGBTIQ+ Afghans under Taliban rule and reflects on the urgency of activism amid heightened persecution. This episode is in Dari with English transcripts available here [https://www.ilgaasia.org/publications/rainbow-refugee-podcast-episode-1]. Content Warning: Homophobia, transphobia, sexual violence, gender-based violence, stalking or harassment, abuse, harm to a child, and death.