Mehrmah is a transgender Afghan who has been living in France for the past year and a half. Her family named her Sayed Ashraf at birth, but she later chose a name that aligns with her gender identity. Now 23, Mehrmah was born in Kunduz province in northern Afghanistan. Upon reaching puberty and understanding her gender identity, she faced intense violence from her family and constant abuse from friends and relatives.
As a teenager, Mehrmah was forced to leave Kunduz for Kabul in search of personal freedom, as her family and community refused to accept her identity. Now living in Paris, she says she has endured a life filled with pain, abuse, rape, and humiliation to reach Europe.
Although she experiences more freedom in Paris compared to Afghanistan and Pakistan, she still faces discrimination—particularly from members of her own community: “It’s much freer here than in Afghanistan or Pakistan. French people are generally respectful. Even if they initially address me as a man, once they see who I am, they apologize and speak to me with kindness. But it’s our own Afghans—those who hate trans people—who often use the same negative language I heard back home.” Mehrmah doesn’t elaborate on all details but says that the humiliating looks and verbal abuse from fellow Afghans in France deeply affect her mental health.
Mehrmah has spent over two decades battling discrimination, family violence, societal rejection, and daily survival in a society that offers no space for diverse identities. She explains that around age 13 or 14, she realized her true identity: “I understood I was trans, not a man.” But this realization brought more hardship: “They shaved my head, beat me, pulled me out of school, and kept me locked at home like a prisoner.”
Afghanistan has never accepted LGBTQ+ individuals. Although there was a relatively more tolerant environment during the Republic era, the fall of Kabul to the Taliban drastically worsened conditions. Before the Taliban takeover, Mehrmah lived in Kabul with other trans individuals: “Because of my feminine appearance, no one would give me a job. I was forced to dance at parties just to survive. I was raped multiple times by police and civilians, kidnapped, forced to drink alcohol, and tortured—but I survived.”
When the Taliban seized Kabul, she knew she could no longer stay. She fled to Pakistan: “Had the Taliban identified me, they would have either imprisoned or killed me. I had no choice but to run.” She adds, “When I left Afghanistan, Kabul had just fallen. I fled because of my identity. I didn’t even know what it meant to be male or female at first—just that my speech, posture, and behavior were like a girl’s. My brothers, cousins, and relatives would call me ‘Izak’ (a slur), and I didn’t even know what it meant.”
But Pakistan offered no safe haven either. Mehrmah says she was again sexually assaulted and tortured there. Through contact with other Afghan trans individuals and support from an LGBTQ+ organization, she was eventually introduced to the French embassy. After one and a half years in Pakistan, she finally received a visa and was able to relocate to France.
Nemat Sadat, an LGBTQ+ rights activist and director of the Roshanaya network—which helps relocate Afghan LGBTQ+ individuals to Europe—confirms Mehrmah’s suffering in Afghanistan. He says that rejection from family is a shared trauma among LGBTQ+ Afghans.
Sadat also criticizes how LGBTQ+ Afghans are treated even outside the country: “Some of those who came to Europe as so-called opponents of the Taliban claim to believe in human rights and democracy, but when it comes to LGBTQ+ issues, their views are aligned with the Taliban.”
He adds: “Many Afghans abroad—including politicians, human rights defenders, and ordinary citizens—are deeply hostile to LGBTQ+ individuals. Dozens of international conferences have been held on Afghanistan in Europe and the U.S., yet LGBTQ+ representatives were not invited to a single one.”
Mehrmah’s case is not unique. Hundreds of Afghan LGBTQ+ individuals report experiencing verbal abuse and humiliating behavior from fellow Afghans even in Europe. Yet, most say they still prefer life in Europe over Afghanistan, where their very existence was constantly under threat.
Despite everything, Mehrmah is now learning French and hopes to build a better future through hard work. She calls on the international community never to recognize the Taliban regime: “For people like us, life under the Taliban is hell.”
LGBTQ+ individuals remain one of the most oppressed groups in Afghan society. They face daily threats, violence, forced invisibility, and a fight for survival. Since taking power, the Taliban have arrested, tortured, and imprisoned dozens of LGBTQ+ people. Reports have also surfaced of sexual violence committed by Taliban members against LGBTQ+ individuals. Under the Taliban’s rule, there are only two choices for queer Afghans: flee the country—or face punishment and persecution.
