Growg up gay Iran | Iran | The Guardian

Contents:

• ALIREZA FAZELI MONFARED WANTED TO LIVE AS A EE GAY MAN THE WT. HIS FAY IRAN BEHEAD HIM DAYS BEFORE HIS DREAM ME TE, SAY ACTIVISTS.
• WHAT 'S LIKE TO BE GAY IRAN
• TWO GAY MEN ARE HANGED IRAN SIX YEARS AFTER THEY WERE JAILED ON 'SODOMY' CHARG
• THE GAY PEOPLE PHED TO CHANGE THEIR GENR
• IRAN IS FORCG THOANDS OF GAY PEOPLE TO HAVE GENR REASSIGNMENT SURGERY AGAST THEIR WILL OR FACE EXECUTN
• GAY IRANIAN, 20, 'BEHEAD BY HIS BROTHER AND S AFTER THEY DISVERED HIS SEXUALY'
• IRAN EXECUT TEENAGE BOY FOR BEG GAY
• GAY IRANIAN MAN AD ALLEGED 'HONOR KILLG,' RIGHTS GROUP SAYS
• GAY IRANIAN MAN ALLEGEDLY KILLED BY FAY DAYS BEFORE SEEKG ASYLUM
• GROWG UP GAY IRAN
• 1 OUT OF 3 YOUNG IRANIAN MEN "GAY"?
• GAY IRAN: NO PLACE TO CALL HOME
• IRANIAN, GAY & SEEKG ASYLUM
• IRANIAN GAY MAN, 20, MURRED AND BEHEAD BY HIS FAY

ALIREZA FAZELI MONFARED WANTED TO LIVE AS A EE GAY MAN THE WT. HIS FAY IRAN BEHEAD HIM DAYS BEFORE HIS DREAM ME TE, SAY ACTIVISTS.

Alireza Fazeli Monfared, a 20-year old Iranian man, was behead what an Iranian human-rights group says was an "honor killg" by fay members after they learned he was gay. "The Internatnal Day Agast Homophobia, Transphobia, and Biphobia' is g up on Monday (May 17), " Okan Sengun, the executive director and founr of the LGBT Asylum Project, said. Homosexualy is nsired a psychologil disease IranWhile beg gay is forbidn Iran and punishable by ath, the law allows gay men to fo ary service.

"Homosexualy is also nsired a psychologil disease Iran, and the ary's ary board n exempt a gay man om service if they are emed homosexual after an examatn, " she add. The activist hop the vios rm people of queer people's liv Iran, where punishments for beg gay range om 100 lash of the whip to, the munitns director for the Center for Human Rights Iran, said homophobia was wispread the untry. "In the days followg the killg, Okan Sengun of the LGBT Asylum Project said he received many emails om gay Iranians who were heartbroken by Monfared's ath.

Sexual teractn between two women is punishable by vast majory of media reports about homosexualy Iran are based on acunts of torment and opprsn om gays and lbians who have fled the untry.

WHAT 'S LIKE TO BE GAY IRAN

And while their experienc are reprentative for some of Iran's homosexuals, they are hugely different om those of the people who choose to stay the untry, or don't have the opportuny to om lower class and ral areas, where stigmatizatn is often most severe, rarely have the abily to move out of the hoe before marriage, let alone leave the untry. There is generally ltle acceptance of homosexualy, but some middle- and upper-class Iranians have the means to create parallel liv, out of sight of their relativ or iends. "Nety-five percent of gays Iran will never e out, " Saeed says over pasta at one of northern Tehran's ffee shops, where the atmosphere is relatively permissive.

| (VOCATIV/SUNE ENGEL RASMUSSEN)"The number one threat to gays and lbians Iran is the fay, " agre Hosse Alizah of the Internatnal Gay & Lbian Human Rights Commissn (IGLHRC), and himself an Iranian. "The Iranian thori ually turn a bld eye to the gay muny's pas, but much like the telligence servic the former Soviet Unn, Iranian telligence is believed to pile large fil on many cizens, which they n e to build a legal se agast people who might be ught engagg polil activi.

The park is also one of the most popular pickup spots for Tehran's gay dk, Maseratis, BMWs and the ocsnal Porsche circle the park; you don't have to wa long to spot one of them slow to a halt and pick up a sgle man cisg the g. It also provis a temptg e, for gays and straights alike, an enomy bet by flatn and though the typ of -person enunters are a way to elu virtual spi, they are still ght wh risk. He was jt strangled to ath, " says Saeed, who has bee more ut about meetg up wh strangers bee of siar 's parks are always crowd, and particularly around dk, many of them bee popular cisg spots for gay men.

