Lbian Mlim Iranians Sahar Mosleh & Maryam Iranfar Have Marriage Blsed By Gay Imam In Swen | HuffPost UK News

Contents:

• THE LTLE-KNOWN STORY OF IRAN'S FIRST GAY MARRIAGE
• BEFORE THE ISLAMIC REVOLUTN, A GAY WEDDG HAPPENED TEHRAN
• THIS GAY COUPLE LEFT IRAN FOR A BETTER LIFE. NOW THEY WONR IF IT CAN LAST IN AMERI.
• LBIAN MLIM IRANIANS SAHAR MOSLEH & MARYAM IRANFAR HAVE MARRIAGE BLSED BY GAY IMAM IN SWEN
• TEXAS JUDGE WHO DON’T WANT TO PERFORM GAY MARRIAGE CEREMONI HOP WEB SIGNER’S SUPREME COURT SE HELPS HER FIGHT
• BEFORE THE ISLAMIC REVOLUTN, A GAY WEDDG HAPPENED TEHRAN
• WHAT 'S LIKE TO BE GAY IRAN

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

But he is equally well-remembered for one sgle event: his gay marriage, the first ever rerd Iran.

At the Turquoise Rtrant on the hotel’s top floor, over a 360-gree view of Tehran, an unprecented event took place: the marriage ceremony of two gay men, an event unimagable the Islamic Republic today. After the ceremony, the uple had planned to ri a rriage to Danhjou Park, their shared project, which had quickly also bee a gay hangout.

Mojahed, the official an of the People’s Mojahed Organizatn [MEK], clared a weddg held by two gay men symbolized “the height of rptn” of Pahlavi regime.

BEFORE THE ISLAMIC REVOLUTN, A GAY WEDDG HAPPENED TEHRAN

Tehran’s Commodore Hotel, the se of this unprecented unn, now belongs to the Mistry of Agriculture Jihad unr a regime that not only do not regnize the human rights of homosexuals, but stead routely hangs them. It also was known as the most popular spot among Iranian gay men.

That night, the Turquoise Rtrant on the top floor of the hotel, wh a 360-gree view of Tehran, beme the scene of an event that was unprecented anywhere the world at the time, and may take years to be repeated Iran: this was the marriage of two Iranian gay men. The snow didn’t stop the uple om takg the horse and rriage wag outsi to the famo park nearby, where they planned to spend the first hours of the morng this gay hangout. They left to the astonished ey of people on the street and ro to the park, which today is still a cisg spot for many gay Tehranis.

THIS GAY COUPLE LEFT IRAN FOR A BETTER LIFE. NOW THEY WONR IF IT CAN LAST IN AMERI.

For more than three s, nobody knew where the gay uple’s quiet life led except their iends. Both Sara and Paloma were open wh their fai om an early age about the fact that they were gay.

PALOMA: All my dad wanted to know when I told him I was gay was, “What about grandkids? Sara’s fay already knew that she was gay and about our life together.

PALOMA: The imagery of gay upl gettg married ma the ia of gettg married to Sara e alive for me. PALOMA: You know ’s a gay weddg if they have their eakg marriage certifite on display. Unfortunately, while a lbian uple is fun, the gay men feel like a throwback, and Alex’s bisexualy, which uld have provid an trigug and credible plitn, go nowhere.

LBIAN MLIM IRANIANS SAHAR MOSLEH & MARYAM IRANFAR HAVE MARRIAGE BLSED BY GAY IMAM IN SWEN

In a bleaker scenar, they would be ad or behd bars for the crime of beg what they are: gay. They’re alive, they’re married, and they live openly as gay Haghjoo and Nia also fd themselv a untry where the print tried to ban new refuge and immigrants om Iran and several other Mlim natns, on the argument that such people pose a threat to Ameri’s safety.

And they worry now about what will happen ― is already happeng ― to LGBTQ people a untry unr Republin want Iran to change so that people like them n be accepted as gay upl. To change so they n be accepted as gay refuge om Iran. Homosexualy is agast the law, and sex between two men n be punishable by ath.

TEXAS JUDGE WHO DON’T WANT TO PERFORM GAY MARRIAGE CEREMONI HOP WEB SIGNER’S SUPREME COURT SE HELPS HER FIGHT

Other acts, such as kissg or even jt nfsg to homosexualy, n lead to punishment. While there are secret works for LGBTQ people, many of them onle, members live unr the nstant threat of beg Haghjoo also wanted to be hont about who he was and to avoid ary service, bee n be dangero even for closeted gay was at risk for other reasons as well. Then his home phone man on the other end of the le said that he knew Nia was gay and that nothg bad would happen to him if he operated by gog to the man’s hoe and named other gay people.

Nia repeatedly cled to nfirm that he was gay or to intify anyone else, but the man kept his llege, a secury guard told Nia that a man had been there and asked for his schle. Based on the persecutn he experienced as a gay man.

Sometim others who had fled their hom and were now stuck Turkey argued that beg gay ma easier for Nia and Haghjoo ― that they uld move through the refugee procs more quickly, while took longer for polil refuge. They didn’t unrstand that beg gay Iran had been “a prison, ” Nia Turkey was difficult, too.

BEFORE THE ISLAMIC REVOLUTN, A GAY WEDDG HAPPENED TEHRAN

They were featured on the popular Humans of New York Facebook page ― a photo of them standg on a pathway amed wh snow and a short ptn: “We’re gay refuge om Iran. When gay people beg to lose their eedom like they did Iran, he would leave. Courty of Ram HaghjooThey want to share their story so that other gay people now livg fear around the world know ’s possible to fd a life out of the closet ― although you may have to leave everythg you know behd to do .

A lbian uple om Iran have had their marriage blsed by a gay imam. Acrdg to the Texas judicial missn’s 2019 warng, Hensley referred gay upl who wanted her to pri over their marriage ceremony to other people who would officiate. Saeed was 20 years old when he sat his father down and told him he was gay.

WHAT 'S LIKE TO BE GAY IRAN

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.

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. Many gays endure beatgs and even sexual asslts om fay members, he adds.