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When a Syrian gay blogger 'Amina' disappears, deception is found

When the Syrian blogger calling herself "Gay Girl in Damascus" was captured by government forces in 2011, questions emerged. A Montreal woman who developed a relationship online with the blogger known as Amina shares her journey in "The Amina Profile", a cautionary tale on how we look upon a revolution.
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The blogger known as "A Gay Girl in Damascus" is not what she seems. Her story and the people deceived by her identity online is explored in the film, 'The Amina Profile." (Sophie Deraspe/esperamos production)

"A Gay Girl in Damascus" was the title of her blog. She was Amina Arraf, an outspoken lesbian in the Syrian capital. And at the start of the Syrian revolution, in 2011, she suddenly became the centre of international attention. Because Amina Arraf went missing. She'd been kidnapped by Syrian government forces... or so the story went.

A mysterious blogger with the name "A Gay Girl in Damascus" suddenly disappears. (Sophie Deraspe/esperamos production)

And for those close to her... or close in heart to her, it was a devastating turn of events. That includes a Montreal woman, named Sandra Bagaria, who'd chatted online with Amina and had become more than a mere acquaintance. Her story is told in the new documentary "The Amina Profile," by director Sophie Deraspe. It's showing as part of Toronto's Hot Docs Festival.
 


 

This segment was produced by The Current's Pacinthe Mattar. 

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