Bilal Askaryar is an activist and outspoken advocate for Afghans, Muslims, the LGBTQIA+ community, immigrants and refugees, and the intersections between them.

Bilal worked in Kabul for a research organization studying the effectiveness of development projects and was an election observer in the 2014 Afghanistan presidential elections. He completed his master’s degree in International Development at American University while managing an exhibition at the Smithsonian’s National Museum of Asian Art titled Turquoise Mountain: Artists Transforming Afghanistan. His work organizing against the “Muslim ban” prohibiting travel to the U.S. and protecting the right to seek asylum has been recognized by the American Civil Liberties Union, and he has been published in NPR and Slate.