LGBTQ rights in Iran | |
|---|---|
.svg) | |
| Legal status | Same-sex relations illegal:Islamic law is applied. |
| Penalty | Execution, imprisonment, lashings, fines.[1] |
| Gender identity | Sex reassignment surgery, which is required to change legal gender, is legalized and is partially paid for by the government. |
| Military | No |
| Discrimination protections | None |
| Family rights | |
| Recognition of relationships | No recognition of same-sex unions |
| Adoption | No |
Lesbian,gay,bisexual, andtransgender (LGBTQ) people inIran face severe challenges not experienced by non-LGBTQ residents. Sexual activity between members of the same sex is illegal and can bepunishable by death,[2][3][4] and people can legally change their assigned sex only throughsex reassignment surgery. Currently, Iran is the only country confirmed to execute gay people, though death penalty for homosexuality might be enacted inAfghanistan.
LGBT rights in Iran have come in conflict with thepenal code since the 1930s.[5] Inpost-revolutionary Iran, any type of sexual activity outside aheterosexual marriage is forbidden. Same-sex sexual activities are punishable by imprisonment,[4]corporal punishment, fines, orexecution.[2][3][4] Gay men have faced stricter enforcement actions under the law than lesbians.
TheIslamic Republic of Iran is considered to be one of the mostdiscriminatory towards homosexuals in the world.[6][7][8] It is estimated that hundreds or thousands[9][10][11] of people were executed in the immediate aftermath of revolution of whom some 20 were homosexuals.Ruhollah Khomeini called for them to be exterminated in 1979.[12]
Transgender identity is recognized through sex reassignment surgery.Sex reassignment surgeries are partially financially supported by the state. Somehomosexual individuals in Iran have been pressured to undergo sex reassignment surgery in order to avoid legal and social persecution for being gay.[2][13][14] Iran carries out more sex reassignment surgeries than any other country in the world, ranking second place afterThailand.[14][2]
Around 250 BC, during theParthian Empire, theZoroastrian textVendidad was written. It contains provisions that are part of sexual code promoting procreative sexuality that is interpreted to prohibit same-sex intercourse as sinful. Ancient commentary on this passage suggests that those engaging insodomy could be killed without permission froma high priest. However, a strong homosexual tradition in Iran is attested to by Greek historians from the 5th century onward, and so the prohibition apparently had little effect on Iranian attitudes or sexual behavior outside the ranks of devout Zoroastrians in rural eastern Iran.[15][16][17][18][19]
There is a significant amount of literature inPersian that contains explicit same-sex illustrations.[20] A few Persianlove poems and texts from prominent medieval Persian poetSaadi Shirazi'sBustan andGulistan have also been interpreted as homoerotic poems.[21]
Under the rule ofMohammad Reza Shah, the last monarch of thePahlavi dynasty, homosexuality was criminalised, though it was mostly tolerated even to the point of allowing news coverage of a mock same-sex wedding.Janet Afary has argued that the1979 Revolution was partly motivated by moral outrage against the Shah's government, and in particular against a mock same-sex wedding between two young men with ties to the court. She says that this explains the virulence of the anti-homosexual oppression in Iran.[22]Reza Pahlavi,Crown Prince and the son ofShah Mohammed Reza, argued that LGBT individuals had freedom before the "Mullah Regime" (the1979 revolution).[23] After the 1979 Revolution, thousands of people were executed in public, including some homosexuals.[24][25]
Since the1979 Revolution, the legal code has been based onIslamic law. Despite allowingsex reassignment surgery, homosexuality in Iran remains a crime punishable by death.[2][3][4][14] In Iran, this framework is occasionally viewed as a means to "correct" individuals who may otherwise expresssame-sex desires, offering an option to conform toheteronormative standards (Najmabadi, 2011, p. 534).[2][13][14] All sexual activities that occur outside atraditional islamic marriage (i.e., sodomy or adultery) are illegal.[2][3] Same-sex sexual activities that occur between consenting adults are criminalized and carry a maximum punishment of death,[2][3][4] though not generally implemented.[citation needed] Rape, whether same-sex or opposite-sex, often results in execution, but is related to adultery and sodomy in Iran's penal code rather than being classified as "sexual assault". The death penalty is legal for those above 18, and if a murder was committed, legal at the age of 15. The currentIslamic Penal Code of Iran was introduced in 2013; it was preceded by the Islamic Penal Code of 1991, before which the pre-Revolutionary Penal Code of 1973 applied, as amended by the penal bills of 1982.[26]
