Gay Couple Struggles to Stay Together as War in Ukraine Rages On

June 22, 2022
Originally published by Rolling Stone, June 22, 2022. Russian bombs brought Stepan and Maxim together. Now Russian bombs have driven them apart. The men, now both in their early thirties, were living almost 20 miles apart in the eastern Ukrainian region called the Donbas, where Russian-backed separatists went to war in 2014. They likely would […]
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Trans People Leaving Ukraine Face Danger and Transphobia. This Organization Is a Safe Haven.

June 1, 2022
Originally published by Teen Vogue, June 1, 2022. Olha Poliakova first realized something was wrong at 5:20 a.m. when her cat leapt from his usual sleeping spot on her shoulder. As Poliakova entered consciousness, she was vaguely aware of a loud boom outside. She thought a truck driver had taken a shortcut through her neighborhood. […]
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This Small Town Was Once A Progressive Fairy Tale. But In 2018, It’s Living A Far-Right Nightmare.

November 10, 2018
A crumbling medieval village was rebuilt by a mayor who welcomed immigrants with open arms. That’s made him a target of Italy’s populist government, and a reluctant hero of the left.
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These Are The LGBT Refugees Trapped By Donald Trump’s Immigration Order

January 26, 2017
“We are all gonna end up in this fucking Turkey … It’s hell. It's fucking hell.” A group of 12 queer Iranians in hiding in Turkey had gathered for a small party on Tuesday night when someone spotted the report that President Donald Trump planned to stop resettling refugees in the United States.
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Would-Be Asylum Seekers Are Stuck At Guantanamo Bay

March 20, 2016
The Obama administration says it has no plans to end a decades-old program that holds would-be asylum seekers without access to lawyers on the same legal grounds underpinning the detentions of those held in the so-called “war on terror.”
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This Is What It's Like To Be An LGBT Syrian Fleeing For Your Life

October 22, 2015
LGBT refugees from across the Middle East flock to Turkey, escaping Islamist militias, sexual assault, and death threats. But what they find there leaves many in despair. J. Lester Feder reports for BuzzFeed News
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This Gay Man Survived Torture In One Of Africa's Most Horrific Dictatorships

August 25, 2015
Even after fleeing the Gambia with life-threatening wounds from his time in prison, Alieu Sarr still isn't safe.
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The LGBT Kids Who Flee Their Countries — And Their Families — For The U.S.

November 11, 2014
Some of the thousands of Central American children trying to get to the United States are seeking a love and acceptance they can't get at home.
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The LGBT Refugees Who Are Seeking Asylum In the World’s Most Notoriously Anti-Gay Country

May 5, 2014
With one of the world's most infamous anti-gay laws, Uganda seems like the last place on Earth an LGBTI person would go seeking safety. But almost 100 LGBTI refugees have sought help from an NGO in Uganda's capital to seek asylum in the country, and there may be many more in the country illegally without seeking formal permission to stay.
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Police Violence In India Drives A Gay Couple To The U.S. — And A Detention Cell

January 23, 2014
"We are feeling like homosexuality is a crime everywhere ... there is not any protection here," said one of the men. Their yearlong journey across more than 10 countries to seek asylum in the United States.
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Copyright © 2020 J. Lester Feder
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