Iran, Middle East

Iran is home to one of the world's oldest continuous major civilizations, with historical and urban settlements dating back to 4000 BC. In 2006, about 45% of the government's budget came from oil and natural gas revenues, and 31% came from taxes and fees. LGBT rights in Iran since the Iranian Revolution of 1979 have come under governmental persecution, with international human rights groups reporting public floggings and executions of lesbian, gay and bisexual individuals. Transsexuality in Iran is legal if accompanied by a sex change operation; however, transsexuals still report societal intolerance. Any type of sexual activity outside of a heterosexual marriage is forbidden. Gay men are treated far more harshly under the law than lesbians. Read More. Also see: Islam and Homosexuality

 

News & Reports:

 

Sister of Iran’s supreme leader condemns protest crackdown

Badri Hosseini Khamenei says brother’s ‘despotic caliphate’ has brought nothing but suffering Sister of Iran’s supreme leader condemns protest crackdown A sister of Iran’s supreme leader, Ali Khamenei, has spoken out against his bloody crackdown on nationwide demonstrations, saying her brother’s “despotic caliphate” has brought nothing but suffering, according to a letter published by her… Read more »

Iran sentences two gay rights activists to death

Iran’s regime has executed between 4,000 and 6,000 gays and lesbians since the nation’s Islamic revolution in 1979. The Islamic Republic of Iran imposed the death penalty on two LGBTQ activists for allegedly promoting homosexuality, human rights organization Hengaw reported on Sunday. According to Hengaw, an organization that documents human rights violations in Kurdistan, “Zahra… Read more »

Iran arrests lesbian for ‘supporting homosexuality’

The state‘s Sharia law system imposes the death penalty on same-sex relations. The 6G Iranian and Lesbian and Transgender Network reported Tuesday on its website that an Iranian lesbian named Sarah was arrested in the province of West Azerbaijan while seeking to cross the border into Turkey. The Islamic Republic’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC)… Read more »

Gay Iranian man allegedly killed by family days before seeking asylum

Alireza Monfared’s death sparked new worries for global safety of LGBTQ people. Alireza Monfared, a 20-year-old who was gay, was allegedly killed by family members, just days before he could leave Iran to seek asylum, according to multiple reports. News of his early May death made headlines in the U.S. this week thanks in part… Read more »

Iran’s transgender community: Legally recognised yet socially ostracised

Transgender people in Iran are both legally and religiously accepted in the country but their existence in Iranian society is not easy. Iran is the only Muslim country in the Persian Gulf region that gives trans citizens the right to have their gender identity recognized by the law—but violence, rejection from their families and society,… Read more »

This Gay Couple Left Iran For A Better Life.

Washington – In the best-case scenario if Ramin Haghjoo and Nima Nia still lived in Iran, they would be married. Just not to each other to women, probably through arranged marriages. Perhaps they could have found women also attracted to their own gender and looking to hide the fact, like one of Haghjoo’s friends did.… Read more »

After firing several gun shots, police arrested more than 30 men apparently between the ages of 16 and 30 for being homosexual.

IRQR Voice Last Thursday around 8:30 pm, Esfahan’s police raided a private party in Bahadoran, the Garden region of Esfahan. After firing several gun shots, they arrested more than 30 men apparently between the ages of 16 and 30 for being homosexual. IRQR received several reports in last few days and were able to confirm… Read more »

Yousef and Farhad Graphic Novel

Graphic Novel Captures What It’s Like to Be Gay in Iran: Part 4 OutRight Action International | Posted 03.01.2017 | Home Read More: Yousef and Farhad, Yousef and Farhad Graphic Novel, Iran, Iran Gay Rights, Iran Lgbt, Iran Lgbt Rights, Iran Love, Lgbt Love, Amir Soltani, Khalil Bendib, Outright Action International, WorldPost Middle East, WorldPost… Read more »

What Does The Koran Say About Being Gay?

