89
many times [to be with a woman] … I lived like that for years,
struggling to satisfy my emotional and sexual needs … I’ve been
trying to find a partner for a long time, someone who’s really like me, but it’s hard”
female group members
“Hello, I’m Rey. I am 21 years old. I was born in Isfahan and I
live in Shiraz. I chose to study petrochemical engineering but I
regret it. I’d like to study music. I play the violin … I am a lesbian and I am proud of it”
“I’m Vahi and I’m 25 years old. At the moment, I live in Shiraz,
but I was born in Kuwait and lived there until I was 12. I studied hotel management and worked at a 5-star hotel. In a month’s
time I’ll leave Iran and go to Turkey and then on to Canada. I live
with my mum here. My dad is in Kuwait. They separated 10 years
ago. I’m an only child and I’d like to continue my education in the field of computer science. I am a woman. I am a lesbian”
“I am Parvaneh but my friends call me Pari. I am 33 years old
and I’m a lesbian. I’m from Tehran. I lived in Turkey for three ye-
ars but I moved to Canada about six months ago. I suffered hard times in Turkey, very hard. The only good thing about living in
Turkey was that I made good friends. By good friends, I mean real
friends, and not those who are only there for you when the going is good. I don’t wanna talk about the difficult time that I had
there, as I am trying to forget it … those days made me strong
though … I like where I am in life at the moment and I am proud of being a lesbian”