He Was Killed for Being Queer in a Country That Pretends We Don’t Exist. And No One’s Shocked.
Imagine dying not for a crime, not for stealing, not even for love—but for being. Architect Imtiaz Mohammad Bhuiyan walked into a trap through a gay dating app, Grindr. The kind of trap queer folks in Bangladesh fear every single day. Blackmailed. Beaten. Murdered. Dumped like trash.
And yet, some will still say, “Well, why was he on that app?”
👀 Let’s pause right there. This is not just a murder. This is a hate crime born from Islamic hypocrisy, societal denial, and the sick thrill of exploiting people for who they are.
I know what you’re thinking—“This is terrible, but what does this have to do with me?”
Everything.
Because Imtiaz could’ve been any one of us. He could’ve been me—back in Dhaka, sneaking glances in public places, never letting my phone out of sight, deleting entire conversations in case someone found out. He could’ve been any queer woman trying to survive in a closet so dark you forget what sunlight feels like. He could’ve been you.
🧠 Let’s Talk About the Real Crime
No, it’s not queerness.
The real crime is forcing people to live in fear, to hide, to lie, to risk death for intimacy. The real crime is the collective silence—from family, from religious leaders, from society—that not only allows this violence but nurtures it with every sermon, every family gathering, every smug “we don’t have those people here.”
We do. You just force us underground.
📱 The Setup: A Queer App, A Dead Man
Imtiaz connected with a guy on Grindr. He was lured to a flat in Kalabagan. Waiting for him were blackmailers. A few thugs and one transgender individual, apparently part of the racket. They filmed him in an “indecent” pose. (Because in this country, sex is only sacred when it’s straight, male-dominated, and silently suffered by women, right?)
They demanded money. He refused. They beat him to death.
Let that sink in: He refused to be blackmailed for loving differently. So they killed him.
🧨 Challenging Social Norms or Just Trying to Survive?
Let me tell you something raw: being queer in a conservative society isn’t “liberating.” It’s exhausting. Every step outside feels like a gamble. Every act of intimacy is a risk assessment.
But despite that, we exist. We love. We dream. We resist.
This isn’t just about one man. This is about all of us who had to fake it, suppress it, hate ourselves for it, or flee for our lives. This is about the auntie who prays extra hard when she suspects her daughter might be gay. The brother who “jokes” about hijras. The imam who preaches purity but molests boys in madrasa. That’s the Islamic hypocrisy I’m talking about.
💔 Internalized Shame Kills Too
I’ve lost years to shame. Years of hating myself, dressing like someone I wasn’t, staying silent in rooms where slurs flew like compliments. And when I finally came out, the first thing I felt wasn’t joy—it was fear. What will they say? What if they kill me too?
But guess what? I lived. And I’ll keep living, loudly.
✊🏽 Self-Love Is Rebellion
Loving yourself, as a bisexual woman, as anyone queer, is a middle finger to a system built to erase you.
It’s not easy. It takes courage. It takes unlearning. It takes knowing stories like Imtiaz’s, crying, raging, and then saying: “I won’t hide anymore.”
🔥 Final Word: Be Loud. Be Brave. Be You.
We need to speak up—for Imtiaz, for those still hiding, for those who didn’t survive. Whether you’re queer, questioning, or just human—fight for LGBTQ Rights, call out Islamic hypocrisy, and start challenging social norms that kill.
And if you’re a bisexual woman like me, from a culture that tells you to be invisible or else—don’t shrink. We’ve already lost too much.
#JusticeForImtiaz #LGBTQRights #IslamicHypocrisy #ChallengingSocialNorms #QueerBangladesh #SelfLoveIsRebellion