In the wake of the mass shooting at Pulse nightclub in Orlando, Florida, that took the lives of 49 people, there has been much speculation around gunman Omar Mateen’s motives for the attack. The rationale for the crime, first considered to be a straight man’s act of homophobic violence, became self-loathing when it came to… Read more »

Taliban uses boy sex slaves to dupe & kill Afghan police, survivors reveal

Exploiting the pedophilic boy play ‘bacha bazi’, the Taliban infiltrates the Afghan security forces to attack and kill police commanders. The tactics were revealed by several officials and survivors to AFP. The ‘bacha bazi’ tradition dates back a long time, and is most widespread in the province of Uruzgan, central Afghanistan, where ‘bacha bereesh’ –… Read more »

Gay mullah flees Iran for conducting same-sex weddings

‘They were saying I am a cleric and I shouldn’t be meeting gay men. The other mullahs were suspicious about my sexual orientation and threatened me with death’ A Muslim gay cleric who conducted same sex weddings in secret in Iran has been forced to leave the county after receiving death threats from fellow religious… Read more »

Gay Iranian Poet Flees Persecution, Finds Himself in Israel

Payam Feili fled his native Iran last year because of the persecution he faced over his sexuality. Now, the gay poet has made a years-long dream come true — he is visiting Israel, Iran’s archenemy and a country known for its tolerance toward gays. But the 30-year-old Feili stands out not only because of his… Read more »

Gay student: ‘My dad tried to let ISIS kill me’

A medical student from Iraq has opened up about how his parents were willing for him to be killed because he is gay. Taim, a 24-year-old who only survived by fleeing Iraq for the Lebanon, opened up in a candid interview with the BBC, saying his father threatened to turn him over to ISIS, and… Read more »

Seeking home: The lives of gay and transgender asylum seekers of the Middle East

Beginning in Damascus, Syria, in 2010, photojournalist Bradley Secker began to document the lives of gay Iraqi refugees that had fled Iraq to escape homophobic violence. Shortly after chronicling their stories, Secker crossed borders and traveled to Turkey, following Iranians, Turkish Kurds, Syrians and more Iraqis who were claiming asylum abroad or fighting for their… Read more »

With generous social benefits, a welcoming attitude, and a thriving support community, Toronto has emerged as the unofficial capital for gay Iranian refugees.

When Ali escaped Iran and arrived in Turkey in 2012, he had already decided where he wanted the United Nations High Commission for Refugees to place him. I told them I’m choosing Canada because I’m going to go to university [and] Canada is cheaper than U.S.; Australia is too far; and in some states in… Read more »

Toronto’s gay mecca a refuge for persecuted Iranians

While other Muslims pay homage to the holy city of Mecca, Elina Azari worships Toronto, the gay mecca for queer Iranians. A month ago, the 26-year-old native from Tehran followed the treks of other queer refugees stranded in Turkey and joined the growing Iranian LGBTQ community for a new life in what some of them… Read more »

Love against all the odds: Lesbian Muslim couple from Iran tie the knot in Stockholm… and the delighted imam is gay too!

Sahar Mosleh and Maryam Iranfar married in Swedish capital Stockholm Both were forced to flee Iran where gay people are given the death penalty The couple were married by Imam Ludovic Mohamed Zahed Imam Zahed who is Algerian but lives in South Africa is also gay Beaming with pride, their faces wreathed in smiles, this… Read more »

Study Finds 17% of Young Iranians Are Gay

An official report has found that 17 percent of young Iranians are gay. According to The Economist, the 82-page report was recently issued by Iran’s parliamentary research department. The survey of 142,000 students found that 80 percent of unmarried females have boyfriends and 17 percent of respondents said they were gay. The researchers’ suggestion on… Read more »

Iranian author persecuted for being gay flees to Turkey

Iran: An Iranian poet and writer harassed, blacklisted and arrested for being gay has been forced into exile by the Islamic regime in Iran for alluding to same sex relations in his work. Payam Feili, 29, who was recently incarcerated for 44 days has managed to flee to neighboring Turkey where he has been living… Read more »

