Human Rights Day

[jagged]

A report from Iraq (16-12-2008)
There is nothing in the Iraqi constitution that says being Gay is illegal, however, depending on where you live, meaning which area or neighborhood, it is something which is frowned upon. Culture and religion especially tend to regard homosexuality as a social defect which threatens the marital institution.

Culturally homosexuality is frowned upon by the Abrahamic faiths due to the fact that these religions viewed homosexuality as a threat to the marital institution. In Mesopotamian culture, homosexuality was regarded as a higher level of spiritual lovemaking and was widely practiced, even in the pre-Islamic Arab culture it was practiced and bi-sexuality was common.

Geographical Position (Source: Wikipedia)

Nowadays the mentality in Iraq and the Middle East generally speaking is that if you are a top you are regarded and perceived as a stud. Even if you engage in a homosexual act you can pretty much get away with it. But if you are a bottom you are a victim. Some may see you as a prostitute and treat you as such, passing you on from one person to another. If you sleep with a guy before he gets emotionally attached to you, you can be sure that you will no longer be respected.

That is why I don't date when in Iraq. I prefer to get involved with someone when I travel to other countries. Of course there are decent men and guys you can count on, but they are kind of harder to find. You can have sex with straight or bi-sexual men, they are all over the place, but my advice is you to be careful at work and in your neighborhood. Depending where you live you could be seen as a target by militia's who could threaten or blackmail you.

(Source: Talat Model Management)

You can be gay in Iraq and many people will accept it, friends won’t stop associating with you just because you are gay. Its the effeminate guys and women who are overtly masculine that may struggle and get picked on at times. But even in professional institutions people don't pick on someone because they noticed he is gay or even if he acts in a feminine manner.

There was talk in the media about ‘death squads’ targeting gays in Iraq. But I think the media exaggerated it by presenting it as something which was taking place all over the country. This is not true. It was mainly guys who were working as prostitutes that were targeted and I am sure that these guys were used as double agents by the various factions of these militias and so they were eliminated. The homosexuals who were targeted and eliminated by militants were mainly from the impoverished neighborhoods of Baghdad.

A


December 10th is Human Rights Day
and the human rights of LGBT people are something that none of us can take for granted

What can you do?
Keep aware, stay vigilant and check out LGBT organisations near you to see how you can support their important work

Gay Rights are Human Rights!
More info at: hxxp://www.hrw.org/en/home

[jagged]

A report from Egypt (07-11-2008)
In Egypt, there are many classes for gays; some are of the higher class, they are well educated & work; some of the lower class, who cruise in streets, but they are not the majority, they are just the visible ones. But, gays of the scene are not that much in streets; they are few and only appear at certain places. In general, all gays feel afraid of police officers & we never feel safe when we meet someone new. We should be extremely cautious. Straight community are not accepting or understanding what is homosexuality AT ALL!

Geographical Position (Source: Wikipedia)

I knew someone online before & met him 3 times. The third time I met him, he set a trap for me and stole my mobile and his friend could kill me with his knife!

Many people meet to steal, while we can't have our rights. We can’t tell the Police what happened to us just 'cause we are gays. I knew someone else that was murdered, called "S." He was killed in the age of 23! 3 months ago & the press distorted this story but nobody cared anyway.

I heard that unfair treatment for homosexuals in Egyptian prisons has decreased, but I don't believe that. Egypt’s policies are very bad and it's getting worse, especially the ruling family. Everything seems to get better, but it is getting worse in its core also for democracy and freedom of speech!

D


December 10th is Human Rights Day
and the human rights of LGBT people are something that none of us can take for granted

What can you do?
Keep aware, stay vigilant and check out LGBT organisations near you to see how you can support their important work

Gay Rights are Human Rights!
More info at: hxxp://www.hrw.org/en/home

[jagged]

A Story from Uzbekistan (01-10-2008)
I must admit that this is not easy to live with thing like this in country like Uzbekistan, and the problem mostly is in people's attitude to it.