The charges of same-sex sexual activity have in a few occasions been used in political crimes. Other charges had been paired with the sodomy crime, such as rape or acts against the state, and convictions are obtained in grossly flawed trials. On March 14, 1994, famous dissident writerAli Akbar Saidi Sirjani was charged with offenses ranging from drug dealing to espionage to homosexual activity. He died in prison under disputed circumstances.[27]
Article 233 of the 2013 version of the Islamic Penal Code of Iran definessodomy (lavāt) as the "penetration of genital organ up to foreskin of a man into anus of a male human".[26][28] Under article 234, the receptive partner receives the death penalty; the insertive partner receives the death penalty if they used force or coercion, are married, or if they are non-Muslim and the receptive partner is Muslim; otherwise, the penalty for the insertive partner is one hundred lashes. Article 235 punishesintercrural sex between men with one hundred lashes; a man placing his penis between a man's buttocks without inserting it into the rectum is also classified under article 235. However, under article 235, if the active partner is non-Muslim and the passive partner is non-Muslim, the penalty is execution. Article 237 criminalises all other physically intimate acts between men, with a punishment of between thirty-one and seventy-four lashes, chosen by judicial discretion. Under article 114, if the offender repents of a capital crime prior to conviction, and the judge considers the repentance to be genuine, then the penalty may be reduced to flogging, imprisonment, or even a reprimand; if the offender repents after conviction, the judge may submit a request to the Supreme Leader for the offender to be pardoned.
Under articles 238 and 239 of the 2013 Islamic Penal Code, the punishment fortribadism (female-female genital contact) is one hundred lashes. Under article 136, a woman convicted of tribadism for a fourth time receives the death penalty. The 2013 Penal Code does not contain any explicit provision criminalizing other cases of female-female sexual contact.
Some human rights activists and opponents of the government in Iran claim between 4,000 and 6,000 gay men and lesbians have been executed in Iran for crimes related to their sexual orientation since 1979.[29][30] According to The Boroumand Foundation,[31] there are records of at least 107 executions with charges related to homosexuality between 1979 and 1990.[32] According toAmnesty International, a male homosexual was executed in January 1990 under unclear circumstances that is no reason was given. At least five people convicted of homosexual activity, three men and two women were executed in January 1990 as a result of the government policy of demanding executions of those who "practice homosexuality".[33]
In a November 2007 meeting with his British counterpart, Iranian member of parliament Mohsen Yahyavi admitted that the government in Iran believes in the death penalty for homosexuality. According to Yahyavi, gays deserve to be executed. He said that if they do it privately then it's okay but if they do it overtly then they are to be executed.[34]
LGBT rights activistsZahra Seddiqi Hamedani andElham Choubdar were sentenced to death in 2021 by a court in Iran for "promoting homosexuality, promoting Christianity and communicating with media opposed to the Islamic Republic". The sentence was confirmed by Iran's judiciary, but said the charges involved "human trafficking and not activism".[35] On September 5, 2022, Iran's officialIRNA news agency reported that the two women had been sentenced to death on charges of "corruption on earth" and human tracking. The European Union condemned the death sentences on September 13, 2022.[36]
Few consenting participants ofsodomy (lavāt) are sentenced to death, but prior to 2012, both partners could receive the death penalty. On March 15, 2005, the daily newspaperEtemad reported that the Tehran Criminal Court sentenced two men to death following the discovery of a video showing them engaged in sexual acts to which they confessed. Another two men were allegedly hanged publicly in the northern town ofGorgan for sodomy in November 2005.[37] In July 2006, two youths in north-eastern Iran were hanged for "sex crimes", probably consensual homosexual acts.[4] On November 16, 2006, the State-run news agency reported the public execution of a man convicted of sodomy in the western city ofKermanshah.[citation needed] In January 2022, two gay men allegedly sentenced for "forced sexual intercourse between two men" were executed in the city ofMaragheh after spending six years on death row.[38]
On January 23, 2008, Hamzeh Chavi, 18, and Loghman Hamzehpour, 19, were arrested inSardasht,West Azerbaijan, for homosexual activity. An on-line petition for their release began to circulate around the internet.[39] They apparently confessed to the authorities that they were in a relationship and in love, prompting a court to charge them withmohārebe ("waging war against God") andlavāt (sodomy).
