Iranian Homosexuals Speak Out About Persecution
May 31, 2012
Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad says they do not exist. And in Iran, merely trying to be themselves is a crime that brings shame on their families. But now, Iranian homosexuals are starting to speak out about what it means to be gay and about the lengths to which they have gone to escape persecution.
The day begins as normal for Arash and Nima. But for them, just walking out the door is a reminder they are no longer at home in Iran.
"“The LGBT (lesbian, gay, bi-sexual, transgendered people) are a part of vulnerable class of the Iranian society," Arash explained.
Arash left Iran for Turkey nine months ago. He now works as a filmmaker and shot a video to help document his new life.
Iran’s conservative Islamic laws leave little room for homosexuality. United Nations experts and rights groups have criticized the Iranian government for criminalizing all homosexual acts, making certain acts punishable by death. Iran has also come under fire for subjecting those suspected of homosexuality to arbitrary arrest and torture.
The issue is one that Iranians are slowly being forced to confront - often through film. Such films, though, are not being made in Iran.
And at least at the highest levels, denial is the rule - as evidenced by comments Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad made to students at New York’s Columbia University in 2007:
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