Equality Forum, a Queer advocacy organization, requested this week from Senators Clinton, Obama, and McCain to contact England’s Prime Minister concerning Britain’s deportation of GLBT Iranians back to their home country. According to the Equality Forum executive director Malcolm Lazin, deportation is essentially a death sentence, reported the Southern Voice. 

Illinois Senator and Democratic Presidential Nominee front-runner, Barack Obama, issued a statement soon after the request. The statement said Obama “believes that the United States and countries around the world have both a legal and a moral obligation to protect victims of persecution based on sexual orientation or gender identity. Under an Obama administration, the United States will lead by setting a strong example, which includes making clear that asylum for persecuted people is a bedrock principle of American and international law. Moreover, Obama will exert diplomatic pressure and employ other foreign policy tools to encourage other nations to address human rights abuses and atrocities committed against LGBT men and women.”

A day later, the Clinton team addressed Equality Forum’s request, ”The campaign has discussed this issue with the U.K. government. We were encouraged to learn that the deportation order for Mr. Kazemi has been deferred and is now under review.”

The Republican nominee, Ariz. Sen. John McCain, did not respond to Equality Forum’s concerns.

Source: EdgeBoston