Being gay in iran

Warning: This article contains language that some readers may find offensive. She says that the officer appeared to be focused on pressing charges related to the protests and therefore did not pursue the allegations of homosexuality. Note 3 May This article was amended to make clear the laws referred to relate to people recorded as male at birth, rather than assigned as male at birth.

It is bent on consistently remaining true to itself. Queer is an offensive word to some, but for others it is the preferred term to describe their sexual orientation or gender identity. Skip to content. These penalties also apply to children under the age of A trans non-binary activist in Iran in their early 20s, who say they are defying pressure from the "guardians of cis-heteronormativity", describe the increased visibility of the LGBTQ community as the "rainbow wave".

Share Save. Yet the move has triggered a backlash from others. Others have taken to streets with placards in the colours of the Pride and trans flags, reading "Woman, Life, Freedom" - the de facto slogan of the protest movement - as well as "Queer, Life, Freedom". Others have handed out flyers to people on the streets that are hand-painted in the colours of the Pride flag and read: "The Iranian LGBTQ family stands by you.

The interrogator had searched the woman's phone and come across her intimate conversations with her girlfriend. In , an online Iranian LGBT rights organization called "Rainbow" was founded by Arsham Parsi, a well-known Iranian gay activist, followed by a clandestine organization named the "Persian Gay and Lesbian Organization".

LGBT Rights in Iran: homosexuality, gay marriage, gay adoption, serving in the military, sexual orientation discrimination protection, changing legal gender, donating blood, age of consent, and more. Afsaneh Rigot, a researcher in technology, law and human rights at Harvard University, says: "Seen globally, queer people in Iran face some of the harshest penalties for their existence.

Recently, dozens helped a gay beauty blogger make a video collage in which each of them repeated a single sentence: "We are countless. Now out of prison on bail, the woman, who is in her 20s, tells the BBC that she dodged the question by describing the conversation as "jokes that are common between girls".

The Iranian government imposes strict regulations and punishments for homosexuality. They also note that in response, top officials of the Islamic Republic are intensifying their homophobic rhetoric. Are you a degenerate? Pointing to the defiant spirit of the younger generations in Iran, she says that it came as no surprise that the LGBTQ community was "more visible during the recent protests", especially since the movement "has roots in the struggle for human rights".

During the protest movement, young LGBTQ people have defied the regime's bans on public shows of affection and same-sex intimacy by removing their hijab and kissing each other in public. Similar questions have reverberated through Iran's modern history whenever marginalised groups have demanded rights.

Iranian law, which is based on Sharia, considers same-sex relations as crimes that carry a maximum penalty of death. In addition to the outright homophobic reactions, an old question has resurfaced: "Is it the 'right time' to speak of LGBTQ rights in Iran? FACT: Iran has maintained and pursued policies which condemn and harshly punish homosexuality, a practice widely, and appropriately, criticized as a human rights violation.

Dozens of others who have been convicted are at risk of execution. In a speech in Tehran on the anniversary of the revolution on 11 February, President Ebrahim Raisi accused the West of "exploiting women" under the pretext of human rights. The protests swept across the country following the death in custody in September of Mahsa Amini, a young ethnic Kurdish woman who was detained by morality police for allegedly wearing her hijab "improperly".

In her opinion, this displays "unparalleled courage" of the younger generations and the gulf between them and the top echelons of the Islamic Republic, many of whom are now in their 80s. These include wearing clothes considered female if a person is recorded as male at birth.

Although transgender individuals may obtain legal recognition, they must undergo sex reassignment surgery, which is partially financially supported by the state. Other same-sex acts that are criminalised include same-sex "kissing or touching as a result of lust" and are punishable by flogging.

He said those countries were in no place to "set norms for the world, since they are pushing humanity towards the brink of extinction by promoting immoral behaviour like homosexuality". Four men have been executed on protest-related charges following trials that the UN says were unfair and based on forced confessions.

The BBC has withheld the identities of some of the people quoted in this article for their own safety. It stands tall and demands recognition.