Rasan Organization held a community forum in December 2017. The forum focused on LGBT issues in the city of Sulaymaniyah, Iraq.
A broad variety of community leaders joined the forum, including police officers, NGOs, and health care representatives. One of the topics discussed was the use of non-offensive Kurdish language when discussing LGBT people.
I used to wonder why do they commit suicide, I didn’t understand what could push them to that point, but now I do understand how badly and alone they must feel.
The forum resulted in several action plans, such as HIV and AIDS seminars in hospitals. Also, Rasan held a session focusing on LGBT acceptance with a group of young activists. One of the most interesting activities with this group was the role-play sessions. One of the participants remarked: ‘I used to wonder why do they commit suicide, I didn’t understand what could push them to that point, but now I do understand how badly and alone they must feel.’