A Week of Victories for Iranian LGBT: 6Rang makes History at Istanbul Pride 2014

For the first time ever, 6Rang Network facilitated the organizational presence of Iranian LGBT community and launched a groundbreaking report on state-sponsored medical abuse of its community in Iran at the largest Pride in a Muslim country. Istanbul Pride 2014 was attended by thousands of participants from around the globe including Iran. For the Iranian… Read more »

Being Gay in Iran

Coming Out in a Country Where That Can Get You Killed, and the TV Documentary That Outed Me to the World I Ran From Iran And found myself in this town in Turkey, where I didn’t know a soul. I was one of the lucky ones. I’m 16. “May I ask you something personal?” I… Read more »

Experts Predict: Iran Will Remain Deadly

Two reports indicate that despite a new president’s overtures to the contrary, Iran will remain a deadly place for LGBTs. With the election last June of Hassan Rouhani as Iran’s president, there were hopes for a Persian Spring that would improve human rights for the country’s struggling LGBT community. Those hopes have not been borne… Read more »

Iran: Still hostile to gays

Rouhani’s so-called moderation has changed precious little on the ground for the Islamic Republic’s LGBT community A reformer? Really? The expectation that the election of new Iranian President Hassan Rouhani would curtail persecution of minorities has proved a bitter disappointment for his country’s struggling gay community. Sadly, human rights under the so-called “moderate” Rouhani presidency… Read more »

Denied Identity: Human Rights Abuses Against Iran’s LGBT Community

Since its inception, the Islamic Republic of Iran (IRI) has discriminated, in law and in practice, against its lesbian and gay population. While transgender Iranians are legally protected if they start the sex-change process, there is significant concern that gay and lesbian individuals could be unnecessarily encouraged to undergo sex-reassignment surgery. In addition, LGBT (lesbian,… Read more »

Comment: With all eyes on anti-gay Russia, there are three countries with a shocking need for coverage

Paul Canning looks critically at media coverage of the LGBT situation in Russia, highlighting other areas around the globe where hate crimes and violence have also soared, yet where media coverage is still minimal. It’s Russia, Russia, Russia when it comes to ‘foreign gay news’ these days. But it’s a much bigger and badder gay… Read more »

Being queer without fear: films on LGBTS from Iran, Pakistan

What must it be like to be a lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender in a conservative country? This year, the Kashish Mumbai International Queer Film Festival will highlight the travails of the LGBT community by screening films from countries such as Iran, Pakistan, Serbia and Israel. Still from Noor, a film about the LGBT community… Read more »

Iran, Russia and Egypt threaten to scupper UN women’s declaration due to gay rights opposition

An alliance made up of Iran, Russia and Egypt has threatened to derail a UN declaration urging an end to violence against women and girls by objecting to language concerning LGBT rights and reproduction. Reuters reports delegates to the United Nations Commission on the Status of Women are racing to reach a deal on a… Read more »

Report Of The Special Rapporteur On The Situation Of Human Rights In The Islamic Republic Of Iran*

The present report is the second to be submitted to the Human Rights Council, pursuant to Council resolution 16/9, and communicates developments in the human rights situation of the Islamic Republic of Iran that have transpired since the submission of the Special Rapporteur’s second interim report to the 67th session of the General Assembly (A/67/369)… Read more »

Public hanging film to highlight plight of gay Iranians

Trailer released for film based on the true story of two gay teenagers publicly hung in Iran A film based on the shocking true story of an Iranian teenager, hung in public with his partner for being gay aims to highlight the hardships faced by people in Iran. The movie, called Sin – Based On… Read more »

Iran news agency: ‘Jews are spreading homosexuality in a world-takeover bid’

