Dear friends,
Nima and Ashkan, a gay couple who fled Iran, were refused entry to Australia. Instead, they were sent to an island where being gay is a crime. While on the island, they’ve been violently attacked and harassed.
Now nearly 30,000 All Out members have asked Australian Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull to bring them to safety.
Our outcry already created a media storm: the story was on the front page of major Australian newspapers and even on national TV. The pressure on Turnbull is building big time.
Now imagine him stepping out of his office in a few days to see a massive billboard van drive by, with the words “30,000 Say: Get Nima and Ashkan to Safety!” It could drive the media back into a frenzy. The pressure could be enough to tip the balance and force the PM to take action.
The campaign to help gay and lesbian refugees made headlines this month during Mardi Gras, Australia’s giant parade for gay, lesbian, bi, and trans people. A group of brave activists from No Pride in Detention confronted politicians, demanding that gay refugees be brought to safety. But politicians put them at the back of the parade so their message would be lost.
Now we have a chance to fight back, front and center. If we each gave just a few dollars, pounds, or euros, we could easily raise the $3,000 AUD we need to hire this van. We could drive our giant billboard around Parliament House ALL DAY and make sure our message can’t be ignored any longer.
If All Out members donate more than the cost of the billboard van, the extra money will be spent on other campaigns for love and equality – in Australia and beyond.
Last year, politicians in Northern Ireland were trying to pass an awful anti-gay law. 230,000 of us took action to stop it. A few days later, 900 of us donated to pay for a massive billboard van to tour Northern Ireland’s capital in protest. We created huge media attention and have kept the bill off the books!
Thanks for going All Out,
Matt, Sarah, Oscar, Kate, Leandro, and the rest of the All Out team.
