We are “Rainbow Afghanistan” — a non-profit organization established to defend the rights, dignity, and lives of members of Afghanistan’s LGBTIQ+ community. Our emergence is rooted in decades of structural discrimination, criminalizing laws, and cultural and traditional oppression that have made living freely and safely extremely difficult for gay, bisexual, lesbian, transgender, intersex, non-binary, and queer individuals in Afghanistan.
At a time when education about gender and sexual orientation was extremely limited, and extreme religious and traditional slogans and policies dominated public discourse, the social environment leaned toward denial and hatred. Many members of the LGBTIQ+ community were forced to hide their identities. Yet, secrecy did not eliminate the foundation of violence: groups of individuals—especially those whose gender identity was visible—remained exposed to various forms of violence. One particularly tragic manifestation of this violence is the abhorrent phenomenon of child abuse — a practice that victimizes children and adolescents through sexual exploitation and simultaneously reflects the deep-rooted patriarchy and exploitation in Afghan society. This phenomenon also makes the LGBTIQ+ community doubly vulnerable.
The return of the Taliban to power on August 15, 2021, drastically restricted freedom and triggered a new wave of violence and repression against LGBTIQ+ individuals. Arbitrary identification, detention, torture, assault, and public executions were just part of the reality that forced many of our LGBTIQ+ compatriots to flee, conceal themselves, or entirely hide their lives. At the same time, international support and media coverage were often insufficient; this situation compelled us to raise our voices and begin our struggle against repression and discrimination after years of systemic oppression.
In response to this crisis, a group of exiled Afghan LGBTIQ+ activists—many of whom had personally experienced abuse or witnessed the torture and harassment of their loved ones—decided to use exile and distance as a platform to organize resistance against oppression and discrimination and to support their fellow community members. In May 2022, in Bremen, Germany, “Rainbow Afghanistan” was founded under the slogan “We Will Not Go Back” and the global hashtag #SaveAfghanLGBTIQ. We committed ourselves to fighting against repression and discrimination, documenting the suffering of our community, maintaining communication with international institutions, and finding immediate solutions for the protection and safe relocation of individuals at risk.
From 2022 to 2025, in collaboration with a network of civil society organizations, support institutions, and international allies, we were able to organize emergency assistance and relocation efforts, successfully transferring hundreds of members of Afghanistan’s LGBTIQ+ community from high-risk areas within Afghanistan to safe destinations. We also provided psychological, legal, and counseling support to dozens of Afghan LGBTIQ+ asylum seekers who had taken refuge in Iran, Pakistan, and Turkey—efforts that, in many cases, made the difference between life and death.
On June 5, 2025, after years of dedicated effort, organization, and volunteer work, “Rainbow Afghanistan” was officially registered as a non-profit organization in Berlin, Germany. Today, as an organized community of gay, bisexual, lesbian, transgender, non-binary, intersex, and queer individuals, we work to defend the human dignity and fundamental rights of the LGBTIQ+ community—both for those still living under the shadow of repression in Afghanistan and for migrants and asylum seekers residing in neighboring countries and Europe.
In addition to our support and human rights activities, Rainbow Afghanistan also engages in research, analysis, and investigative work. Through field research, specialized analysis, systematic documentation, and the publication of credible reports, we strive to bring the hidden and suppressed realities of Afghanistan’s LGBTIQ+ community to public discourse and international decision-making processes. One of the central focuses of our work is the study and combat of institutional and structural discrimination against LGBTIQ+ individuals—a discrimination deeply rooted in religious, cultural, and traditional layers, which for years has forced thousands of LGBTIQ+ people to live under fear and concealment.
We also create spaces for dialogue, debate, exchange of ideas, and capacity building, enabling researchers, activists, survivors, witnesses, and international organizations to discuss the situation of Afghanistan’s LGBTIQ+ community and produce shared, reliable knowledge. This process allows us to provide more precise analyses, practical solutions, and effective policy recommendations.
Despite the deep and widespread challenges, we firmly believe that through global solidarity, inter-organizational cooperation, consistent research activities, and active community participation, we can help build a more humane, just, and safe future for Afghanistan’s LGBTIQ+ individuals.
