Save a Life Today

JUNE 16, 2017—Gay and bi men are under attack in Chechnya, part of the Russian Federation. The independent Russian newspaper Novaya Gazeta reports that the government is rounding them up in torture camps, with at least 100 arrests and an estimated 26 deaths. The need to evacuate vulnerable Chechens is urgent.

The Russian LGBT Network has helped 40 individuals escape Chechnya, and with the assistance of international organizations like ILGA-Europe and Rainbow Railroad is helping them find asylum.

The writers & artists on this page have come together to raise funds for these organizations so they can continue to help vulnerable Chechens escape to safety. We’re calling this project Readers & Writers for LGBT Chechens. Join us in helping save lives.

How can I help?

• Donate directly to the Russian LGBT Network.

Other ways to help

• Donate to ILGA-Europe, Rainbow Railroad, or American Friends of Rainbow Railroad
• Buy books whose proceeds support these organizations.
• If you’re a writer or publisher, donate book proceeds to help gay Chechens.
• Sign a petition to the Russian government (Amnesty, All Out, Avaaz, or Change.org).
• Sign a petition asking companies that do business in the Russian Federation to speak out against what’s happening.
• Write to Russian and Chechen officials.
• Write a letter to your country’s United Nations ambassador.
• Tag Chechen leader Ramzan Kadyrov on Instagram.
• Do you speak Chechen or Russian? Contact the Organization for Refuge, Asylum & Migration to help translate materials explaining the asylum-seeking process to LGBT refugees.