The so-called Islamic State (or Daesh) has become well-known for its incredible brutality towards LGBT individuals in Syria and Iraq. Homosexuals have been stoned and thrown from rooftops by the terrorist group.
But now a newly formed unit of LGBT fighters has joined the fight against the violent group in northern Syria.
The International Revolutionary People's Guerrilla Forces (IRPGF) announced the new unit of its International Freedom Battalion (IFB) on Twitter Monday, calling it The Queer Insurrection and Liberation Army or TQILA.
According to the statement from the anarchist group, which fights alongside Kurdish militia known as the People’s Protection Units or YPG, the unit aims to "smash the gender binary and advance the woman's revolution as well as the broader gender and sexual revolution."
Kurdish women fighters have been making international headlines for several years, as Daesh has also made significant efforts to oppress women under its control. The female fighters have been seen by many as a symbol of the global struggle against patriarchal oppression.
The new LGBT unit aims to stand as a similar symbol, according to the IRPGF. It also emphasized that homophobia and queerphobia are not inherent to Islam or any religion, calling out conservative Christians for standing against the LGBT community as well.
"Our commitment to struggle against authority, patriarchy, oppressive heteronormativity, queer/homo-phobia, and trans-phobia are strengthened by the revolutionary advances and gains of the Kurdish women's struggle [sic]," the militia said.