TWO GAY MEN ARE HANGED IRAN SIX YEARS AFTER THEY WERE JAILED ON 'SODOMY' CHARG

| (VOCATIV/JANUS ENGEL RASMUSSEN)So naturally, when Naeem* met Behram* four years ago on gay datg se Manjan, which is also monored, he was ially hant. Seven months later, they rented an apartment wtern Tehran; they both still live at home and when Naeem here, he tells his parents he is gog out of town wh challenge of fdg a steady partner weighs heavily on Iranian gays; many speak of prsn, lonels and paranoia as almost permanent mental stat. (In a male-domated society like Iran, homosexual women have even ls privacy than men, and often risk beg shunned by neighbors if they rent an apartment whout a hband.

"I thk she tri to not watch the clip so she always chang the channel or pretends that she don't watch the TV, " he of the stigma agast homosexuals is trsic to the Persian language, which has two different words for homosexualy.

"Yet the problem for men like Naeem and Behram is there's no real outlet to bate semantics: Although homosexualy n be punished, 's not somethg that is officially regnized.

THE GAY PEOPLE PHED TO CHANGE THEIR GENR

While the new centrist ernment unr Print Hassan Rouhani matas a siar rea as s precsor, foreign-based media outlets like BBC Persian, Rad Zaman and Voice of Ameri e non-rogatory language about homosexuals, and is slowly tricklg down to reformist outlets si the untry, and to young Iranians, says spe s often venomo rhetoric, the Iranian regime silently accepts that gays do exist, and tak a few pragmatic steps to acunt for that Quran, the foundatn of Iranian law, explicly bans homosexualy. If a man n get a doctor to ttify he is gay, he will be exempt om ary, the small ncsns hardly amount to any sort of tangible eedom for Iran's gays, many of whom ntue to fight their own sexualy. The two men were sentenced to ath for 'forced sexual terurse between two men' and died the northwtern cy of MaraghehIran is nsired one of the most reprsive plac the world for lbian, gay, bisexual and transgenr men's inti were nfirmed a report by the Human Rights Activists News Agency (HRANA) on add state-n outlets Iran had yet to announce the Vojoudi, who fled Iran and ped to Germany, told The Jesalem Post that the untry's prisons are 'full of people who have mted no crime'.

LGBTQ+ rights mpaigner Peter Tatchell also told the publitn the executn follows 'a long-standg regime policy of the state-sanctned murr of gay men, often on disputed charg after unfair trials that have been nmned by Amnty Internatnal and Human Rights Watch' add: 'The ternatnal muny mt impose Magnsky sanctns on the regime officials, judg and prison staff who thorized the executns - and on those rponsible for the many other human rights s of abe Iran'. Two men Iran, where homosexualy is illegal, have been executed after spendg six years on ath rowHe said: 'The Ayatollah regime Iran jt executed two gay men for the crime of sodomy Iran. ' Last May Alireza Fazeli Monfared, 20, who intified as gay and non-bary, was abducted by several male relativ and murred Ahvaz, Khuztan provce Iran.

IRAN IS FORCG THOANDS OF GAY PEOPLE TO HAVE GENR REASSIGNMENT SURGERY AGAST THEIR WILL OR FACE EXECUTN

'Unr Iranian law, sodomy, rape, adultery, armed robbery and murr are among crim that n lead to the ath year a UN report found that Iran 'gay, bisexual and transgenr children were subjected to electric shocks and the admistratn of hormon and strong psychoactive meditns', Pk News reported. Alireza Fazeli Monfared, 20, (pictured) was allegedly taken by the three male fay members and murredIn Febary 2021, an Iranian cleric Ayatollah Abbas Tabrizian claimed that the Covid-19 vacce turns people gay, on msagg platform Telegram, to almost 210, 000 followers. Donya, now 33, fled to Turkey wh her son om a brief marriage, and then to Canada, where they were granted 's not official ernment policy to force gay men or women to unrgo genr reassignment but the prsure n be tense.

But the ncern is that genr reassignment surgery is beg offered to people who are not transgenr, but homosexual, and may lack the rmatn to know the difference. "If I'd gone to the police and told them that I was a homosexual, my life would have been even more danger than was om my fay, " he is no reliable rmatn on the number of genr reassignment operatns rried out Iran. While they wa - sometim for years - they may be settled socially nservative provcial ci, where prejudice and discrimatn are Parsi, who crossed om Iran to Turkey by tra 2005, says that while livg the cy of Kayseri, central Turkey, he was beaten up, and then refed hospal treatment for a disloted shoulr, simply bee he was gay.

Iranian-born activist Shadi Am says the Iranian regime, which is ntrolled by relig extremists, view beg gay as an “illns” and that the only cure is to change the person’s genr. The LGBT rearcher says that Iranian ernment, cludg the Head of the Human Rights missn of Iran, has publicly said "we want to solve the problem, gay people are sick and they need the physil treatment.

