Subject: civil and political rights--gay / lesbian / bisexual / transgender / queer rights
Coverage: Middle East
Description: In English. IRQR is an international, non for profit, queer human rights organization based in Toronto, Canada. We help Iranian gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgendered refugees all over the world. We help when Iranian queers are threatened with deportation back to Iran. We also assist Iranian queers in obtaining asylum in friendly countries. When Iranian queer people flee persecution in Iran, they generally go to Turkey. The United Nations High Commission for Refugees (UNHCR) interviews these refugees and decides whether their case for asylum is valid. If they are granted asylum status, the UNHCR finds a new country for each person on base of their profile. IRQR helps these refugees through the process and, whenever possible, provides funds for safe houses from donations, since Turkey is also a homophobic and transphobic society and queer people are not physically safe there either. The website includes related news materials and a variety of resources for individuals in need of information regarding their rights.