Gay refugees from Iran set to arrive in Nova Scotia

A gay Iranian couple is set to land in Halifax on Wednesday, two of the first refugees to be sponsored by the Rainbow Refugee Association of Nova Scotia.

Navid and Hadi fled Iran saying their lives were threatened. For the last year and a half they’ve been living in Turkey.

There, they’ve been waiting to have their refugee application processed, surviving by working-under-the-table jobs, according to Corrie Melanson, with the Rainbow association.

The association will meet the couple at the Halifax Stanfield International Airport on Wednesday afternoon. They have readied a furnished apartment for the two.

"I'm so happy, just so happy, that everything's finally come together," said Kyle DeYoung, who is also with the association.

The apartment the couple will live in is full of donated household items, clothing and food.

"It's taken a lot of effort, but we’ve been super lucky to have an amazing amount of support," DeYoung said. "I could never, in my wildest dreams, imagined the amazing support people have given us."

The organization is still accepting money, which will be used on top of government funding to support the men during their first year.

The Rainbow Refugee Association said it hopes to have more Iranian refugees follow.

The small non-profit helps gay, lesbian and transgender refugees move to Nova Scotia.