From Death Sentence to Disappearance: The Invisibility of West Asian LGBTQ Refugees

West Asian queer refugees face severe oppression, such as moral exclusion, denial of existence in their home countries, and multi-marginalization in Canada, making them invisible and one of the most understudied populations. I believe the invisibility of vulnerable populations is one of the highest levels of injustice which places them at higher risks of discrimination. Despite the most visible injustice, why do they remain invisible? I began to seek answers by myself through a critical autoethnography with an analytical approach throughout my journey as a West Asian queer refugee in Iran, Turkey, and Canada to tackle the reasons behind this invisibility. In the absence of a support system locally and globally for the West Asian queer refugees, simply living, surviving, and thriving is an act of resistance. This research introduces self-acceptance and self-compassion as a strategy at a grassroots level toward visibility and equality for the West Asian queer refugee.