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GAYS and lesbians in Arabic-speaking families in Sydney experience fear, violence, rejection and threats of blackmail, says a report by the peak gay and lesbian health organisation, ACON, that has the backing of the Arab Council of Australia.
Eight years in the making, We're Family Too is not a survey but a consultation with gay men and women, both Christian and Muslim, plus welfare workers, community leaders and religious figures in Sydney's Middle Eastern community.
"Homophobia exists in all communities but some of the ways homophobia plays out in Arab communities is particular to those culture,'' ACON's chief executive, Nicolas Parkhill, said.
Most of the gay men and women who spoke to ACON had been insulted and abused by people within their communities and a quarter spoke of physical violence coming from within their community or family.
"I have been bashed by a family member for shaming the family," one said.
Such violence was "deeply hidden within the private sphere", said a welfare worker with long experience counselling young Muslim gays and lesbians.
"The extent of the problem may be underreported because families may attempt to 'fix' a relative's homosexuality internally," the welfare worker said.
The first report of its kind in Australia, We're Family Too cites "rigid gender roles, the importance of getting married and having children for establishing one's independence, a resistance to children moving out of home before marriage, and taboos surrounding the discussion of sexuality''. It also identifies widespread attempts to change sexuality through prayer and exorcism and a common belief in Arab-speaking families that homosexuality is a western disease.
The executive director of the Arab Council of Australia, Randa Kattan, took it as a sign of strength that her community was willing to address the "pockets" of violence and misunderstanding revealed in the report.
"It's going to get a lot of those things out in the open," she said.
The common cause of ACON and the council is to encourage Arab community leaders to condemn the violence.
"We are not asking people to change their views," Ms Kattan said. "We are asking for an intelligent discussion to be had out in the open. How is it right for someone to abuse anyone for their sexual preference? For us it is about the freedom of choice, living the way you want to live, freedom of expression."
David Marr (The sydney Morning Herald) - 6 April 2012.
http://www.smh.com.au/national/health/insults-shame-and-family-violence-all-form-part-of-a-gay-arabs-life-says-report-20120405-1wfmi.html |
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BBC News
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