A state-sponsored newspaper in Iran has published a document claiming to have uncovered a secret plot by the Jewish people, particularly in the US and UK, to spread homosexuality worldwide. The document, published by Mashregh news agency, titled “Introduction to the overt and covert aspects of spreading homosexuality in the world,” details the uncovering of… Read more »

‘Outed’ by the Military, Some Gays Fleeing Iran

For at least 15 years, the Islamic Republic has quietly been offering gay Iranians exemptions from mandatory military service. But those exemptions often come with a cost. Five years ago, while speaking in New York, Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad infamously declared that there are no homosexuals in his country. But for at least 15 years,… Read more »

Iranian Queers March in Toronto Pride Parade for Those Who Can Not in Iran

A group of Iranian queers in Toronto decided to march in Toronto Pride Parade 2012 (Today, July 1st), to show their existence and promote Iranian Queer Human Rights Cause. Last year, IRQR officially registered the first Iranian contingent at Pride Parade 2011 and won the Best Entry Award of ‘Dream Big’ Theme by Pride Toronto… Read more »

German court tells lesbian asylum seeker to hide identity in Iran

A German court rejected the asylum application of Samira Ghorbani Danesh, an Iranian lesbian refugee who fled Iran in 2009, with the justification that she can hide her homosexuality in Iran and avoid criminal penalties. In a telephone interview on Thursday with PinkNews.co.uk, Katayun Pirdawari, who is a German-Iranian and a member of the Lesbian… Read more »

Iran shuts publisher for ‘promoting’ gay sex and immorality

Iranian authorities have shut a famous publishing house for allegedly promoting ‘homosexuality, incest, and sexual relations between men and women outside marriage’ Iranian authorities announced last Friday, 22 June, that the reason they shut down a prominent publishing house in Tehran was due to its ‘promotion of homosexuality, incest, and sexual relations between men and… Read more »

World marks IDAHO with courage and pride

Activists defy anti-gay laws in Iran and Russia to celebrate the International Day Against Homophobia and Transphobia Activists in Iran, one of the most homophobic countries in the world, braved persecution today (17 May) by publicly unfurling a rainbow flag to mark the International Day Against Homophobia and Transphobia (IDAHO). Campaigners in the Muslim state’s… Read more »

Anti-gay Eurovision protests intensify in Iran

Homophobic Muslims take to streets of two cities in Iran, furious at rumors of a gay pride event during the Eurovision Song Contest in Azerbaijan Angry homophobes took to the streets of two Iranian cities on Friday (11 May) to protest rumors of a gay pride event during next week’s Eurovision Song Contest in neighboring… Read more »

Four Iranian men due to be hanged for sodomy

Iran court sentence four men from the town of Choram, in the Kohgiluyeh and Boyer-Ahmad Province, to death by hanging for sodomy. Four men named ‘Saadat Arefi’, ‘Vahid Akbari’, ‘Javid Akbari’ and ‘Houshmand Akbari’ are due to be executed shortly after their verdict was approved recently by high court judges, according to a report from… Read more »

LGBT Republic Of Iran: An Online Reality?

A Small Media report revealing how Iran’s LGBT communities use global communications technology in their everyday lives Full text of article available at link here Source – MSM Global Forum

International Day against Homophobia in Iran

May 17th is the international day against homophobia and transphobia. Homophobia and transphobia are social disorders that cause people to act out against homosexuals and transsexuals. LGBT rights activists have done a variety of things to memorialize this day against this disease everywhere around the world. In Iran, because of anti-homosexuality laws and oppressive conditions,… Read more »

Iran believed to have executed a ‘gangster’ for engaging in gay sexual activities

A young man described as a ‘gangster’ who is known only by the initials CH M was hanged publicly in Marwdasht, Fars Province, Iran, for allegedly engaging in ‘sodomy’ with another man. Speaking with the Iranian Fars News Agency, Gholamhossein Chamansara, the Attorney General of Marwdasht, reported that the death penalty was given to the… Read more »