Everythg you need to know about beg gay Mlim untri | LGBTQ+ rights | The Guardian

Contents:

• HOW IRAN SOLVED ITS GAY MARRIAGE PROBLEM
• Y, THERE ARE GAY PEOPLE IRAN
• THE LTLE-KNOWN STORY OF IRAN'S FIRST GAY MARRIAGE
• WHAT 'S LIKE TO BE GAY IRAN
• EVERYTHG YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT BEG GAY MLIM UNTRI
• BEFORE THE ISLAMIC REVOLUTN, A GAY WEDDG HAPPENED TEHRAN

HOW IRAN SOLVED ITS GAY MARRIAGE PROBLEM

Government polici persecute both homosexuals and transgenr dividuals alike for their sexualy and genr intifitn, crimalizg same-sex relatns and genr reassignment Iran has mataed and pursued polici which nmn and harshly punish homosexualy, a practice wily, and appropriately, cricized as a human rights vlatn. Zarif argued that the moral prcipl that gui Iranian ernance nmn homosexual behavr jt as they nmn other personal actns and life choic; therefore punishment for such choic, cludg punishment by executn, is lawful and substantiated. Ambassador to Germany at the time of Zarif’s remarks, joed Roth his opposn to the treatment and argued that the executns go agast the UN Universal Declaratn of Human Rights, which clearly tails crimalizatn of homosexualy as a vlatn.

Grenell’s sentiments were a ntuatn of the Tmp admistratn’s mpaign which lnched Febary of 2019 to crimnalize homosexualy var natns cludg Iran and lled on global anizatns like the UN and EU ntribute to the rights have been opposn to the Iranian Penal Co sce the 1930s when Parliament passed legislatn crimalizg such relatnships, and disapproval of this discrimatn has tensified over time. All of this culmat to make Iran one of the most discrimatory untri toward homosexuals the world, wh Iran havg executed an timated 4, 000 to 6, 000 homosexual dividuals sce the 1979 Islamic Revolutn. Moreover, enforcement of this law is ongog, and occurs perdilly wh very publicized exampl, as January 2019, when a 31-year-old man was publicly hanged after beg nvicted guilty of homosexual relatns.

Genr Assignment IranGiven the severe and dranian ernment polici towards homosexualy Iran, is perhaps suprisg that genr reassignment and the existence of of transgenr dividuals Iran is legally supported. Though personal and societal judgement agast transgenr people Iran is - as many untri - persistant and pervasive, the broar ia of beg transgenr is not nsired a vlatn of Iranian theocratic prcipl, and the ernment do not view such dividuals as they do homosexuals. Most relig lears only accept those non-bary dividuals who fully plete the transn operatn, while those who do not are perceived as “sick” and n still be arrted for cross-drsg and other stereotypilly homosexual practic.

Y, THERE ARE GAY PEOPLE IRAN

Dpe formal support of transgenr people by the ernment, dividuals are still faced wh discrimatn and persecutn by private cizens and dividuals their personal liv, an experience siar to that of homosexuals Iran. It is clear that the support iated by Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomei s ago and the advantage of the clivy of the Persian language provi foundatnal stutnal acceptance of trans cizens Iran, but there are still steps that mt be taken to promote social approval and cultural rporatn of the non-bary Intersectn of Authorized Genr Surgery and Iran’s Homosexual TreatmentWh the approach to both homosexualy and transgenr cizens Iran tablished, a rrelatn between the two to light. Both homosexuals and transgenr people are viewed as havg a mental illns, a diagnosis which advot applitn of the genr reassignment operatn, even when do not rrelate wh the dividual’s intifitn.

Homosexuals phed towards this as a treatment are left wh few optns due to the legal support of hormone treatments, psychotherapy, and full transnal operatns; th, many are faced wh eher endurg the promoted medil approach or fleeg the untry to seek polil asylum a natn wh different legal thorizatn of genr reassignment reprents signifint progrs and support for the transgenr populatn, n also unfortunately be ed agast the already persecuted mographic of homosexuals Iran. And whatever your opn is on gay marriage, polls show that the overwhelmg majory of Ameris want gay men and women to be able to live their liv enjoyg full civil rights and eedom om discrimatn.

THE LTLE-KNOWN STORY OF IRAN'S FIRST GAY MARRIAGE

Even people wh relig objectns to homosexualy will sist that they love their fellow gay brothers and sisters and will do everythg they n to ensure they feel safe and ee this great untry, even if they oppose refg marriage. The number of Iranian homosexuals who have been executed unr Iranian law sce 1979 is timated by human rights activists and opponents of the current Iranian regime to be the range of 4000-6000.

WHAT 'S LIKE TO BE GAY IRAN

It seems that while gay lobby groups, the media, policians, and everyday cizens will speak out and prott wh outrage at the slightt sign of discrimatn agast someone who is gay, there is hardly a peep when gays are arrted, tortured, and executed Iran and elsewhere the world.

Lobbyists and policians are well aware that the number of Iranian homosexuals who have been executed unr Iranian law sce 1979 is timated by human rights activists and opponents of the current Iranian regime to be the range of 4000-6000 gays and lbians killed for havg sexual relatns wh someone of the same genr. Furthermore, while Iran has very liberal laws wh regards to transgenr dividuals, and fact the ernment will help pay for such surgeri, the polici are actually ed as another tool to stroy and persecute gays and lbians Iran.

That’s bee Iranian homosexuals are actually told and enuraged by relig clerics, and even their own fai, that they mt unrgo sexual reassignment surgery for their own benef bee the reason they are attracted to members of the same sex is that the te genr of their soul is trapped the wrong body. Do any of the gay lobby groups, or any other groups who claim to be so foced on human rights vlatns, brg up the jtic a signifint way that the average cizen of the Uned Stat uld at least be aware that this is happeng and voice their outrage as such stone-age barbarism?

EVERYTHG YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT BEG GAY MLIM UNTRI

If you re about gays Alabama but uld not give a damn about gays Iran, turns out you are more ncerned wh the legal amework of the Uned Stat than you are ncerned about the actual sufferg of human begs. 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. 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:.

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).

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.

BEFORE THE ISLAMIC REVOLUTN, A GAY WEDDG HAPPENED TEHRAN

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. 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.

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.

Discrimatn between the active and the passive partners, opposg transsexuals, misogyny, ternalized homophobia, a tradnal and biased view towards two people’s relatnship, lack of sufficient emotnal matury, and over-emotnalism are some of the thgs that n more or ls be seen among homosexuals.