Many people laughed in September when Iranian president Ahmadinejad said in a speech at Columbia University that there are not ‘homosexuals’ in Iran. This week human rights groups have brought to the media’s attention yet another human rights violation in Iran, where thirty men were arrested during a “morality raid” for what are considered illegal homosexual acts, and possession of alcohol. After being arrested, the men were taken to a forensic medical examiner by the police in hopes of obtaining proof that they had been participating in homosexual activities.
It’s often times easy for us in the states to forget that although we are persecuted, murdered, and legally and morally discriminated against, in other places around the world the way that we live our lives is considered criminal, punishable by whippings, fines, imprisonment, and even death. These are the stories that we need to be remembering, these are our family members, and if we are not careful, if we do not stand up for their human rights to express the queerness we often take for granted, one must ask how much longer can we truly be free?
–Sassafras Lowrey
Filed under: queer news | Tagged: gay, glbt, Iran, homan