There were two reported crackdowns inIsfahan, Iran's third-largest city. On May 10, 2007, Isfahan police arrested 87 people at a birthday party, including 80 suspected gay men, beating and detaining them through the weekend.[40] All but 17 of the men were released. Those who remained in custody were believed to have been wearing women's clothing.[41] Photos of the beaten men were released by theToronto-basedIranian Railroad for Queer Refugees.[42] According toHuman Rights Watch, in February 2008, the police in Isfahan raided a party in a private home and arrested 30 men, who were held indefinitely without a lawyer on suspicion of homosexual activity.[43]
In 2016,Mullah Taha an IranianShia gay cleric was forced to flee Iran by the Iranian authorities after conducting same-sex marriages.[44]
In April 2017, 30 men were arrested in a raid inIsfahan Province, "charged with sodomy, drinking alcohol and using psychedelic drugs".[45]
Same-sex marriage andcivil unions are not legally recognized in Iran. Traditional Iranian families often exercise strong influence in whom, and when, their children marry and even what profession they chose.[46] Few LGBT Iranianscome out to family due to the fear of being rejected. No legislation exists to address discrimination or bias motivated violence on the basis ofsexual orientation orgender identity.[citation needed]
Traditional Iranian families tend to prohibit their children from dating, as it is not a part of Iranian culture, although this has become somewhat more tolerated, among liberals.[46] In 2004, an independent film[which?] was released, directed byMaryam Keshavarz, that examined the changing mores of Iranian youth when it comes to sex and dating.[47]
Gay Iranian couples are often afraid to be seen together[48] in public, and report thatLGBTQ people were widely stereotyped as being sex-obsessed child molesters, rapists, and disease-ridden.[49]
Before the 1979 Islamic Revolution, the Iranian government did not address the issue of transsexuality. However, in 1964, while in exile under the shah's regime, Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini issued a fatwa approving sex reassignment surgeries.[2]
As Article 20 in Clause 14 states, a person who hassex reassignment surgery can legally change their name and gender on the birth certification upon the order of court.
Those who are in favor of legitimately being able to reassign one's sex surgically utilize article 215 of Iran's civil code, stating that the acts of every person should be subject to rational benefit, meaning gender reassignment surgery would be in the best interest of whoever is appealing for governmental support. Caveats, however, include the need to have medical approval from a doctor that supports a dissonance between assigned gender and their true gender.
Although legally recognized by the current Supreme Leader in Iran,Grand AyatollahAli Khamenei, Grand AyatollahYousef Madani Tabrizi addresses gender reassignment surgery as "unlawful" and "not permissible by Sharia (Islamic law)".[clarification needed] Reasons for his contestation include the altering of God's creation and disfiguration of vital organs as being unlawful.[50][unreliable source?]
In 1976, the Iranian Medical Association ruled that such surgeries were unethical, except for intersex individuals (hermaphrodites).[2]
Since the mid-1980s, the Iranian government has legalized the practice of sex reassignment surgery (under medical approval) and the modification of pertinent legal documents to reflect the reassigned gender. In 1983, Khomeini passed afatwa allowing gender reassignment operations as a cure for "diagnosed transsexuals", allowing for the basis of this practice becoming legal.[51][52] In 1985, Khomeini reaffirmed his earlier fatwa, once again permitting the procedure.[2]
Some homosexual individuals in Iran have been pressured to undergo sex reassignment surgery in order to avoid legal and social persecution.[13][1]
Iran's medical and legal endorsement of sex reassignment often pushes individuals who express gender nonconformity orsame-sex attraction toward sex reassignment, framing it as a way to normalize their gender identity in accordance with societal expectations ofheteronormativity (Najmabadi, 2011, p. 534).[14] If a transsexual individual can avoid committing sins or what it refers to as "same-sex playing" (Persian:همجنسباز,romanized: hamjinsbâz), such as engaging in same-sex acts, they are not required to undergo bodily alterations (Najmabadi, 2014, p. 82).[14] Several Maraj’e Taghlid have stressed that sex reassignment is not permissible for individuals who are simply cross-dressers or those who engage in same-sex behavior.[14] Hujatal Islam Kariminia asserts that society is largely unaware of the clear distinction betweenhomosexuality andtranssexuality, comparing the gap between the two to the "Great Wall of China" (Najmabadi, 2014, p. 185).[14]
Tanaz Eshaghian's 2008 documentaryBe Like Others highlighted this.[13] The documentary explores issues of gender and sexual identity while following the personal stories of some of the patients at a gender reassignment clinic inTehran. The film was featured at theSundance Film Festival and theBerlin International Film Festival, winning three awards.[53] Sarah Farizan's novelIf You Could Be Mine explores the relationship between two young girls, Sahar and Nisrin, who live in Iran through gender identity and the possibility of undergoing gender reassignment surgery. In order for the two to be in an open relationship, Sahar considers surgery to work within the confines of law which permits relationships after transitioning due to the relationship being between a male and female.