Geographical Position (Source: Wikipedia)

The majority of society is still very traditional, it means that is hard to accept what is out of the majority and what, in some people’s words, is a sin. In this country of more than 25 million population there are no single gay club, disco, etc. Most of the people are meeting online, then trying to have a date. But most of people are afraid of showing pictures or any kind of personal information which might be discovered.

Everyone is afraid that it might be known by other people which would to jokes and insults and being called ‘gay’ That's considered one of the most hurtful insults. Me personally I’m telling it to no one. That's why I probably will never post the picture of me, while I am in Uzbekistan. Personally, there were some situations where I've been sent insults to my address, when I was in school, and a couple times on the street. I've been hurt by such words, but then I've understood that I will not show my reaction.

Nothing much is changing in this country in the rights of gays. Nothing can actually happen while there is even a law prohibiting homosexuality. I really hope that something will happen someday, but I am afraid that it's not very soon.

B


December 10th is Human Rights Day
and the human rights of LGBT people are something that none of us can take for granted

What can you do?
Keep aware, stay vigilant and check out LGBT organisations near you to see how you can support their important work

Gay Rights are Human Rights!
More info at: hxxp://www.hrw.org/en/home

[jagged]

From the United Arab Emirates (20-08-2008)
This place is teeming with many good looking men who are gay who just don’t have the courage to "out" themselves for fear of being persecuted by family, friends, religion and the law. Sad it is, to think that homosexuality in this part of the region is, in some unexplainable way, very much a part of the culture. Maybe I am wrong but having stayed here for so many years, I just cant ignore that fact and deny it as much as they the locals can. It happens, even if only in dark alleyways or the privacy of certain places considered safe by those in desperate need of companionship or just plain sexual release.

Geographical Position (Source: Wikipedia)

There are many instances of gays being persecuted here. Some of them are really very mundane or superficial. Yet walk in a crowded mall as a gay man and you are surely bound to find invitations. Well, some not so nice ones but there are also those that are legitimate come-ons for sex.

I respect the laws and this place's culture and do not encourage homosexuals here to flaunt themselves. Just to be taken as an individual and not treated differently from others, without fear of being tagged a criminal or whatever insane accusations.

On the other hand, this is also where I found love in so many forms. I got bruised and broken here and yet continue to love this place. This is where I make a living. This is where I enjoy life.

There are so many stories I can tell. Some of them happened to me, in the desert, in malls, in small dingy apartments, with locals and expatriates alike, with men in uniform, with Adonis-like men from countries I can not even recall. Some I wish to forget, but some I treasure and savor each memory of. I got raped and humiliated and thrown in jail for certain things I did not commit. Luckily, I got out. This place will continue to persecute homosexuals while closing its eyes to much of what takes place, and in the process, find themselves with an erection whenever a smooth, fair-skinned lean bodied man walks by.

J


December 10th is Human Rights Day
and the human rights of LGBT people are something that none of us can take for granted

What can you do?
Keep aware, stay vigilant and check out LGBT organisations near you to see how you can support their important work

Gay Rights are Human Rights!
More info at: hxxp://www.hrw.org/en/home

[jagged]

Turkey - Lambda Istanbul’s Legal Battle (20-06-2008)
I’m Emrecan. I’m a 30-year-old gay man who’s been volunteering for Lambdaistanbul, an LGBT rights organisation in Turkey, since last March. Lambdaistanbul has been working as a meeting place, cultural centre and a helpline for Turkish sexual minorities since 1993. At the time Lambda was being formed in Istanbul, I was discovering my (homo)sexuality in my hometown, Ankara. Lambdaistanbul has been the longest running LGBT group in Turkey, and it made perfect sense to somehow get involved. So, when I moved to Istanbul, I joined this group of volunteers to work for our rights.

However, on May 29th, a local court decided to close down Lambdaistanbul. The association had been fighting this legal battle since July 2007, upon the complaint of the Governor’s Office of Istanbul, which pursued the case in a higher court, even though the Prosecutor rejected the initial request to close down Lambda. The final ruling came on the grounds that this association was formed for “immoral purposes” and that it is “against Turkish family values.”

