5.7. Lesbian questionnaire responses
LGBT Republic of Iran: An Online Reality?
// The virtual world
“I started using the internet when I was 11 years old and I’ve
always been addicted to it. My life is totally dependent on the
internet. I used to go on sports websites but now I am addicted
to Facebook. I’ve met a lot of people on Facebook and I have had both good and bad experiences. I think it’s a nice place to find good friends but it’s also a bit difficult sometimes”
// Past/present/future
“I’m 17 years old, I’m gay, I’m sporty, and I really like sports and
music”
// Reaction of family and friends
“I told my parents and my dad had the best reaction. He ac-
cepted it very well. I’ve told many people I’m gay and I have been faced with a lot of bad reactions. My uncle is very religious. Once
we were talking about homosexuals and my cousin insulted gay people and said they’re really strange and I was really upset but I couldn’t tell her I’m a lesbian because she is a relative and if I told her then she would tell everyone else” 2.
// Trust
“Whoever I’ve trusted wholly and emotionally, well, all their
feelings were fleeting lies. Although I should probably say that up until this point, all of my girlfriends have actually been straight. In general, I’m an optimist and trust everyone, but I can’t trust
people with my emotions anymore. I haven’t told anyone direct-
ly that I’m gay, but everyone knows. If someone asked me directly then I would tell the truth, and if they didn’t like it, then they
could stop hanging out with me. In my opinion, if you can’t trust
anyone in the real world, then how can you trust someone in the virtual world? I don’t trust the virtual world either”