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Egypt’s Homosexuals Struggle for Freedom

April 8, 2014
Men accused of homosexual acts hide their faces while attending their trial in 2001

By Menna Amr, Aswat Masriya Fifty-two men were arrested on May 11, 2001, on Queen Boat, a gay nightclub on the Nile in Cairo, in one of the most publicized police raids against homosexuals in Egypt. Out of the accused, many of whom were tortured and raped while detained, 23 were convicted for debauchery and defaming Islam and sentenced to up to five years in prison with hard labour. To make matters worse, national media published their names, photographs and professions to publicly humiliate them, dubbing them “Cairo52”. Twelve years later in 2013, and in honour of the Queen Boat incident, gay rights activists in Egypt decided to mark May 11 as the “Egyptian Day Against Homophobia” (EDAHO), one week before the International Day Against Homophobia, which lies on May 17. During this week, activists launched an online campaign urging their supporters all over the world to tweet and blog their solidarity for the gay community’s rights. “Cairo52 was no more than a gloomy beginning of a dark era that witnessed different forms of oppression and discrimination against LGBTIQ individuals in Egypt,” EDAHO posted on its Facebook page. “LGBTIQ” is…


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