The content of such articles is often surprising. Given that Afghanistan is an exceedingly conservative society, it is astonishing that articles openly discussing homosexuality actually exist. There seems to be little awareness of the fact that in liberal democracies of the west the term strictly refers to relationships between consenting adults. Hence, on the rare occasions when Afghan writers dare to publicly tackle problems related to sexuality, we encounter the local terms hamjins baazi (homosexuality) and bacha baazi (paedophilia) used interchangeably, as if they both deal with the same phenomenon. It is usually used as a synonym for what would be described in Europe and North America as paedophilia. Judging by the way homosexuality is debated in the public sphere, the term itself is understood incorrectly. The confusion that had allowed for the gay-pride car accessories to become coveted goods in Afghan garages is not restricted to the symbol itself. One commentator even expressed the hope that the embarrassing incident would serve as cautionary tale, warning Afghans against their tendency to blindly follow fashions imported from elsewhere. Once informed about the symbol's meaning, the stickers were removed en mass.
Uprooted from its original cultural environment and landing in the country by sheer accident, it would have led an existence devoid of any meaning aside from showing that, like everywhere else in the world, Afghan men loved their cars.īut since Afghanistan is no longer an isolated country, imported symbols are bound to be recognised and decoded not only by globetrotting members of the middle class but also the many expatriate internationals and returnee Afghans. Had it not been for the news agency's interest, the gay pride symbol would have continued to flourish in Afghanistan. Afghans had simply assumed that the colour combination was the latest fashion fad in the west, and duly adopted it. The rainbow stickers had first arrived on secondhand cars imported from Canada.
#Gay pride rainbow drivers
For them it was just the newest car fashion accessory but, on learning of its meaning in the west, drivers immediately started removing it.
Needless to say, Pajhwok's reporter soon discovered that Afghans who had decorated their cars with the rainbow symbol had no idea what it stood for. In a country where social conservatism sometimes results in gay men sharing their life with their partner of choice and an arranged wife so as to keep up appearances, there was certainly something very unusual about this apparently new openness. → If you are in a RUSH, please contact us.Even more remarkably, Afghan drivers seemed to have little concern about using their cars to openly advertise being gay and proud of it. (Due to COVID please allow additional delivery time by USPS) S H I P P I N G & P R O D U C T I O N T I M E → We have a size chart on our listing photos. → Bella-Canvas Unisex Jersey Short Sleeve Crew-Neck Unisex T-Shirt → All our Heathered Colors are cotton/polyester blend and they are super comfy soft! → All our simple color ones like White and Black are 100% Cotton. Athletic Gray is made up of 90% cotton and 10% polyester. Preshrunk for your convenience! Printed in the USA. It features a crew neckline with hemmed sleeves and bottom for durability. Our fitted Unisex Cotton tee is made from an exceedingly soft 100% ring-spun cotton. → Add Ink Color Personalization (If Applicable) → Select Your Color (Please view color card photos in the listing, Different styles have different colors available) *We always print our Unisex tee shirts in Bella Canvas. Please check the style, color, and size images on the listing before ordering. We offer several different Styles ( Unisex Tee Shirt, Unisex Long Sleeve, Unisex Sweatshirt, Youth Tee, Toddler Tee) which all come in different colors. Below are some additional details on ordering. We are so excited you are looking to purchase a shirt from us. Rainbow Pride Sunset Shirt, Gay Pride Shirt, LGBTQ Shirt, Trans T Shirt, LGBT Gay Shirt, Ally Shirt, Gay Pride Trans Shirt, Gay Clothing