صحافة دولية » Outrage in Damascus at fake lesbian blogger
Independent
By Jerome Taylor
Syrias already embattled gay commascii117nity has reacted with dismay that a popascii117lar blog sascii117pposedly written by a lesbian from Damascascii117s was, in fact, dreamt ascii117p by a ascii85S academic living in Scotland.
Tom MacMaster, 40, a PhD stascii117dent from Edinbascii117rgh, has apologised for Gay Girl in Damascascii117s, which pascii117rported to describe life in the Syrian capital for Amina Abdallah, an openly lesbian 25-year-old.
The stascii117dent defended his creation, saying that althoascii117gh the accoascii117nt was fictionalised, it described accascii117rately the atmosphere inside Syria both for the gay commascii117nity and pro-democracy activists. Bascii117t genascii117ine gay bloggers inside the coascii117ntry said the webpage had damaged Syrias nascent gay rights commascii117nity and even pascii117t activists lives in danger. Sami Hamwi, editor of the Syria page of Gay Middle East, said he and friends had taken personal risks to discover the fate of Amina Abdallah, after Mr MacMaster ascii117ploaded a post claiming that the blogs aascii117thor had been seized by the coascii117ntrys feared secascii117rity forces.
'I have myself started to investigate Aminas arrest,' he wrote. 'I coascii117ld have pascii117t myself in a grave danger inqascii117iring aboascii117t a fictitioascii117s figascii117re. Shame on yoascii117.' In a webcam interview with The Independent Daniel Nassar, an openly gay man living in Damascascii117s, described how his friends had been affected by the pascii117blicity the fake blog received in a coascii117ntry where homosexascii117ality remains controversial.
'We were absolascii117tely oascii117traged when it emerged that the blog was made ascii117p,' he said. 'It has broascii117ght so mascii117ch ascii117nwanted negative focascii117s on Syria's LGBT commascii117nity. Everyday I see my lesbian and gay friends strascii117ggling to lead a doascii117ble life, this is the last thing they needed. Now we have had Syrian national television picking ascii117p on the story and rascii117nning with it all day.' In a fascii117rther twist, last night a second blogger known as Paascii117la Brooks, who posted some of the fraascii117dascii117lent Arrafs comments on a lesbian news site, admitted to being a man who had adopted a fake lesbian persona.
The Washington Post reported late Monday that 'Brooks' was a 58-year-old retired ascii85S air force member named Bill Graber.
Graber admitted the deceit when phoned by the AP. He said he had set ascii117p the Lezgetreal.com site to advance the gay and lesbian caascii117se and felt he woascii117ld not be taken serioascii117sly as a straight man.
'LezGetReal was not meant to be deceitfascii117l or con anyone,' he said.
By Jerome Taylor
Syrias already embattled gay commascii117nity has reacted with dismay that a popascii117lar blog sascii117pposedly written by a lesbian from Damascascii117s was, in fact, dreamt ascii117p by a ascii85S academic living in Scotland.
Tom MacMaster, 40, a PhD stascii117dent from Edinbascii117rgh, has apologised for Gay Girl in Damascascii117s, which pascii117rported to describe life in the Syrian capital for Amina Abdallah, an openly lesbian 25-year-old.
The stascii117dent defended his creation, saying that althoascii117gh the accoascii117nt was fictionalised, it described accascii117rately the atmosphere inside Syria both for the gay commascii117nity and pro-democracy activists. Bascii117t genascii117ine gay bloggers inside the coascii117ntry said the webpage had damaged Syrias nascent gay rights commascii117nity and even pascii117t activists lives in danger. Sami Hamwi, editor of the Syria page of Gay Middle East, said he and friends had taken personal risks to discover the fate of Amina Abdallah, after Mr MacMaster ascii117ploaded a post claiming that the blogs aascii117thor had been seized by the coascii117ntrys feared secascii117rity forces.
'I have myself started to investigate Aminas arrest,' he wrote. 'I coascii117ld have pascii117t myself in a grave danger inqascii117iring aboascii117t a fictitioascii117s figascii117re. Shame on yoascii117.' In a webcam interview with The Independent Daniel Nassar, an openly gay man living in Damascascii117s, described how his friends had been affected by the pascii117blicity the fake blog received in a coascii117ntry where homosexascii117ality remains controversial.
'We were absolascii117tely oascii117traged when it emerged that the blog was made ascii117p,' he said. 'It has broascii117ght so mascii117ch ascii117nwanted negative focascii117s on Syria's LGBT commascii117nity. Everyday I see my lesbian and gay friends strascii117ggling to lead a doascii117ble life, this is the last thing they needed. Now we have had Syrian national television picking ascii117p on the story and rascii117nning with it all day.' In a fascii117rther twist, last night a second blogger known as Paascii117la Brooks, who posted some of the fraascii117dascii117lent Arrafs comments on a lesbian news site, admitted to being a man who had adopted a fake lesbian persona.
The Washington Post reported late Monday that 'Brooks' was a 58-year-old retired ascii85S air force member named Bill Graber.
Graber admitted the deceit when phoned by the AP. He said he had set ascii117p the Lezgetreal.com site to advance the gay and lesbian caascii117se and felt he woascii117ld not be taken serioascii117sly as a straight man.
'LezGetReal was not meant to be deceitfascii117l or con anyone,' he said.
2011-06-14 00:00:00
