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By the time he came to Columbia to study for his masters degree in Human Rights, Amir Ashour (GSAS18) had already founded IraQueer, Iraqs first national LGBTQ+ organization. Ashour, a gay Iraqi himself who is currently living in Sweden before starting his law studies at Harvard, launched the organization in 2014 to lead our own movement and own our future.

IraQueer started as an online platform aiming at simply sharing information about and for queer Iraqis, but within months, it turned into a registered human rights organization, Ashour said. What started with one person is now an internationally recognized organization that is often quoted by governments like the Netherlands, U.S., France, UK, and others.

This Pride Month, Columbia News is highlighting LGBTQ+ Columbians who are making waves at home and around the world. Learn a little more about Ashour and his work with IraQueer below and dont forget to check out our list of ways you can celebrate Pride at Columbia this year.

Growing up in Iraq was difficult for me. Being gay in a society that doesnt even recognize the existence of queer people made it difficult for me to even try and understand who I am. It was not until I was in high school and started researching more about queer people that I started to know what me being attracted to male classmates meant!

Quickly after, I started volunteering and working for organizations, some of which supported LGBTQ+ people. Those opportunities became the main focus of my life. I came out to my mother and two sisters about seven years ago, luckily, they were all supportive and continue to be my biggest advocates.

A week after I came out to them, I came out to the world in an interview with the Huffington Post. Since then, I lost touch with every single member of my extended family and many of my high school and college friends. I wont pretend that it didn't hurt my feelings and had no impact on me, however, I am happier today living my life the way that works for me. I am also grateful to have people whom I consider to be my chosen family, whether it's my partner and dog, my friends, some of whom I met at Columbia, or the mentors and colleagues that Ive worked with and learned from for the past 12 years.

Sadly, the misconception about LGBTQ+ people in Iraq and the MENA Region in general is that we all reject our identities and struggle with who we are. While this is certainly true for a large group of people, there are a lot of amazing queer people in Iraq who are powerful examples for others around them. Most of them are not public about who they are for security reasons, but still do a lot of amazing work. That being said, I do not want to minimize the harsh reality we all lived in growing up there. Too many LGBTQ+ Iraqis face threats, physical and verbal abuse, and even death simply for being born.

Read more here:
This Columbia Alumnus Is Making Waves as the Founder of the First LGBTQ+ Organization in Iraq - Columbia University