Volunteers of Lambdaistanbul are now getting ready to take the case to the Court of Appeals, which will hopefully overrule this decision. If not, the case will be taken to the European Court of Human Rights. In any case, we are outraged and greatly saddened by this unlawful decision which infringes on our very basic human rights.

Thankfully, we have been receiving an incredible amount of national and international support. Our press conference and demonstration were both highly successful, garnering a lot of attention to issues of LGBT people in Turkey. Also, in the past few weeks, there have been demonstrations in France, Germany and the Netherlands to protest the court’s decision, which arrived merely a week after the Human Rights Watch published a report on LGBT rights in Turkey, and a month before the Istanbul Pride Week that is organised by Lambdaistanbul volunteers.

There have been many attempts to celebrate Pride Week in Istanbul in the past decade but we have been regularly and successfully celebrating it since 2005. In Istanbul, the last week of June is full of concerts, panels, plays, parties and activities that culminate in the highly expected Pride parade in the city centre. Last year’s Pride Parade has been the biggest ever with 1500 people, which included artists, ambassadors and politicians. Gayromeo hope to gather an even bigger crowd this year on June 29th, to get louder and fiercer in our struggle for rights and freedom as citizens of this country. Many friends and supporters are going to join their parade from Europe and from all over the world, including two Members of the European Parliament.

While the appeal is underway, Lambdaistanbul will continue to function as usual, providing help and information to LGBT persons and their families, documenting human rights violations against sexual minorities, and seeking visibility, acceptance and legal rights. We will also run a campaign, titled “Hands Off My Association,” to bring this matter to the attention of politicians.

It is our hope that Lambdaistanbul will be the last LGBT group to face closure in Turkey. If you support Lambda’s cause and LGBT rights in Turkey, please sign our petition (with text in Turkish, English, French and German), which will be sent to the President, the Prime Minister, the Speaker of the Parliament and the Head of the Constitution Commission.

If you want to stay informed about the appeal and Lambdaistanbul’s activities, you can visit Lambdaistanbul.org, or join the “Lambdaistanbul” group on Facebook.


December 10th is Human Rights Day
and the human rights of LGBT people are something that none of us can take for granted

What can you do?
Keep aware, stay vigilant and check out LGBT organisations near you to see how you can support their important work

Gay Rights are Human Rights!
More info at: hxxp://www.hrw.org/en/home

[jagged]

A report from Mauritius (13-06-2008)
Gay life in Mauritius is not easy. Although we are a mainly tourist country, there is still much prejudice and gender violence. Gays and Lesbians are prone to many stereotypes and violence. Personally I think the biggest issue here is the violence against gay men, whether verbal or physical. I myself have had verbal abuse from straight people, who will openly show their disrespect towards a gay person.

Geographical Position (Source: Wikipedia)

Although in Port Louis the situation is better because of the tourists, the further one moves away, the more conservative it gets. Recently a lesbian friend of mine was sodomized by straight men, who said that "they'll make her straight”, since "being gay is unafrican". She was very traumatized by this and there's also no real psychological help she can seek since one doesn't know whether to trust the doctors and shrinks by telling them you're gay.

In addition, the church is also a big obstacle for gays not only in Mauritius but in the whole of Africa. One would expect that the church is the place where one can go to find comfort and seek refuge, but this is the complete opposite. I’ve been told various times by a priest that I'll rot in hell if I don't change my way of living and stop being gay.

I remember in school how we were punished, the first time I was caught in the 1980's. It’s normal for children at that age to experiment, and a teacher caught me and another boy. We punished by the cane and couldn't sit for more than a week. The most excruciating experience was that we knew if we get home we'll get another hiding since our parents are religiously VERY conservative and old-fashioned.

