Interview: On Beg Gay Iran

Contents:

• Y, THERE ARE GAY PEOPLE IRAN
• WHAT 'S LIKE TO BE GAY IRAN
• Y IM GAY. Y I LIVE IRAN. WE EXIST : H W . WT.
• Y IM GAY. Y LIVE IRAN. WE EXIST
• Y IM GAY. Y I LIVE IRAN. WE TT
• Y IM GAY. Y I LIVE IRAN. WE EXIST
• Y IM GAY. Y I LIVE IRAN. WE EXIST 43 RETWEETS 94 LIK MM IRANIAN GOVERNMENT @IRANIANGOY "1 MAR 2018 O REPLYG TO @GAYPERSON NOT FOR LONG.
• INTERVIEW: ON BEG GAY IRAN
• HOW TO SAY "I'M GAY." PERSIAN.
• =~ GAY PERSON Y IM GAY. Y I LIVE IRAN. WE EXIST 0000641066 MB IRANAN GOVARNMENT
• LIVG AS A LBIAN IRAN, WHERE BEG GAY IS ILLEGAL

Y, THERE ARE GAY PEOPLE IRAN

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. 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.

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).

WHAT 'S LIKE TO BE GAY IRAN

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.

Y IM GAY. Y I LIVE IRAN. WE EXIST : H W . WT.

Have you subnscly ma peace wh your homosexualy Iran, or are you nstantly aware of your homosexualy?

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?

Y IM GAY. Y LIVE IRAN. WE EXIST

[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?

Y IM GAY. Y I LIVE IRAN. WE TT

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.

Y IM GAY. Y I LIVE IRAN. WE EXIST

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?

Y IM GAY. Y I LIVE IRAN. WE EXIST 43 RETWEETS 94 LIK MM IRANIAN GOVERNMENT @IRANIANGOY "1 MAR 2018 O REPLYG TO @GAYPERSON NOT FOR LONG.

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. Sometim the tense prsure the homosexual experienc over time ph him on a path where he may lack sufficient strength and patience to ntually evaluate himself and to ratnally manage his relatnships. Most of such fears have no remedy, and small or large dos, they are tertwed wh the psyche of most homosexuals.

How aware are Iranian homosexuals about health risks and preutns such as havg sex wh ndoms and the risk of HIV/AIDS? There is no official dissematn of rmatn for homosexuals and the only way to reach awarens about such issu is dog personal rearch, talkg to other homosexuals, and ocsnally gettg profsnal unselg. What kds of psychologil and mental problems do an Iranian homosexual face when she is forced to hi her real self society and among her fay?

When you live for many years wh Iranian homosexuals, you will learn that there is no shortage of prsn, dissatisfactn, psychologil tensn, and even attempted suici among them. The other issue is the emotnal problems of homosexuals, who nnot share their joy and sadns wh their fay and iends the way they like.

INTERVIEW: ON BEG GAY IRAN

Even wh all this, overall, we n’t ll the circumstanc and the emotnal state of Iranian homosexuals as bleak and disappotg. Homosexuals Iran have a different set of thoughts and ncerns, thgs that would be meangls to those who live a more open and advanced society.

This is why we n gus that homosexuals who live other untri may feel more cheerful, eer, and have more fun. At the same time there is more social acceptance and rpect for other mori the untri and most of them there are varyg gre of legal mechanisms for support of homosexuals and observatn of their rights.

What are your remendatns for those who still see homosexualy as an spic and abnormal phenomenon? In the middle of the fierce nontatn of polil activists wh the regime, many believe that this is not the appropriate time to be raisg the mands of homosexuals.

HOW TO SAY "I'M GAY." PERSIAN.

It is not necsary for all of to talk or take actn about the rights of Baha’is or homosexuals; but if someone has somethg to say or wish to take a step, we should all support him or her. 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.

=~ GAY PERSON Y IM GAY. Y I LIVE IRAN. WE EXIST 0000641066 MB IRANAN GOVARNMENT

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.

LIVG AS A LBIAN IRAN, WHERE BEG GAY IS ILLEGAL

| (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 problem is that somewhere down the road, someone fds out you are gay and then starts blackmailg you.

It don't have to be a straight [person], n be a gay who sleeps wh you and fds out you have money.