(Above: Amir Ashour speaks at One Young World Summit 2019)
One Young World Ambassador Amir Ashour launches IraQueer media report on the perpetuation of anti-LGBTQ+ rhetoric
Amir Ashour spoke powerfully at the One Young World Summit, 2019 about the experiences of LGBT+ Iraqis and founding IraQueer- Iraq's first national LGBTQ+ organisation. IraQueer produce educational materials on LGBTQ+ identity and rights and will soon launch a media report examining the role of Iraqi media in spreading anti LGBTQ+ rhetoric.
In societies where scientific and social resources about LGBTQ+ people are absent, media outlets can play a crucial role in shaping public opinion by providing fact-based coverage and holding those who violate the rights of LGBTQ+ people accountable.
In a survey of over 60 media outlets This report will explore how anti-LGBTQ+ media coverage serves as hate speech against LGBTQ+ individuals, stifling their march toward equality and inspiring—and passively condoning—violence against them.
According to the Broadcasting Board of Governors, more than 92% of Iraqis get their information from television channels. In order to change public perception of LGBTQ+ people, the media must play its part in actively including a pro-LGBTQ+ narrative.