5 Years ago, a gay friend of mine was caught with a tourist and the men who caught them, pushed a pen up into his penis as a punishment for being gay. There are various instances that one never reads in the media of what happens to gay people in Africa. We have no rights, we have no freedom, one always have to be scared and very discreet. You can't really be open to your family and if you are open towards friends, you have to trust them with your life. Being gay can also mean unemployment since in certain jobs, when words spread around that you're gay/lesbian, you're black-labelled.

For many gay and lesbian Africans the only light out of hell is to flee to South Africa where as a gay person you can get married, or abroad to other countries or to find a partner somewhere else, however this is not the perfect solution. What we need is to liberate Africa from its conservativeness. I mean really, Africa today is more Christian than Christianity itself, and Christianity is not even part of Africa. But today religion is our biggest enemy to have a free sexual orientation on this continent.

To conclude, I think we need a new media focus on Africa. Too many times people only focus on the poverty and the "backwardness" of the continent, instead of focusing on us, the people. Although we have a lot of development taking place, what we need is to show the world how deeply divided African society is, and how in 99% of the cases this has been caused by religion, whether Islam, Hinduism, Christianity or African religions.

I hope for a free and fair change one day in my country, where I can walk with my husband/ partner/ lover/ boyfriend hand-in-hand and enjoy the freedom of not being stared at, insulted at or attacked.

A


December 10th is Human Rights Day
and the human rights of LGBT people are something that none of us can take for granted

What can you do?
Keep aware, stay vigilant and check out LGBT organisations near you to see how you can support their important work

Gay Rights are Human Rights!
More info at: hxxp://www.hrw.org/en/home

[jagged]

A report from Nigeria (17-05-2008)
My Name is C. I was born in Enugu state of Nigeria where I live with my Parents who work for the Government. We are 3 boys and 3 girls in the Family. I am the 3rd of the Kids and I love my family and have always be a good son. As I grew up I started to see that I have an eye on men. This is how I got to know I am Gay.

Geographical Position (Source: Wikipedia)

The present situation about Gay life here in Nigeria especially here in Lagos is that Gay is still a forbidden thing. When one hears or learn that his best friend is Gay there is always a bad reaction and people have been hurt, killed and also humiliated because they are Gay.

My Experiences: I was once dating in my senior class at school and we are both in love with each other. We bath together and also we have one secret that no one knows about us but we know it ourselves. One day I have to be sent to Lagos state University where i was schooling and I had a friend who was bisexual. I am not worried because I can at least see someone that will be having fun and sex with me which I know is difficult here in Nigeria to find.

One day I wake up and was busy reading and he knocked at my door. I open the door and he called me and say he want to talk to me. I say yes. This was morning around 7.29am and we sat and he was asking me if I am in any secret cult. I say no and he say what is wrong with me? I say nothing. He say there must be an Evil in me that is pushing me to seduce him and others to have sex with me.

I was shocked and asked him what does that mean? He is embarrassing me and he started shouting at the House and all the neighbours come out to listen to us and he is telling them that I am Homosexual and that ever since he knew me that he never see me with any Girl and my neighbours also agreed and say yes that they had never set their eyes on me with any Girl. This brought big problem between me and them and everyone started avoiding me at the compound and also talking all things against me. They report me to the owner of the House where am living and the man called me and tell me to be careful for my life.

Though I thank God that he understand that God create Gay, Lesbians, Bisexual and Transgender and I listen and also thank Him. All the while my friend stays close to my family. They knew that we are best of friend but didn’t know that we are having any sexual affair. My family did not know I am Gay till the guy called them on phone and told them everything about me and that am having quarrel with him because he refuse to have sex with me. This cause my mum to fall sick and my brothers called me on phone and say all sorts of thing.

My sisters also say they don’t want to see me anymore and that am not part of the family again. I cried and was alone and was a rejected thing, but still I am not shaken because I know that I am not the one that created myself or chose to be this way. I was also forced out from the church am attending where I was one of the Choir members. And I was banned not to come again and be among their group. I started living and doing things alone like an outcast and my family never care about me anymore even to send me food stuffs to eat or support me for my education.

