Iran LGBTQ: A rd exempted a gay man om servg the ary. It may have st him his life | CNN

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.
• ARAB LGBT : MOVI, DOCUMENTARI AND SHORT FILMS OF TERT FOR A GAY AND LBIAN DIENCE OM ALGERIA AFGHANISTAN EGYPT IRAN IRAQ LEBANON MOROC TUNISIA + PAKISTAN AND TURKEY
• IRANIAN, GAY & SEEKG ASYLUM
• Y, THERE ARE GAY PEOPLE IRAN
• WHAT 'S LIKE TO BE GAY IRAN
• GAY MULLAH FLE IRAN OVER SECRET SAME-SEX WEDDGS
• A RD EXEMPTED A GAY MAN OM SERVG IRAN’S ARY. IT MAY HAVE ST HIM HIS LIFE
• GAY IRANIAN MAN AD ALLEGED 'HONOR KILLG,' RIGHTS GROUP SAYS
• IRAN PURPORTEDLY EXECUT 2 GAY MEN OVER SODOMY CHARG
• KG LIL JAY SLAMS GAY MORS AFTER VIO OF MAT KISSG PROMPTS TROLLS’ RPONSE
• GAY FURRY HACKERS ARE TARGETG US STAT FOR PASSG ANTI-TRANS LEGISLATN

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 gay Iranian man, was killed an alleged "honor killg. 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. But Iranian human-rights activists have said is emblematic of a daily persecutn that gay people Iran face.

"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.

ARAB LGBT : MOVI, DOCUMENTARI AND SHORT FILMS OF TERT FOR A GAY AND LBIAN DIENCE OM ALGERIA AFGHANISTAN EGYPT IRAN IRAQ LEBANON MOROC TUNISIA + PAKISTAN AND TURKEY

"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.

"I thk their hate of homosexualy was so huge that they cid to kill him, " she May 4, Monfared ma the fal preparatns for his parture.

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.

IRANIAN, GAY & SEEKG ASYLUM

"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. A look at the sexualy and self image of gay men Lebanon, a untry where the penalty for homosexualy is still imprisonment.

Trapped between European liftyl and Islamic roots, this film tells the stori of young, gay men on the path to attag a life of their own creatn while fightg agast a society that ref to see them.

This timate documentary I AM GAY AND MUSLIM follows a number of young Morocn gay men their exploratn of their relig and sexual inty. A group of Pakistani sexual mori, raise qutns about transgenr activism, relign, unrground gay life, social acceptance and llective faial ctoms of transgenr women urban Pakistan.

Y, THERE ARE GAY PEOPLE IRAN

In a workg class neighborhood Casablan, Abllah, a homosexual teen, tri to build his own life wh his big fay, ught between an thorarian mother and an olr brother, who he ador. Focg on homosexualy wh the Tunisian society, this documentary brgs three stori of LGBT upl, who cid to take up the challenge of revealg their inti and their sexual tennci to the mera. A polil refugee France returns to his fay Iraqi Kurdistan and troduc them to a young gay man stgglg for acceptance.

WHAT 'S LIKE TO BE GAY IRAN

Cast & crew20099mThe impact of such strict laws on homosexualy Iran is examed through the life of asylum seeker Ramt. Read allThe impact of such strict laws on homosexualy Iran is examed through the life of asylum seeker Ramt. Read allSee productn, box office & pany PhotosBe the first to reviewContribute to this pageSuggt an ed or add missg ntentBy what name was Iranian, Gay & Seekg Asylum (2009) officially released Canada English?

Iran is among the few untri the world where gays still risk executn for their sexual orientatn. But Iran's gay muny has succeed rvg out greater space for self recent years and gag some important social regnn.

