25
lesbian, 34 years old, tehran
“I’d like to leave Iran; I’m getting pretty sick of people …
Maybe I’d go to London or Irvine. I’d like to be a basketball coach, but to be a DJ would be my ideal job … in general I haven’t had many problems but I often feel like I don’t belong to society” gay male, age not disclosed, tehran
“I’m opposed to the Islamic government and religion in all
forms and I’m especially opposed to people like Khatami [the re-
formists] … because I feel like they are more dangerous for people like me [homosexuals]. They know how to control society while deeply embedding religion in it. If by ‘taking part’ you mean to ask whether or not I collaborated with ‘the general public’ for
‘reform’, then no, and I would never ever do something like that. But I will do anything, absolutely anything, to support the best interests of myself and other homosexuals. From a social per-
spective, I am not at all a passive member, but I don’t work with
the general society because I actually consider it to be my enemy, which I need to fight against”
The above quotations reveal a vast chasm between general society and the LGBT community in Iran. These five respondents feel disenfranchised because both society and state reject them.
// What is the source of all this hatred? The next section of
this report provides an overview of Iran’s unique socio-political situ-ation. This contextual summary lends insight into the ap4
Although we briefly discuss the relationship between
Islam and homosexuality in
section four of this report, >>
paratuses and mechanisms that impinge upon the lives of LGBT Iranians. 4 The issue of LGBT rights is intrinsically complicated
in Iran. Although an in depth discussion of Iran’s social and political history is beyond the scope of our report, this overview will provide grounding for those needing an introduction to