URGENT: It's getting worse in Egypt

I'm worried, best friends, Our partners on the ground in Egypt are saying it's only getting worse there. Authorities are still arresting people who they think are part of the LGBT community. Trials are being postponed to keep those arrested in jail longer. And last week, a bill was introduced in Egypt that would ban homosexuality completely. The number one thing activists on the ground have asked us to do is to show Egyptian authorities that the world is watching. More than 43,000 people have signed the petition asking Egypt to protect its citizens and guarantee their freedom of speech and expression. On Monday we're delivering the signatures and we need your help to get to 50,000 before then. Friends, please sign the petition to help stop the anti-LGBT hunt in Egypt. – Matt SOURCE: Egypt Introduces Bill Criminalizing Homosexuality Amid Anti-LGBT Crackdown – NewNowNext, 26 October 2017 Previous email: -------------------

Best friends, At least 43 people have been detained here in Egypt just because someone waved a rainbow flag. The hunt started two weeks ago, when images of a concert in Cairo were posted on social media, showing someone dancing with the rainbow flag. The police claimed that the people arrested were "homosexuals who raised the LGBT flag and encouraged the practice of immoral acts." Most of those detained have been put through a speedy trial and sentenced to six years in prison. They are appealing these sentences and we need all the support we can get to show Egyptian authorities that colours are not shame. That's why activists from Egypt, the Middle East, and North Africa have started this petition with All Out. Best friends, sign our petition to tell Egyptian authorities to stop the anti-LGBT hunt. Victims have been arrested under charges of "habitual debauchery" and "inciting immorality." Some of them have been targeted through dating apps; lured into dates that turned out to be an entrapment. These people are being targeted just for being perceived as LGBT. Authorities are charging those detained with "debauchery", but the reality is that the police is deliberately targeting people who they think are LGBT in this hunt. Politicians, religious leaders, and the media are supporting the hunt, fueling hate, and publicly insulting the people detained. Egypt is a very conservative country and being LGBT is an everyday challenge. Some people had never even seen a rainbow flag flown in Cairo before the concert. What looked like a heartwarming step towards equality and tolerance turned out to be the start of a horrible nightmare. Please stand with us and demand Egyptian authorities protect their citizens, instead of hunting them down. Thank you for going All Out, Activists from Egypt, the Middle East, and North Africa SOURCES:  ● ︎Egypt 'to conduct anal examinations on men accused of waving rainbow flag at Cairo pop concert' – The Independent, 30 September 2017  ● Egypt escalates LGBTI crackdown with fresh wave of arrests and anal examinations – Amnesty International News, 2 October 2017 Want to support All Out's ongoing work? Our tiny team stretches every dollar to make it count. DONATE TODAY

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