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Risking death to tell the truth: Saudi Arabia鈥檚 LGBT+ community - YouTube
Channel: Tifo Football
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faisal arrived at his family home and
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his father asked once more why he
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remained resistant to marrying a woman
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in saudi arabia the expectation is that
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men should settle down get married and
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have children
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his father a powerful man in the local
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community made contact with a
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psychiatrist who faisal says usually
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worked at a public hospital specializing
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in the treatment of mental illness and
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addiction faisal alleges that his father
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asked one of the specialists from the
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hospital to befriend his son he tasked
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the medic with the challenge of working
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out why his son had refused to marry the
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medical professional came to the family
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home where faisal eventually revealed
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that he was homosexual and then the
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treatment began
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torture is a strong word but that's how
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faisal describes the process of
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attempted conversion therapy
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the methods inflicted upon patients are
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physically vicious and psychologically
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cruel the psychiatrist started by asking
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faisal to watch gay pornography and
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masturbate
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the catch however is that faisal was
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ordered to multitask specifically by
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vomiting at the point of ejaculation
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when i was physically unable to vomit
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the doctor suggested pairing the gay
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pornography with videos of people
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vomiting he provided a pill too that
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made me vomit almost instantly
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i feel like i'm still traumatized
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in october faisal noted the takeover of
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newcastle united
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since then passing mentions have been
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made in news reports to the treatment of
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the lgbt plus community in saudi arabia
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and in this video the athletics adam
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crafton from conversations with lgbt
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plus saudis portrays the daily reality
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of their life in the gulf state and what
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the newcastle takeover and the scrutiny
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that comes with it means for them
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coverage of events in far away places
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very often deals in the extremes we will
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sometimes hear people speaking
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caricatures about the middle east as a
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place where gay people are thrown off
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buildings and heads get chopped off the
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daily reality in saudi arabia however is
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less dramatic door-to-door police
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searches to identify any homosexuals are
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not standard practice it may be a
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surprise to some that drag race is
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available on streaming subscription
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platforms in saudi arabia
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others find a way too to watch the
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american coming-of-age film love simon
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about a high schooler grappling with his
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sexuality and the internet provides
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opportunities that would never be
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possible for those who came before
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gay dating app grinder is blocked in
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saudi arabia but other apps such as
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scruff and tinder are accessible the
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risk with dating apps is considerable
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though the new york times wrote in 2015
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how a scruff user in saudi arabia had
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reported that the police in riyadh used
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the app to entice and then deport an
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acquaintance
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others go on dates and are told stories
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about the fate of other gay men such as
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the one whose family discovered his
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anonymous twitter account where he spoke
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about his sexuality and beat their own
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child up before disowning him
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ahmed was told by one partner about a
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friend who had been entrapped via a
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dating app the police used him to then
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out other gay individuals
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if you cut a deal they set you free
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it's a way for the community to turn on
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one another and a domino effect the pif
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did not respond to this specific
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allegation but insists that it is
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separate from the saudi state and
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despite the alleged oppression by organs
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of the saudi state it is a fear of the
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family first and foremost that most
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often arises in adam's conversations
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he's told first-person accounts of
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differing levels of family mistreatment
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one trans woman recalls how she was
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battered by her uncle in order to put
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some manhood into her another trans
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person on the call is too afraid to
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speak with their own voice but sends a
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message to another contributor asking
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them to explain how her family attempted
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to pray the trans away
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faisal the young man forced to
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masturbate to a video of people vomiting
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continues his story
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he explains he told the specialist that
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in male same-sex relations he is the
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active partner during sex referred to as
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a top
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while the recipient would be a bottom
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in saudi culture faisal explains the
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bottom is perceived as the weaker and
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more feminine participant an object
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rather than a subject and therefore
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requiring more severe intervention
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he adds that this reflects the state's
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overall perception of what it means to
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be male or female
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fatima a trans woman reveals that she
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was sent to a mental health institute
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and given male hormones to make me more
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of a man and therapists held sessions
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saying that being gay is a sickness it
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was mentally abusive they made me shave
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my head and cut my hair to look more
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like a man they made me grow my beard
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more to appear like a man
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a second trans person tells a story
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about a day at school when a teacher
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hauled them to the front of the class
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and threatened to pull up their clothes
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to check what was underneath
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sevakachichin a gulf researcher for
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democracy for the arab world now says
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the legal system is still to a large
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extent under the control of or given its
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authority by an interpretation of a
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religious system i'm not surprised to
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hear accounts of torture or attempts to
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convert individuals by methods such as
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cure therapy
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and the alleged treatment of suhail el
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jamil has acted as a forewarning to
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others who dare to be publicly different
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he is a 25 year old who spoke on youtube
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and has over 100 000 twitter followers
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those familiar with his situation say he
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had previously studied in california in
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the united states he is now reported to
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be two years into a prison sentence
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after posting a shirtless photograph on
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twitter
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hassan a gay man explains suhail was
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first arrested in 2018 but he was
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released on good behavior he was lured
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back to saudi arabia amid claims a
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relative was unwell
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el-jamil is alleged to have been
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arrested again in october 2019 and
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multiple reports on social media claim
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that the charge seat included cyber
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crimes homosexuality imitating a woman
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disobedience and public indecency he is
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also alleged to have received 800 lashes
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and now resides in a political prison
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as the board of the pif which now owns
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newcastle includes six government
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ministers in addition to the crown
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prince there is loose hope that pressure
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in the united kingdom could lead to his
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release
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and the saudi desire to impress economic
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partners overseas is highlighted by a
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remarkable allegation that
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representatives of the government are
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believed to have reached out to leading
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lgbt plus human rights organization
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outright action international in order
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to request resources to inform officials
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as to the best way to entertain
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high-profile lgbt plus visitors working
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in the entertainment space outright
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declined to comment formally when
