TORONTO -- Since 2006, Rainbow Railroad has helped more than 900 LGBTQ+ people escape violence and persecution in their home country. Now, because of COVID-19 restrictions, the organization says much of their work has slowed and vulnerable people have been put at greater risk.
Same-sex intimacy is criminalized in more than 70 countries around the world, where LGBTQ+ people continue to face violence, persecution, jail, and even death all because of who they are and who they love.
A 2019 report from the United Nations found that two in five LGBTQ+ respondents experienced an abusive incident in the last year because of their gender identity and/or sexual orientation. Ninety per cent of respondents said they did not report the incident, because “it happens all the time.”
For nearly 15 years, Rainbow Railroad has worked to remove people from dangerous situations that have become more complicated since the pandemic began. Travel is restricted in many parts of the world, and borders remain sealed.
Some of the amazing work the organization does will be featured on this week’s episode of Canada’s Drag Race on CTV. On Thursday, each queen will be paired with a Rainbow Railroad newcomer for a makeup challenge, where they’ll experience the joy and freedom of drag for the first time, before strutting their new look on the runway.
Speaking of the new episode, Rainbow Railroad’s executive director Kimahli Powell told CTV’s Your Morning on Wednesday, “All everybody wants is to be able to live their lives as their authentic selves– free of persecution–and there’s something quite extraordinary of facing all odds, sometimes just being an inch [away] from death and being able to live this new life.”
“If you think about what Drag Race is, it's just a sign of how far we’ve come as a society and to have these newcomers have this experience with each other and with the queens is really remarkable,” he added.
Rainbow Railroad has continued to help LGBTQ+ people around the world during the pandemic – though they have faced roadblocks.
According to the organization, “COVID-19 threatens to dismantle healthcare systems in many of the countries that criminalize same-sex intimacy. Unfortunately, we also know that in some countries, leaders will use the pandemic to target the LGBTQI community. We’re already seeing it in Uganda. Under the guise of lockdown restrictions, authorities raided an LGBTQI shelter and arrested 23 people on March 29. We know for certain they were arrested under false pretenses.”
While the primary objective of the group is to relocate people to a safer country, the organization is also working on alternative methods that will help people find emergency in-country relocation.
The group recently accomplished its first cross-border rescue since the pandemic began.
“Even though we understand that we are all doing everything we can to curb COVID-19 that does not mean we should stop resettling refugees,” Powell said. “We can safely resettle refugees while looking out for public health.”
