In Search of Solace: The Sojourn of a Gay Syrian Refugee
Guest speaker Subhi Nahas spoke at the Human Rights Investigations Lab at UC Berkeley School of Law, where he recounted heart-wrenching details of his experiences as a gay man in Syria and his extraordinary journey to the United States as a refugee. Nahas fled Syria in 2012, where homosexuality has long been criminalized. He has since given public talks about his trials and triumphs across the United States, including the United Nations in New York, San Francisco, Stanford University, and UC Berkeley.
Nahas founded SpectraProject, which is a non-profit organization in San Francisco that provides life-saving resources to LGBTQIA refugees abroad. SpectraProject has partnered with research institutions including Columbia University, and it seeks to broaden its horizons by establishing connections with other institutions worldwide with hopes of globalizing its mission. Currently, the non-profit organization has chapters in Lebanon and Turkey, and it also publishes research related to the plight of gay communities across the Middle East.
Though Syria is now besieged by war, the country’s LGBTQIA community has suffered horrific atrocities well before war began, and it is now especially vulnerable to cruel and inhumane treatment from multiple sides in the conflict. Nahas observes that the criminalization of homosexuality in Syria has bred a culture of homophobia, where LGBTQIA individuals are targeted by their own communities, families, and government. While homosexuality is outlawed under penal code 520 of the Syrian constitution, the LGBTQIA community additionally suffers genocidal violence from terrorist insurgencies such as that of ISIS and Al Nusra, an Al-Qaeda affiliated terrorist group.
Nahas lived most of his life in Syria in isolation and persecution. Though he rarely spoke about his sexual identity, other men often bullied and threatened him for merely “appearing” to be gay. Community members chastised him for the way he walked, talked, dressed, and styled his hair. The extent of intolerance grew to a point where Nahas withdrew from school and often questioned his will to live. Nahas was eventually referred to a psychologist in Syria,whom he believed he could trust. In a shocking act of betrayal and hostility, his psychologist outed Nahas to his family and community without his consent and endangered his life in the process. The psychologist portrayed the young Nahas as a “deviant,” who could not be trusted, and one who should be closely monitored by his community.
Then came war, and LGBTQIA persons were among the first to become subjected to genocide. In the middle of 2012, Al Nusra insurgents besieged Nahas’s town and kidnapped those suspected of being gay. He says terrorists appeared in Masjids and declared divine right to “cleanse the city of sodomites.” As the genocide of gays grew ever closer to claiming his life, Nahas says he had to “take ownership” of it and leave the country.
As he fled, Nahas pretended to be deaf and mute to avoid suspicion from insurgents and community members. He recalls that militants perceived his style of dress to be different from other males, and that he walked differently from other men. They grew suspicious, pointed him out, and separated him from the others at a bus stop. As he was placed in a holding room, the stench of human flesh and blood immediately filled his nostrils. He saw blood stains spattered across the floor. This was a room in which victims were brought to be tortured and slain. After waiting in the room for approximately 30 minutes, Nahas was miraculously released, unharmed.
Nahas first journeyed to Lebanon, where hardship followed. He recalls that refugees were prohibited from working in the country, so he left and resettled in Turkey where he did find employment. He began advocacy work for LGBTQIA communities and women and children. Nahas’s stay in Turkey lasted only a few years, after a former colleague threatened to kill him if he continued with his LGBTQIA advocacy work. The UNHCR became aware of his circumstances and “expedited” his resettlement to the United States, which took over a year to process.
Nahas notes that refugees face economic hardship and discrimination. First, he observes that refugees have limited job opportunities, if any at all. In cases where they are given employment, he says that they are often exploited for cheap labor. Those who are gay are blackmailed for labor in exchange for keeping their sexual orientation secret. Some refugees, particularly those who identify as LGBTQIA, resort to sex work in order to sustain themselves.
He says that refugees, particularly Syrians, are met with animosity in Turkey and Greece. For those who identify as gay, the extent of discrimination often results in violent and deadly consequences. Nahas reveals the grisly murder of his friend, Wisam, who was raped, stabbed multiple times, and beheaded before his remains were discovered in a dumpster. Nahas also cites a case study in Greece that involved the brutal beating of a gay Syrian refugee who was subsequently hospitalized to receive treatment for his injuries. These incidents, however, are neither isolated, nor exceptionally rare, according to NGOs such as Human Rights Watch.
Given his experiences in the field, Nahas understands the urgent need to expose and combat homophobia to protect vulnerable refugees. SpectraProject currently documents cases of violence and discrimination against LGBTQIA refugees. Equally important, Nahas seeks to hold governments accountable for failing to punish perpetrators of violence and discrimination against gay refugees. In addition to expanding refugees’ employment opportunities, SpectraProject provides basic necessities to refugees in transit countries, including clean water, shelter, and personal hygiene items.
As he builds his organization, Nahas is seeking volunteers to join the communications and IT departments, as well as statisticians who can assist researchers. To donate or volunteer, visit SpectraProject at https://spectraproject.org/.