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contacted by the athletic
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a source said they were unable to
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confirm or deny that a request came in
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from the representatives of the saudi
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government but said outright is not
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currently providing training to the
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saudi state
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saudi minister of tourism ahmed akil
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al-khatib sits on the board of the pif
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he was invited to comment on the
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perceived double standard of welcoming
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overseas lgbt plus visitors while saudi
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lgbt plus people are oppressed
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the pif again declined to respond amara
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continues by buying newcastle the
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government is now going to have to
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answer for itself when accused of many
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human rights violations the whole world
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can help us by amplifying his treatment
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the pif and the saudi embassy in london
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did not respond to questions about the
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current status of suhail al-jamil
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and as evening becomes early morning
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adam continues to hear the stories
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the videos showing gleeful newcastle
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supporters brandishing saudi flags are
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discussed
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zara calls it ridiculous and hurtful on
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more than one occasion
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the people aren't castigating those
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supporters but seeking to educate them
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and they are conscious too that the uk
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government appears to have increasingly
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warm relations with the kingdom we're
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not asking for sympathy or pity but we
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do ask for a voice zara says we just
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want our story to be heard as it really
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is the truth is that it is heartbreaking
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to see people in the west who celebrate
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the people behind this takeover who
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celebrate our oppressors
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we see videos of people brandishing the
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saudi flag or wearing a headdress it
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just triggers a feeling of powerlessness
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another story amir and his parents moved
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to the u.s in his early teens but his
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family's religious devotion remained in
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his early twenties his parents quizzed
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him on his sexuality and when he
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revealed that he is gay they took away
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his car and his phone he was only
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allowed to travel in their company his
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mother even began to attend university
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classes with him
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i was under the direct threat of kidnap
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by my parents he says amir was fortunate
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and smart he had previously made local
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politicians and charities aware of his
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precarious situation as well as senior
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personnel at his university
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it allowed them to prepare an escape
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plan and a safe house for the moment his
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parents uncovered his sexuality his
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parents returned to saudi arabia without
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him i received threats from people
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claiming to be saudis he says i was told
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i have a death sentence on my head
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somebody called me who claimed to be
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from the saudi government and
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essentially said you have two death
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sentences one for being gay and one for
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becoming an infidel
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i asked would they stone me the first
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time and behead me the second time
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i don't know if it was a troll or
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someone really from the government but
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it's an example of the bombardments i've
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been getting the pif declined to come in
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others search for a way forward adam met
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a young woman in london who had fled she
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recalls her first marriage in which she
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says she was repeatedly sexually
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assaulted she says that when she walked
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out on her husband cars rounded on her
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on the highway and she was arrested
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she was released when she agreed to
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return to him when her husband became
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bored of her
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she says her father asked him to detail
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the ways in which his daughter had
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caused the marriage to fail and then she
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was returned to her family home
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aisha a lesbian woman says i will never
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get married i want my freedom
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what is freedom adam asks freedom is to
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be independent freedom is to pay my own
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bills freedom is to own my own house
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freedom is to want to play the role that
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society has prescribed to men i have a
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female classmate from school she told me
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she wanted to do a major in law her mum
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said no because if you're a lawyer you
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work with men and to work with men is a
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sin and haram forbidden according to
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sharia law she was made to believe that
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living her dream is a sin
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in recent years the saudi state has
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sought to alter western perceptions
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muhammad bin salman has made progressive
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reforms he lifted the world's last
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remaining prohibition against female
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drivers he reopened cinemas and
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introduced pop concerts women there can
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now travel without the permission of men
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but sources in saudi arabia cautioned
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how in practice it depends how
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repressive the male guardian is
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mixed gender workplaces are now
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permitted although again many families
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who remain devout seek to limit the
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roles of their wives and daughters in
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public life
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more encouragingly the religious police
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is increasingly inactive
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in 2016 it was decided that members of
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the committee for the promotion of
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virtue and the prevention of vice would
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no longer be permitted to chase suspects
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or arrest them
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crimes could include wearing nail polish
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or listening to music instead they now
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report observations to security forces
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but saudi progress is a riddle of
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contradictions
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in march 2016 the saudi government
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objected at the united nations to a
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motion to include the condemnation of
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violence against lgbt plus people in a
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resolution opposing torture
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they argued the eradication of torture
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should not be used to promote other
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issues while they also protested the
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un's inclusion of lgbt plus rights in
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its 2015 sustainable development goals
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now however the country's public
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investment fund owns an 80 stake in a
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premier league football club where on a
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corporate level expectations are only
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increasing to support the inclusion of
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lgbt plus people
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amanda stavely part owner of newcastle's
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new look setup says the club remains
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committed to the premier league's
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rainbow laces campaign where clubs are
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expected to show support for the lgbt
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plus community faisal is withering he
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says the pink washing is nice isn't it
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so it's we're going to take money from
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those who torture us while wearing
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rainbow laces no thank you not in our
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name
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human rights researcher kechichen
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insists that western attention is
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necessary but insufficient for change he
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adds but without it those who are
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suffering are definitely worse off
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talk among lgbt plus saudis turns to how
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english football supporters might assist
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them
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they suggest they could campaign for the
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imprisoned suhail al-jamil and others in
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his position the impact of this given
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the global visibility of the premier
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league could apply pressure to the saudi
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authorities
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and fatima concludes i believe the saudi
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government is motivated to improve its
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image on a world platform
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it may prove successful but it also
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provides a tool to ask questions about
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violations this real picture can apply
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pressure stigma and influence public
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opinion this could impact saudi policy
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our government will always seek to paint
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it in a certain way and that is why we
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rely on amplifying voices to give the
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true image of the lgbt community to the
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western world
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