GAY MULLAH FLE IRAN OVER SECRET SAME-SEX WEDDGS

Through onle activism, publishg poetry, lerature and artwork onle, and engagg wh global gay culture through televisn and the ter, gay Iranians are g of age, spe the myriad of rtrictns they still face Iranian society and at the hands of the state. Mehdi Hamzad is young gay man his early thirti who has recently fished higher tn; he liv Tehran, and has braved g out to his iends, though not to his fay. We spoke to him about what life is like the days for gay, lbian, bisexual and transgenred Iranians, and whether is even possible to live a fulfilled, secure life as a gay person a untry such as Iran:.

Over the past uple of months, European and Amerin gays and lbians have secured some important legal rights. A feral anti-gay law was overturned the Uned Stat, and Bra gay marriage has beme legal.

A RD EXEMPTED A GAY MAN OM SERVG IRAN’S ARY. IT MAY HAVE ST HIM HIS LIFE

Unr the current circumstanc, Iranian youth, whether gay or straight, face many different obstacl, some of which have to do wh the regime (social rtrictns and iologil and polil prsure or the enomic suatn), and some to do wh public culture (a lack of acceptance of different liftyl and closed, tradnal thkg).

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

The problems homosexuals face are not that much more plex or tense than what the rt of the people have to al wh. The suatn wh my iends is the bt, as they are eher homosexuals themselv, or have accepted homosexualy and feel fortable wh me this rpect.

There will always be teractns among -workers, people on the street and the bazaar, and gathergs that will have trac of homophobia them, and which will create an unwanted distance between a homosexual and his environment. Wh all the media attentn around this subject (pecially onle, satelle televisn programs, and foreign films and seri), homosexuals make peace wh themselv rather quickly and relatively easily, but there are problems, too.

One major problem is the tradnal and relig upbrgg of the society, and the patriarchal state propaganda that alienat homosexuals and acceptance of homosexualy to take a lot of time and energy. Homosexuals who live small towns, more sular environments, and those who e om lower social levels and don’t have sufficient avenu for accsg rmatn and fdg others wh siar characteristics, or fdg a more accurate unrstandg about themselv, face other problems. Have you subnscly ma peace wh your homosexualy Iran, or are you nstantly aware of your homosexualy?

IRAN PURPORTEDLY EXECUT 2 GAY MEN OVER SODOMY CHARG

Those who have known about my homosexualy om the begng, and those who learned about later, have approached wh acceptance and support. In alg wh myself, I have fully accepted my homosexualy, but alg wh the outsi world, wh people and the society, I am always led to circumstanc where I am willgly or unwillgly remd of my homosexualy. How homophobic are the people around you, and how has the suatn changed durg the recent years?

KG LIL JAY SLAMS GAY MORS AFTER VIO OF MAT KISSG PROMPTS TROLLS’ RPONSE

[I see homophobia] jok, nversatns, socializg, or judgments, which often refer to homosexuals gradg, sultg, il, pathetic, disgtg, or immoral ways. In my opn, there are two ways to rce this homophobia: for people to see more and more homosexuals around themselv as cizens, and to fd more awarens about sexual orientatn.

Some of the qutns they asked me after I me out were: Do gay men have love affairs, too, or is this jt about sexual relatnships? How do you answer those iends and acquatanc who mistakenly tell you that homosexualy is not natural, and that even animals don’t do this way bee do not lead to procreatn?

GAY FURRY HACKERS ARE TARGETG US STAT FOR PASSG ANTI-TRANS LEGISLATN

There are many scientific sourc that dite that homosexualy exists among animals, too, and that is nsired “natural. There are those like [Islamic philosopher Abdolkarim] Soroh, who haven’t yet thought about homosexualy; there are those like the [progrsive theologian-cleric Mohsen] Kadivar who, if we nsir him an tellectual, support Islamic punishment agast homosexualy, and others like Akbar Ganji, Ram Jahanbegloo, Arash Naraghi, and others who fend the rights of homosexuals. Overall you n feel that the different issu of homosexuals have no space the mds of most tellectuals and they see no reason to pay attentn to .

Beyond their external problems, what are the ternal problems that Iranian homosexuals face?