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Gay Syrian couple share heartbreak over being resettled in separate countries - Attitude
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Home News News World

7 September 2017

Gay Syrian couple share heartbreak over being resettled in separate countries

By Samuel McManus

A gay refugee couple from Syria have shared their struggle with BBC News after being resettled in two different countries after escaping their war-torn home country.

Joseph Mardelli now lives in Norway, while his boyfriend Ahmed – who does not want to be identified – lives in Turkey, where gay marriage is not an option and attitudes towards homosexuality are far less liberal.

According to the report, “Turkey is home to more than 2.7 million refugees from Syria, and many face big challenges. However, life can be even tougher for LGBT refugees. Unlike married couples, there is no guarantee they will be resettled together.”

Screen Shot 2016-05-24 at 12.56.50

In the video, Ahmed explains: “He is the most important person in my life right now. He was like the missing part of everything that I wanted. I think it’s quite not fair for a gay man not to have the same opportunities as the straight couples that have their chance for them to resettle with their families.”

Speaking about the fact that it can take years for a decision to be made about where members of the LGBT community are resettled, and that there is no guarantee that gay couples will be resettled together, he adds: “I don’t know if I’ll be able to be with him. I consider the long time that I will be waiting here, I think about it a lot. It is one of the things that keeps scaring me but there’s nothing that I can do about it.”

The video also shows the heartwarming moment that Joseph shows his boyfriend a building in Norway that has a ‘Forever Until The End’ sign on the roof, telling him it’s “our building”.

Screen Shot 2016-05-24 at 12.55.54

The full video and more information can be found on the BBC News website.

Meanwhile, the current holder of the ‘Mr Gay Syria’ title recently spoke out against ISIS, after revealing his own boyfriend was beheaded by the extremist group in Syria – find out more about his story here.

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