BENJAMIN’S STORY:
A Harrowing Journey to Freedom
Benjamin is a queer, Christian human rights activist from Afghanistan. Even before the Taliban came to power in 2021, the LGBTQ+ and Christian communities faced persecution and the daily threat of violence.
“After the Taliban seized control in August 2021, staying in Afghanistan was no longer an option. I reached out to everyone I knew, desperate for help. After numerous failed attempts to flee, my best friend and I found ourselves at one point trapped at the Kabul airport amid gunfire in the oppressive heat, enduring three harrowing days without food or water. The scene at the airport was overwhelmingly chaotic.
After the Americans left, the Taliban shut down the airport and closed the borders. Fearful for our lives, we went into hiding, clinging to fragile hopes of escape.
A few weeks later, my friend and I both received a call at 2 a.m. instructing us to rush to
the airport. Hive’s co-founder had worked with other aid organizations to get us and a
large group of other LGBTQ+ Afghans seats on a secret flight out of Kabul. After
waiting all day and all night, we were finally evacuated to Abu Dhabi, capital city of the
United Arab Emirates
However, this was not the freedom we had imagined. We were imprisoned in a refugee camp for 10 long months, forbidden to go out, and afraid every day that we would be attacked by other refugees who were homophobic. Hive’s co-founder worked tirelessly the entire time to bring us all to safe haven in Canada. I wept from relief when I finally arrived at Toronto airport in July 2022.
Today, I’m grateful to be alive and live freely, but I fear for countless LGBTQ+ Afghans
who still live in danger. This drives my commitment to helping LGBTQ+ people still trapped there, working alongside Hive to ensure they have the opportunity to live safely
and proudly.”
TIARA’S STORY:
Fleeing trans persecution
Tiara is a trans woman and make-up artist who was forced to flee from the Taliban in
2021, first to Iran where she faced more persecution, and then to Pakistan. With Hive’s
help, Tiara is now living safely in Canada and rebuilding her life.
Someone informed on me to the Taliban, who came to my workplace looking for me.
Luckily a friend warned me ahead of time, so I ran away from Kabul, where I was living.
I was in complete despair without any money so I went to Iran looking for work. I did not
have good days there either. People threatened me and beat me because of the way I
looked. I feared for my life, I was homeless and suicidal.
I met the Hive organization through a friend. I was able to get a Pakistani visa and escape
Iran. Once in Pakistan, Hive sent a monthly stipend that was enough to cover my rent,
food, internet and medical expenses. The volunteers supported me emotionally as well,
which was so important.
A few weeks later, my friend and I both received a call at 2 a.m. instructing us to rush to
the airport. Hive’s co-founder had worked with other aid organizations to get us and a
large group of other LGBTQ+ Afghans seats on a secret flight out of Kabul. After
waiting all day and all night, we were finally evacuated to Abu Dhabi, capital city of the
United Arab Emirates
With Hive’s help, I managed to get a sponsorship to Canada. Now I live in complete
freedom and safety. I have spent the last year making friends, studying English and am
now applying for jobs. I am so grateful to Hive for giving me a whole new life.
NOAH’S STORY:
Escaping in the dead of winter
Eighteen-year old Noah was arrested, beaten and tortured by the Taliban for his
LGBTQ+ activism. After participating in a UK documentary, Gay Under The Taliban,
Noah was forced to flee for his life.
My escape was extremely difficult. My father arranged for a smuggler to take me to the
Afghanistan/Pakistan border in an ambulance, with fake ID and medical documents that
said I was traveling to Pakistan for treatment. It was in the dead of winter and I spent
three days stranded at the border in freezing conditions. I became seriously ill.
After finally crossing the border, I was illegal and penniless for over a month, with no
permanent place to stay. Some nights, I had to sleep outside. This was the lowest point in
my journey. I felt completely alone and hopeless.
Everything changed when I connected with Hive in November 2022. From that moment
on, Hive stood beside me at every step of my refugee journey. They supported me with
my visa process in Pakistan, helped me navigate the asylum system, provided me a
monthly stipend for food and rent at a safe hostel. Most importantly, they treated me with
dignity and compassion.
With Hive’s support, I was eventually able to reach Canada safely and begin rebuilding
my life. Hive did not just help me escape danger – they gave me a second chance at life.
Without them, I would not be alive and safe in Canada today. I’m honoured to participate
in Hive’s important work by sharing my story and helping to bring visibility to the
realities faced by LGBTQ+ Afghans.
LIA’S STORY
Living Precariously in Pakistan
Lia is an Afghan lesbian and human rights activist living with her sister in Pakistan,
under constant threat of violence and deportation back to Afghanistan, where she would
face certain death. In Afghanistan, she studied at a university and volunteered with two
organizations supporting women’s rights, education and legal protection.
“My work for women’s rights in Afghanistan was tremendously meaningful to me, but it also made me a target. Everything changed when I received a death threat from the Taliban in a letter hung on my family’s front door. They knew my name, where I worked and the fact that I refused to stay silent.
As a lesbian, I was in twice as much danger – being myself could cost me my life. I
reached out to Hive through an underground LGBTQ+ network with both fear and hope
in my heart. For the first time, someone listened.
With the support of the entire Hive family, my sister and I escaped to Pakistan. But life
here is not safe. We live hidden in a tiny apartment, unable to work, study or even walk
outside without fear of harassment or deportation. Every day we hear news of Afghan
refugees being sent back. For someone like me, returning to Afghanistan means certain
death. We are surviving, but we are not living.
We await our final step toward a life of dignity and freedom. I dream of a future where I
can live openly, love freely and give back to others who are suffering the way I did. Hive
is the only reason this dream is still alive.
Hive gave me hope at a moment when I believed my life was over. I am deeply grateful
for Hive’s work and for the compassion they continue to show to people like me.”
