Taliban Stabbed Gay, Nonbinary Afghan 18 Times

After suffering severe injuries from the Taliban, a gay, nonbinary Afghan said they feel "alone" as LGBTQ+ people in Afghanistan continue to be persecuted by the regime.

Sara, 23, told the British PA news agency that they had been stabbed 18 times after an attack in Kabul. They suffered cuts to their legs, stomach, and back.

They were rescued and moved from the city, according to The Independent. However, they told the PA news agency that they now feel "hopeless."

"[The attackers] said, 'Shame on you, it is our time to finish people like you,'" Sara said. "I wanted to escape but, unfortunately, I couldn't. I lay down, then lost consciousness ... when I opened my eyes I was in hospital."

"They didn't take my things because they were not thieves, they were the Taliban," they added. "They wanted to kill me ... I thought they wanted to get my cell phone and money, but they refused to take it.

Sara continued: "I'm really hopeless."

They were rescued thanks to the help of gay Afghan-American activist Nemat Sadat who has assisted in the escape of more than 200 LGBTQ+ Afghans, The Independent reports.

Sadat, 42, is from San Diego, Calif., and said he was "surprised" Sara is alive. "Sara told me they lost a lot of blood," Sadat said. "They have now been rescued... I'm paying for their hostel stay, I'm paying for their food, for everything."

Sara told the PA news agency they wouldn't be celebrating LGBTQ+ History Month after their injuries.

"It would definitely have been celebrated," Sadat said. "Before the Taliban came to power, you had so many people that were transgender and non-binary. They were working as contemporary wedding dancers - not just in private homes but also in huge wedding halls in Kabul. They were working as celebrity make-up artists on Afghan television; people had fashion shows, concerts - it was so visible."

"There's ISIS and the Taliban, and society has turned against them... they're dying, and they're still trying to live their truth," he explained.

Sadat has raised about $21,000 via GoFundMe to evacuate LGBTQ+ Afghans and has contributed $8,000 of his own savings. He's also created an organization, Roshaniya, to help other LGBTQ+ relocate.

"What I'm really doing is trying to directly empower the LGBT community, guiding them and telling them this is what we think is best, but really getting them to fund their evacuation," he said. "We have to keep the drumbeats rolling."