May 25, Mombasa Rita, a trans woman in coastal Kenya, was assaulted on May 15 at her restaurant chef job, after the restaurant owner learned she was trans. He and another employee attacked her, probably giving her a concussion and skull fracture. The police came and arrested Rita, charged her with “impersonation” and “shaming” the […]
Author Archives: Annie
What Happened to TransEmigrate?
Trans Emigrate has been a success over its 20-month lifespan. We have gotten 15-20 people out, and we have learned the basic mechanics of obtaining visas, arranging asylum, handling passengers, and organizing globally. But it’s been obvious for a while that our origin as a scrappy activist group isn’t consistent with the scope of the […]
Eden House – A Trans Haven in Kenya
In a country as large as Kenya, one place can be relatively safe while another is deadly for trans people. We can often save folks simply by getting them to another part of the country, and, often, away from parents. A local ally rang us up recently with the sad news that there were 8 […]
Rayan – Saudi Arabia
Last year Rayan’s situation seemed hopeless. As a ‘female’ in his home country of Saudi Arabia, he had little control over his life. His wealthy, powerful, and criminal father ruled the family with an iron fist. He’d been threatened with death both by his father and mother, been abused by family members, subjected to medical […]
Walim – Egypt
Engineers are born, not made, it seems. Some people are in love with machines and will tinker endlessly if allowed. Sadly, in some places people seen as women still aren’t allowed. Often our work at Trans Rescue isn’t about fighting transphobia as much as it is about fighting sexism. Walim is a 19 year old […]
Ife – life in Nigeria
Ife is a beautiful young (21) trans woman from Nigeria. She’s surviving on street hustles. Five minutes talking with her and you realize how intelligent she is. She’s well read and can talk about gender theory like a western baby trans. As we discuss plans to get her out, she emphasizes, over and over, how […]
Sara – Intersexed in Iran
Sara is an intersexed woman with an undiagnosed sex hormone issue. She lives in a small town in northern Iran. She’s unable to have the issue properly diagnosed or to obtain supportive medical care. The local authorities, and Sara herself, have no word for intersex, and so say she’s LGBT. The police have sent letters […]
Maeen Aldahbali
I’m Maeen Aldahbali from Yemen. Im currently in Egypt. I’ve been shot, humiliated, tortured and jailed. As a young Yemeni born in 1998 I dream of a peaceful life and brighter future for me and all youth of my community. Unfortunately, the spring of my age met my home country’s autumn years. So I witnessed […]