LGBTQ history in Iran
[1][2][3][4][5][6][7][8][9][10][11][12][13][14][15][excessive citations] The book Foucault and the Iranian Revolution: Gender and the Seductions of Islam by Janet Afary] and Kevin Anderson, features a notable chapter on same-sex relations in Iran.
In this chapter, Afary argues that the current regime in the Islamic Republic of Iran is suppressing a long-standing tradition of homosexual culture that dates back over a thousand years.
[16] She points out that classical Persian literature, including the works of poets like Attar, Rumi, Sa'di, Hafez, Jami, and even Iraj Mirza in the 20th century, is filled with references to homoeroticism and openly discusses beautiful young boys and the practice of pederasty (not to be confused with homosexuality between adult men).
[16] Outside of royal courts, homosexuality and homoerotic expressions were accepted in various public settings, including monasteries, seminaries, taverns, military camps, bathhouses, and coffee houses.
[21] In either case, Plato claimed they saw fit to forbid it to the inhabitants of the lands they occupied, since "It does not suit the rulers that their subjects should think noble thoughts, nor that they should form the strong friendships and attachments which these activities, and in particular love, tend to produce.
"[22] Sextus Empiricus writing in his "Outlines of Scepticism" (circa C.E 200) asserted that the laws of the Persians were tolerant of homosexual behavior, and the men "indulge in intercourse with males" (1:152)[23] Around 250 BCE, during the Parthian Empire, the Zoroastrian text, the Vendidad, was written.
There were no public agencies to assist youth or people who were confused or questioning their sexuality:[citation needed] Due to the fact “Classical Persian literature—like the poems of Attar (died 1220), Rumi (d. 1273), Sa’di (d. 1291), Hafez (d. 1389), Jami (d. 1492), and even those of the 20th century Iraj Mirza (d. 1926)—were replete with homoerotic allusions and pederasty,[16] Ahmad Kasravi and others, such as Iraj Mirza, opposed homosexuality and initiated a movement against it.
[35] However, during the Pahlavi dynasty, Janet Afary mentions in an interview that literature professors have been compelled to claim that these incredibly beautiful love poems, which clearly express same-sex affection, are not actually about homosexuality.
Reza Shah, who desired to raise his crown prince in a masculine manner and was very watchful of his behavior, became angry at his return to Iran accompanied by a homosexual.
[36] Among the architects and designers who assisted the Shahbanu in decorating the palace, Bijan Safari and Keyvan Khosravani were openly homosexual, yet they were constant companions of the royal family, indicating the level of sensitivity of the Shah and his wife, Farah Diba.
[36] Janet Afary has argued that the 1979 revolution was partly motivated by moral outrage against the Shah's regime, and in particular against a mock same-sex wedding between two young men with ties to the court.
[38][39] The new religious government that came to be established after the 1979 Iranian Revolution classed transsexuals and transvestites with gays and lesbians, who were condemned by Islam and faced the punishment of lashing and death under Iran's penal code.
Approved by the Iranian Parliament on July 30, 1991, and finally ratified by the Guardian Council on November 28, 1991, articles 108 through 140 distinctly talk about homosexuality and its punishments in detail.
[40] On August 11, 2005, a series of coordinated protests took place across France, Ireland, the United Kingdom, and other locations in response to the hangings of Ayaz Marhoni, 18, and Mahmoud Asgari, who was reported to be either 16 or 17 years old.
[16] Amid the controversy surrounding official claims that the executed youths had sexually assaulted a 13-year-old boy, Afdhere Jama, editor of Huriyah, a digital magazine for Queer Muslims, stated that his contacts in Iran confirmed that the two young men hanged in Mashhad were lovers.
[43] In May 2021, a tragic case of homophobic violence occurred near the city of Ahvaz in Iran's Khuzestan Province, where a 20-year-old Iranian man was kidnapped and decapitated by his half-brother and two cousins due to his sexual orientation.
His death sparked widespread attention on social media, leading activists and celebrities to call for greater action against the persecution of LGBT+ individuals under the Islamic Republic.
This led to opportunities for trans identified people to gain authorization for gender change surgery, hormonal procedures, health insurance, aid with financial and social issues, and new identification records.
Nonetheless, those who have undergone gender reassignment surgery experience exclusion in society, discrimination, possible rejection from family members, gender-based violence, and issues with employment.
Historian Afsaneh Najmabadi has articulated concerns that LGB identified persons have been encouraged to have gender reassignment surgery done to be socially accepted in Iran.
Progressive actions for the trans community in Iran have led to social and legal isolation, institutional violence, and oppression for LGBT members who don't identify as transgender.