This lasted like 3 good months before one day my Mum called me and tell me that she is not angry about my life and she called to ask how am living and I answer that call with tears in my eyes and I later called my brothers and tell them the same and my sisters and they all accept me later the way I am and they say there is nothing they can do about it .But if that is how my God created me that I should be careful and not to fall into any problem because the Government will kill me and they wouldn’t come to rescue me.

All the people on my compound that rejected me now today talking to me and greeting me and I talk to them as well and also greet them too. We are just like best of friends and chat and talk. For sexuality they have their girlfriends but they are today respecting me for the way I am.

I am 100% gay and I know also that one day in this earth I will surely meet a man that is for me and who knows and will understand my life style and who will be mine for ever and also remain with him.

C


December 10th is Human Rights Day
and the human rights of LGBT people are something that none of us can take for granted

What can you do?
Keep aware, stay vigilant and check out LGBT organisations near you to see how you can support their important work

Gay Rights are Human Rights!
More info at: hxxp://www.hrw.org/en/home

[jagged]

A report from Tanzania (28-03-2008)
Although homosexuality is illegal in East-Africa, homosexuals do meet through various media. We do not congregate in one venue but mostly in peoples' private homes. The network is quite active and although we are a minority we tend to be divided for silly issues e.g. formation of GLBT associations however in the case of death or positive event in the community, the unity of the gay community is very present. However kindly note that like anywhere in the world, the gay and lesbian communities only come together for specific topics.

Geographical position of Tanzania (Source: Wikipedia)

Another notable fact is the hustler situation. One can find very nice boys who do have sex with men on the condition that these are taken out in expensive bars/clubs, given money or any other material gifts. Some have even made an art of looking extremely good but never having sex with men however much money is thrown at them. These men do have women in their sexual lives and ensure that these are not aware of their "double" life.

I'll just recount two personal experiences (one positive and negative one): - I had applied for an executive position in a large company (40 branches in Africa). They were very much interested in my profile and the contract was already signed. However a local tabloid published of the 100 most prominent gay members in the country and my name was on this list. Two days after the paper was published, I got a call from my new employer stating that my contract would be cancelled. I asked for an explanation and was told that they didn't want to be associated with someone who might have illegal behaviours.

Luckily enough, I had not yet resigned from my previous job and am still working there. To top it all, the tension in my current office is quite high and most men don't really talk to me; fearing I might give them the "homosexuality" virus. - I also do some side jobs to supplement my income and I get most of my jobs as my clients believe that a homosexual has a got a more sensible side and can compliment their requirements better than any other being…

In the beginning of the year (2007), Victor Juliet Mukasa (a lesbian transgender) was attacked in her house by a police raid claiming that she had lesbian pornographic material. During the raid, she was sexually molested by the police officers who took upon themselves to remind Victor of his "real" gender and the roles of a woman. She then decided to take the officers to court and have this matter made known public. Ever since, the topic of "homosexuality" is often put on the carpet and on various occasions, religious groups have expressed their disgust at the practise of homosexuality.

These religious groups just like the LGBT associations get most of their funding from western countries and mainly the US However society is intricately homophobic by nature because homosexuality does not celebrate Man and his powers on society as heterosexuality does. For instance, in a heterosexual couple, roles are imposed e.g. the woman is to give birth, take care of the kids and the house however independent and educated she might be. As per the African society roles and models, homosexuality does not in any way favour the Man's position in a relationship.

Often heterosexual ask homosexuals: "Who is the woman in the couple?" and to top it all, some homosexuals view this as an important role distribution where one goes to look for the money and the other stays home to take care of the domestic affairs; needless to say that the sexual roles are also a determining factors here.

