'I had to flee my country due to homophobic, violent abuse’

[Natasha]

'I had to flee my country due to homophobic, violent abuse'

http://www.getreading.co.uk/news/s/2034590_i_had_to_flee_my_country_due_to_homophobic_violent_abuse
Laura Herbert
8/29/2008

I was a pastor in the Latvian church. I wrote a column in the church newspaper which was stopped, my weekly radio sermon was taken off air and I was kicked out of the Cathedral I worked in.

"In May 2002 I was ex-communicated from the church. Back then there were only three openly gay people in Latvia.

"My story was on the front pages of all the Latvian newspapers and I have suffered dozens of personal attacks since then.

"I have been verbally abused, spat at and physically attacked.