GAY IRANIAN, 20, 'BEHEAD BY HIS BROTHER AND S AFTER THEY DISVERED HIS SEXUALY'

He told Sun Onle: “The ayatollah’s are seekg to elimate homosexualy by prsurg or forcg gay men to unrgo genr reassignment surgery to make them ‘women’.

A gay Iranian man has been reportedly behead by his brother and two s after they disvered he had been exempted om ary service due to his sexualy. Alireza had applied for an exceptn om the pulsory Iranian ary service for beg gay so that he uld leave the untry and move to Turkey to live wh his partner Aghil Abyat, acrdg to 6Rang, the Iranian Lbian and Transgenr Network.

Alireza had applied for an exceptn om the pulsory Iranian ary service for beg gay so that he uld leave the untry and move to Turkey to live wh his partner Aghil Abyat'Alireza's killg as a rult of his sexual orientatn beg stated on his ary service [exemptn] rd has once aga provid proof for our warng several years ago about the risks ed by the ary service exemptn procs for gay Iranian men and unrl the need for legislatn to prevent the safety risks, ' the NGO 6 Rang said a statement.

IRAN EXECUT TEENAGE BOY FOR BEG GAY

The group had prevly warned 2016 that the exemptn procs allows police, tnal stutns, employers and relativ to 'intify gay men wh only one glance at the ary service exemptn rd'. 'The spible murr of Alireza Fazeli Mondared, 20, Iran - reportedly for his sexual orientatn - is the rult of the Iranian ernment ntug to perpetuate falsi about homosexualy, ' the NGO said a statement.

A 2020 6Rang report found that six 10 gay people Iran have been asslted by members of their fay, while almost 50 per cent have been publicly sexually asslted. However, Afshar mataed that the sexual acts were nsensual and that the alleged victim had willgly engaged same-sex sexual activi on numero prev ocsns, leadg LGBT activists to claim the teen was executed simply for beg gay. Augt 26, 2021—In a new LGBTQ Fact Sheet published today by the Center for Human Rights Iran (CHRI), the extreme rights vlatns and adly vlence perpetrated by both the state and society agast the LGBTQ muny (lbian, gay, bisexual, trans and queer) Iran are highlighted a ncise, accsible format for rearchers, journalists, and policymakers.

GAY IRANIAN MAN AD ALLEGED 'HONOR KILLG,' RIGHTS GROUP SAYS

For example, Ebrahim Raisi, who is now Iran’s print, said 2014 (when he head Iran’s judiciary) that homosexualy is “nothg but savagery. Ali Fazeli Monfared, a 20-year-old gay Iranian man, was allegedly killed an “honor killg” by some of his male fay members after they found out he was gay, acrdg to an LGBTQ rights group Iran and Monfared, who was known as Alireza by iends and fay, lived a cy southwt Iran. He had applied for an exemptn om pulsory ary service so he uld leave the untry and move to Turkey to live wh his close iend, Aghil Bayat, acrdg to 6Rang, the Iranian Lbian and Transgenr homosexual nduct is crimalized Iran, part of the ary exemptn law allows gay and transgenr people to receive a medil exemptn om service for their inty.

”Fazeli Monfared received an exemptn rd the mail om the Islamic Revolutnary Guard Corps after disclosg his homosexualy, but one of his male relativ found and disvered he was gay, acrdg to 6Rang. “We thk that bee of his genr exprsn and his behavrs, they knew that he is homosexual, but was proof that shows he wants to leave the untry, and he is a gay man, ” Am said. If Fazeli Monfared’s alleged killers had ught him havg sex wh a man, then they might receive lser punishments for his is one of an timated 11 untri where same-sex sexual acts are punishable by ath, acrdg to the Internatnal Lbian, Gay, Bisexual, Trans and Intersex Associatn, and one of almost 70 untri where is crimalized, acrdg to Human Rights Watch, an ternatnal human rights group based New York.

GAY IRANIAN MAN ALLEGEDLY KILLED BY FAY DAYS BEFORE SEEKG ASYLUM

Iranian Foreign Mister Mohammad Javad Zarif fend the untry’s ath penalty punishment for homosexual nduct durg a prs nference June 2019. "The are moral prcipl regardg the behavr of people general, ” he said at the time, acrdg to German broadster Dtsche are no statistics or rerds of the number of anti-LGBTQ “honor killgs” — which are perpetrated by relativ who feel the LGBTQ person has brought “dishonor” to the fay — that happen Iran or other untri that crimalize homosexualy, Tara Sepehri Far, who vtigat human rights ab Iran and Kuwa for Human Rights Watch, told NBC said Fazeli Monfared’s se highlights the importance of the role of the fay LGBTQ people’s liv when the state crimaliz who they are.