Interestingly, no one has ever been charged in East-Africa and prosecuted for being homosexuals. Some of the crimes made against the homosexuals are mostly non-violent but as we all know it's the crimes against the psyche that hurt the most…

East-Africa has a long way to go before homosexuality will be accepted and for that to be done, one has to ensure that the cultural aspect is taken care of. It's the popular belief that homosexuality is a disease from the West and something that can be cultivated. Often one hears people talking about how they recruit homosexuals. I am sure that none of you have been recruited to suck cock. You are what you are! To a certain extent, some cultivated people believe that mature homosexual men walk around in nappies because they cannot hold their stool since they overuse their anuses. It is such myths that actually prevent homosexuality from being accepted by society…

Lastly, due to the enormous funding from the "staunch" Christian American movement, a lot of people quote the Bible as a reference against homosexual practices, however the Bible contains 42 verses against homosexuality and more than 280 against heterosexual fornication. So if one is to read the Bible carefully, it is just better to be gay according to religion, right?

J


December 10th is Human Rights Day
and the human rights of LGBT people are something that none of us can take for granted

What can you do?
Keep aware, stay vigilant and check out LGBT organisations near you to see how you can support their important work

Gay Rights are Human Rights!
More info at: hxxp://www.hrw.org/en/home

[jagged]

Iran (28 Feb. 2008)
I was born in September 1980, in Iran. As a teenager growing up in Shiraz, I was lonely and filled with self-loathing. I had never met another queer, and I thought I was a freak. I prayed to become a good person, a normal person. Other people fasted for one month, but I fasted for three. Then I found the internet. And I discovered that I was not alone.

After that, I started to understand who I am and come to terms with my sexual identity. I began to do advocacy work for the queer community in Iran, but my work earned me the attention of the Iranian authorities and I was forced to flee Iran on Mar 4, 2005 It was 12:45 pm. I have never forgotten that time. I had to leave all my own things in my motherland and go into exile. It was intolerable.

My train took me to Turkey, where I was able to register as a refugee at the office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees in Ankara. I had stopped praying by then. When I fled to Turkey, I promised my God that I would continue my support for Iranian queers and that would be my form of worship.

Three months after arriving in Turkey, my case was accepted, and two months later I was invited to Canadian Embassy in Ankara. Eight months later, here I am in Canada. Homophobia runs deep into Iranian society. This, of course, partly reflects the influence of the conservative Islamic legal and religious standards promoted by the government. Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini notoriously called for homosexuals to be extirpated as "parasites and corruptors of the nation" who "spread the stain of wickedness."

It also reflects a patriarchal social system in which sexuality is controlled and feared, except when at the service of reproduction. Before I fled to Turkey, three of my closest friends committed suicide because of their sexual orientation. More recently, Iranian police arrested two gay men in their 20s for hosting a small house party. The men received 80 lashes each; I doubt that I would be able to endure one. I admire their courage. After getting his punishment, one of the men asked the person who executed this inhuman sentence whether he felt closer to God by this savagery.

Their lives, like many if not all the other LGBTs in Iran, is miserable.

"Since childhood I could not find any attraction to the opposite sex; yes of course I am a homosexual," says Farsad, 26. At 21, in order to meet other people like himself, he set up a successful blog. The secret police found his address through his IP and arrested him. He spent three weeks in solitary confinement, and then he was accused of obscenity, advocating decadent values and homosexuality.

Last winter, Farsad met Farnam in a gay chat room. After corresponding they moved in together to start life as a couple, in disguise but together. They invited a small group of their friends to celebrate this union. Just 15 minutes after the party began, the police broke into their house and arrested everyone. They were brutally beaten, says Farsad, and then transported to a police detention centre. They spent the entire Persian New Year holidays in a prison cell. "We were beaten to the point that my spine hurt permanently; I still feel the pain caused by the fists pounding my face," Farsad says.

Within the Middle East, Iran is distinguished by the overt severity of the penalties it imposes on consensual, adult homosexual conduct. "Sodomy" or lavat (consummated sexual activity between males, whether penetrative or not) is punishable by execution, regardless of whether the partner is passive or active.

