Canadian Unitarian Council &  Minister of Foreign Affairs Canada

Hon. Peter G. MacKay                           
Minister of Foreign Affairs Canada
125 Sussex Drive
Ottawa ON K1A 0C2

Dear Hon. MacKay:

Reports of killings of gay men and teens in Iraq, Iran, and the arbitrary imprisonment of gay men and teens in Egypt, are of concern
to Canadian Unitarians.

Our First Principle states our commitment to the worth and dignity of every human being.  In 1978 the Canadian Unitarian Council at its Annual Meeting  adopted a resolution calling for all "codes of human rights to ban discrimination based on sexual orientation".  This position was reaffirmed and expanded by Annual Meeting resolutions in 1984 and 2006.

More than forty-five Iranian gays are known to have died, including two teens being hanged,  Iraqi's are being shot, including a
fourteen-year-old boy.  Gay teens have been imprisoned in Egypt.

In one case, an Iranian young gay man, with a good academic record, who gained admittance to Canadian institutions of higher education was unable to obtain a visitor visa and study permit, even with an offer of free housing and tuition. 

We should not repeat the mistake we made turning away Jews fleeing the Holocaust, because we feared them as Germans.  Like those Jewish Germans, these gay Muslims must flee to survive, and are no threat to Canadians or Canada.

We urge that you instruct missions in Iran, Iraq and Egypt, areas in which gay men are at risk, to expedite the issuance of visas and
facilitate Canada becoming a safe haven.

Unitarians and other sympathizers have offered to seek housing for these endangered persons among our congregants, among other
sympathetic denominations, and among Canada's gay population.

We look forward to your response.

Sincerely,

Ms Vyda Ng
President, Canadian Unitarian Council