“Exposg that to the very same thori who, theory, have the thory to arrt and prosecute you is very risky, ” she said other untri should prsure Iran to remove the law crimalizg homosexualy and the ath penalty “bee this is the reason why the fai, they allow themselv to have the right to vlate their children. Alireza Monfared, a 20-year-old who was gay, was allegedly killed by fay members, jt days before he uld leave Iran to seek asylum, acrdg to multiple of his early May ath ma headl the U.

GROWG UP GAY IRAN

"I believe the exact term for this horrendo murr is gay-killg rather than the general term of honor-killg, " Ma Khani, an Iranian LGBTQ and women's rights activist based Germany, told ABC News. "Of urse the motive of such murrs by fay members is to fend the 'honor' of the tribe or fay, but we should never fet the social stigma and hatred nstantly reproduced by the social and legal nstcts agast LGBTQ members, " she this area of the world face enormo dangers for beg openly gay. Acrdg to Human Rights Watch, nearly 15 untri the Middle East and Northern Ai crimalize homosexualy, leadg to punishments that clu prison, lash and even the ath penalty.

1 OUT OF 3 YOUNG IRANIAN MEN "GAY"?

Iranian law stat that men over the age of 18 need to serve the ary before they may leave the untry, but homosexualy is classified unr "psychologil disorrs, " which n lead to an exemptn om service. We are still aaid of the regime makg a database of gay and transgenr people and puttg them unr prsure whenever they want, " Shadi Am, an LGBTQ activist based Germany, told ABC ia of receivg an exemptn rd is leavg many gay and trans Iranians worried they'd be brand and vulnerable to harassment and discrimatn. "People hold banners prottg agast discrimatn and persecutn agast homosexuals Iran, July 28, 2007, ont of the Eiffel tower Meda/AFP via Getty Imag, File Mahdi, a 36-year-old Iranian gay man who did not want to e his full name over safety ncerns, told ABC News that hearg the news of Monfared's murr broke his heart.

"Bis the immediate threat that many gay exempts face now, such way of verage and the prsure om outsi of the untry is not likely to have any impact on the illogil and nservative officials Iran, " he said. On the other hand if you are poted out as different then the whole world turns agast you, om people to the wouldn't believe how many homosexuals are livg unr the cy's sk. But today PLoS Medice me out wh a paper wh a rult which suggts that the anecdot of relatively wispread homosexual behavr the Middle East are not totally unfound or unreprentative (the journalist Hugh Pope has dited that Middle Eastern men have sometim assumed he would naturally be open to sexual proposns bee he was a Wterner.

GAY IRAN: NO PLACE TO CALL HOME

The Embassy of Iran The Hague wrote 1987 that “homosexualy Iran, treated acrdg to the Islamic law, is a s the ey of God and a crime for society. The send mentary is by an Iranian-Amerin therapist, Payam Ghassemlou, who offers his sights on tryg to blend his personal feelgs wh diverse cultur: gay-straight, Middle East-Wtern, Mlim-Christian.

I learned that Saviz had once livered— the early 1970s– what was no doubt the first gay liberatn speech on Iranian soil, speakg to a group of classmat at the universy Shiraz. S., he’d immersed himself soclogil studi, quickly beg an activist not only for gay and lbian liberatn, but for the men’s movement and other progrsive as well. Saviz had already bee a hard-workg member of the nascent men’s movement, as well as an outspoken advote of gay and lbian rights the South.

IRANIAN, GAY & SEEKG ASYLUM

Saviz lost no time troducg me to the fledglg Iranian gay liberatn movement, and he published the New Year’s poem I’d wrten the pag of Homan, the Iranian gay and lbian liberatn magaze. But like the trooper he is, he’s meetg ath wh that same clary and fearlsns he’d shown when he (a published gay liberatnist) had temporarily returned to Iran spe of the fundamentalists’ threats—to vis his dyg grandmother. As an Iranian gay man Los Angel, I teract wh many muni cludg the gay male and lbian muny, the Iranian muny and the Amerin society at large.

I did not know gay liberatn should clu the ternal journey of tamg the mon of ternalized homophobia and nscly experiencg my reprsed feelgs of hurt and rage for growg up a vlent homophobic world.

IRANIAN GAY MAN, 20, MURRED AND BEHEAD BY HIS FAY

I am terted embracg what is unique about beg gay and do not ncern myself wh gettg approval om heterosexuals or losg stat the straight world. Ancient homosexual wisdom and tradn gog back before Plato and practiced by many Sufis has been about disverg what gayns offers through self-realizatn. This self-realizatn volv g out si and, after years of g out to the world and marchg different gay paras, I realized I have not really e out.