Article 111 of the Islamic Penal Code states that, "Lavat is punishable by death so long as both the active and passive partners are mature, of sound mind, and have acted of free will." According to Articles 121 and 122 of the Penal Code, Tafkhiz (the rubbing together of thighs or buttocks, or other forms of non-penetrative "foreplay" between men) is punishable by one hundred lashes for each partner. Recidivism is punishable by death on the fourth conviction.

Article 123 of the Penal Code further provides that, "if two men who are not related by blood lie naked under the same cover without any necessity," each will receive 99 lashes. Iranian lesbians are not allowed to have an existence in Iran either. Many are forced by society and/or family to live a lie and marry a man. Women convicted of lesbian sex face flogging or, after conviction for a fourth time, the death penalty.

Each time they are arrested, they are raped, whipped and tortured to death. If they are raped by strangers or acquaintances, they and their family members are often reluctant to file a formal complaint because being raped is itself a matter of shame and disgrace.

According to Iran's Penal Code, which is consistent with Islamic law, an accused person can be convicted of sodomy if he reiterates a confession to the act four times. The practice of torture is prevalent in Iran, and the practice of torturing prisoners to extract confessions is common. Forced confessions are openly accepted as evidence in criminal trials. The death penalty for lavat is not merely a paper punishment in Iran: it is enforced.

Trials on morals charges in Iran are held in camera, and international outrage over the frequency of executions has led the government to exercise tight controls over press reporting of the death penalty. For these reasons, confirming the frequency of executions for lavat is effectively impossible.

On Nov 13, 2005 the semi-official Tehran daily Kayhan reported that the government publicly hung two men, Mokhtar, 24, and Ali, 25, in Gorgan. The government reportedly executed the two men for the crime of "lavat." On Mar 15, 2005 the newspaper Etemad reported two men were sentenced to death, after the wife of one of the men discovered a videotape of the two engaging in homosexual acts.

In November 2005 an 18-year-old boy was set on fire by his father in Rasht. Outraged and saddened with the news of his son's homosexuality, the father first poured gasoline on his son and then on himself in order to save his family's honour. The boy died from severe burns. The father survived with burns on his hands and face.

Other queer Iranians managed to flee, as I did, and tell their own stories. On Nov 14, 2006, however, Iran's state-run news agency, IRNA, reported that Shahab Darvishs, was executed in Kermanshah. According to Justice Department, he was found guilty of the despicable act of sodomy.

Taraneh is an Iranian lesbian refugee who now lives in Europe. She was 21 years old when she was arrested for the first time. She spent 27 months in prison and received 280 lashes of the whip. She says she was severely tortured there, and was forced to confess to her lesbianism. She spent several days in solitary confinement while bleeding and lacking access to sanitary and medical accessories.

Sayeh is one of the many Iranian transgenders who have experienced such governmental acts of arrest and torture first hand. She was arrested several times by police forces and experienced humiliation and abuse at their hands. Police forces pushed her into a black car, bombarded her with demoralizing and dehumanizing words and took her to a detention centre.

Above are just a few examples to show how in Iran, the state, society and family are often united in creating an atmosphere of uncertainty, fear and danger for Iranian queers. I have many more stories I could tell, but my point is this: Iranian queers do exist in Iran. President Ahmadinejad's statement that "we don't have homosexuals like in your country" is simply not true.

There are many gay and lesbian people in Iran, and they need your support. Right now.

Arsham Parsi
Executive director of the Iranian Queer Organization
(IRQO) based in Toronto.
Check out www.irqr.net
IRanian Queer Organization – IRQO
Formerly Persian Gay & Lesbian Organization – PGLO
tel: 001-416-548-4171


December 10th is Human Rights Day
and the human rights of LGBT people are something that none of us can take for granted

What can you do?
Keep aware, stay vigilant and check out LGBT organisations near you to see how you can support their important work

Gay Rights are Human Rights!
More info at: hxxp://www.hrw.org/en/home

[leatherbear]

For this most informative post!! Certainly now is not the time for complacency in the never ending struggle for equal rights for LGBT people worldwide!! We must all do what we can when we can to end this discrimination now!!