'Gay Girl in Damascus' is Straight Man in Edinburgh

'Amina Arraf' wrote sensational accounts of oppression faced by homosexuals in Syria.

An American man has admitted to being the blogger “Gay Girl in Damascus”, who had written apparently fictionalized accounts of life as a lesbian in Syria. Tom MacMaster, a 40-year-old Middle East activist living in Edinburgh, was uncovered as “Amina Arraf,” who gained international notoriety for her reports of being abducted by Syrian secret police for being a lesbian. An IP address traced back to the University of Edinburgh was used by MacMaster on a number of sites on which he posed as Amina. MacMaster also posted pictures taken from his wife's Google Picassa account under Amina's name on his blog.