As a result of Khomeini's policies, Iran is now ranked second only to Thailand in performing the most sex reassignment surgeries (Halasa, 2009).[2] Nevertheless, despite this allowance, homosexuality in Iran remains a crime punishable by death.[2]
Trans men and trans women are treated differently from each other in Iranian society. Trans men are more visible socially and are able to find acceptance in society more easily than trans women, who are often misgendered and put in the same category as gay men.[54]
Homosexuals and bisexuals arebanned from donating blood in Iran. The ban also extends to lesbians.[citation needed]
In 2002, a book entitledWitness Play by Cyrus Shamisa was banned from shelves (despite being initially approved) because it said that certain notablePersian writers were homosexuals and bisexuals.[55]
In 2004, theTehran Museum of Contemporary Art loaned a collection of artwork that formerly belonged toShahMohammed Reza Pahlavi that had been locked away since theRevolution in 1979 to theTate Britain. The artwork included explicit homoerotic artwork byFrancis Bacon and the government in Iran stated that upon its return, it would also be put on display in Iran.[56]
In 2005, the IranianReformist paperShargh was shut down by the government after it interviewed an Iranian author, living in Canada. While the interview never mentioned the sexual orientation of Saghi Ghahreman, it did quote her as stating that, "sexual boundaries must be flexible... The immoral is imposed by culture on the body".[57] The conservative paperKayhan attacked the interview and the paper, "Shargh has interviewed this homosexual while aware of her sick sexual identity, dissident views and porno-personality."[57] To avoid being permanently shut down, the paper issued a public apology stating it was unaware of the author's "personal traits" and promised to "avoid such people and movements."[57]
In May 2021, a 20-year-old Iranian,Ali Monfared, was murdered, allegedly by his half-brother and cousins, days after the military mailed him a document exempting him from military service because of his sexual orientation.[1]
LGBT Iranians have fled Iran in recent years hoping to gain asylum in Europe.[58]
The government in Iran does not allow a political party or organization to endorse LGBT rights. Vague support for LGBT rights in Iran has fallen to a handful of exiled political organizations.
TheGreen Party of Iran has an English translation of its website that states, "Every Iranian citizen is equal by law, regardless of gender, age, race, nationality, religion, marital status, sexual orientation, or political beliefs" and calls for a "separation of state and religion".[59]
TheWorker Communist Party of Iran homepage has an English translation of its manifesto that supports the right of "All adults, women or men" to be "completely free in deciding over their sexual relationships with other adults. Voluntary relationship of adults with each other is their private affair and no person or authority has the right to scrutinize it, interfere with it or make it public".[60]
The leftistWorker's Way, the liberalGlorious Frontiers Party, and the center-rightConstitutionalist Party of Iran have all expressed support for the separation of religion and the state, which might promote LGBT rights.
In 1972, scholarSaviz Shafaie gave a public lecture on homosexuality atPahlavi University and in 1976 would research sexual orientation and gender issues atSyracuse University. In the 1990s, he joined the first human rights group for LGBT Iranians, HOMAN, and continued his work until he died of cancer in 2000.[61]
In 2001, an online Iranian LGBT rights organization called "Rainbow" was founded byArsham Parsi, a well-known Iranian gay activist, followed by a clandestine organization named the "Persian Gay and Lesbian Organization". As of 2008, this group has been renamed as the "Iranian Railroad for Queer Refugees" (IRQR). While the founder of this group had to flee Iran and continue his work as an exile, there is an underground LGBT rights movement in Iran.[62]
Ali Mafi, an openly gay Iranian-born comedian started his career in 2016. In all his shows, Mafi mentions his status as an Iranian citizen and his commitment to being proud of who he is regardless. Mafi currently resides in San Francisco, California, which hosts a prominent gay community.
