My god this is harrowing story. Two security goons come for a lesbian living in Damascus – threaten to rape her – and her father sends them packing using nothing more than words and his conviction:

“Did she tell you that she likes to sleep with women?” he grins, pure poison, feeling like he has made a hit. “That she is one of those faggots who fucks little girls?” (the arabic he used is far cruder … you get the idea)
My dad glances at me. I nod; we understand each other.
“She is my daughter,” he says and I can see the anger growing in his eyes, “and she is who she is and if you want her, you must take me as well.”
“Stupid city-fuckers,” says the same guy. “All you rich pansies are the same. No wonder she ends up fucking girls and kikes” (again, the Arabic is much rawer)
He steps twoards me and puts his hand on my breast.
“Maybe if you were with a real man,” he lears, “you’d stop this nonsense and lies; maybe we should show you now and let your pansy father watch so he understands how real men are.”
I am almost trembling with rage. My dad moves his head slightly to tell me to be silent.
“What are you?” he says. “Did the jackal sleep with the monkey before you were born?

I keep finding myself deeply impressed by stories of courage and heroism that are coming out of the countries of the Middle East these days. The writer of this story, Amina, is a fantastic author and if you are at all interested in things that are happening in Syria you’d do well to follow her blog, A Gay Girl in Damascus.