Basira Paigham

Basira Paigham (born 1997/1998)^[1] is an Afghan LGBT-rights activist.

Early life

Paigham originates from Samagan Province.^[2]

Activism

In 2015, Paigham began anonymously using social media to connect with other LGBT individuals.^[1] In 2016, she created a Facebook group specifically for LGBT Afghans.^[1] In 2018, Paigham and some of her fellow activists organized community meet-ups in Kabul, as well as organizing mutual aid for fellow LGBT Afghans.^[1] During this time, Paigham also spoke with international groups and journalists under a pseudonym about her life as an LGBT person living in Afghanistan.^[1] She also gained some notability domestically as a women's rights activist.^[1]

In 2020, Paigham was witness to a Taliban attack on the National Directorate of Security office in Samagan.^[2]

In 2021, in the days after the Taliban claimed power, Paigham began receiving threatening phone calls from unknown numbers, and her apartment was searched.^[3] In October 2021 she obtained a visa to enter Pakistan, and from there she fled to Ireland.^[4] Paigham was recognized by the BBC as one of the 100 most influential women of the year; at the time, she was living in an Irish refugee camp.^[1][4][5]

Paigham was a keynote speaker at the Friedrich Naumann Foundation for Freedom's 2022 Born With Pride Conference. In 2023, she was made a UN Rights and Religion Fellow of Outright International.^[6]

Personal life

Paigham is a lesbian.^[1] She has said that her family is unsupportive of her sexuality.^[1]

References