In 2007, the Canadian CBC TV produced a documentary that interviewed several LGBT Iranians who talked about their struggles.
During protests against the outcome of theIranian election in July 2009, it was reported that several openly gay Iranians joined crowds of protesters in the United Kingdom and were welcomed with mostly positive attitudes towards LGBT rights.[63]
In 2010, a group of LGBT activists inside Iran declared a day to beIran Pride Day. The day is on the fourth Friday of July and is and celebrated annually in secret.[64]
As of 2012,OutRight Action International develops an online resource forLGBTIQ Iranians in Persian.
JoopeA organized theIran in Amsterdam Pride as theIran Boat (Dutch:Iraanse Boot) in theAmsterdam Gay Pride festival in 2017 and 2018. The Iran Boat won theBest of Pride Amsterdam 2018 (Dutch:Publieksprijs) award.[65][66]
The 2015 graphic novelYousef and Farhad, published byOutRight Action International inEnglish andPersian, explores the relationship between two young Iranian men. The story, produced in collaboration withKhalil Bandib, an American-Algerian political cartoonist, and Amir Soltani, a well-known Iranian-American author who is also the creator of the best-selling graphic novel "Behesht-e Zahra," highlights the struggles for acceptance and aims to foster understanding among families.[67]
Despite the deeply conservative character of the government in Iran, its efforts to stop the spread ofHIV/AIDS have been quite progressive.[68] The first official reports of HIV/AIDS in Iran were reported in 1987, and a government commission was formed, albeit it was not until the 1990s that a comprehensive policy began to arise.[68]
In 1997, Arash Alaei and his brother, Kamiar, were given permission to open up a small office forHIV/AIDS research among prisoners and with a few years, despite public protests, they helped open the first general HIV/AIDS clinics. A booklet was approved, with explanation of condoms, and distributed to high school students. By the late 1990s, a comprehensive educational campaign existed. Several clinics opened up to offer free testing and counseling. Government funds were allocated to distribute condoms to prostitutes, clean needles and drug rehabilitation to addicts and programs aired on television advocating the use of condoms.[68] While there are shortages, medication is given to all Iranian citizens free of charge.
The Alaei brothers were joined in their educational campaign byMinoo Mohraz, who was also an early proponent of greater HIV/AIDS education, who chairs a research center in Tehran. Along with government funding, UNICEF has funded several Iranian volunteer based groups that seek to promote greater education about the pandemic and to combat the prejudice that often follows Iranians who have it.[69][70]
In June 2008, the Alaei brothers were detained, without charge, by the government in Iran, after attending an international conference on HIV/AIDS.[71] The government has since accused the two doctors of attending the conference as part of a larger plotting to overthrow the government.[72]
In 2007, the government in Iran stated that 18,320 Iranians had been infected with HIV, bringing the official number of deaths to 2,800, although critics claimed that the actual number might've been much higher.[73] Officially, drug addiction is the most common way that Iranians become infected.
While educational programs exist for prostitutes and drug addicts, no educational campaign for LGBT people has been allowed to exist. In talking about the situation Kaveh Khoshnood stated, "Some people would be able to talk about their own drug addiction or their family members, but they find it incredibly difficult to talk about homosexuality in any way". "If you're not acknowledging its existence, you're certainly not going to be developing any programs [for gays]".[74]
The consequences of a same-sex relationship deemed a punishable crime or even death in Iran, results in a toil that forces many LGBT people to seek asylum in countries where the life situation is better. Many LGBT individuals seek refugee status from the UNHCR to be resettled in Australia, Canada, or the United States.[75]
Some middle-class Iranians have received an education in a Western nation. There is a small population of gay Iranian immigrants who live in Western nations.
In 2001, theUnited Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights rejected a plea from an Iranian man who escaped from an Iranian prison after being convicted and sentenced to death for the crime of homosexual activity.[76] Part of the problem with this case was that the man had entered the country illegally and was later convicted of killing his boyfriend, after he discovered that he had been unfaithful.
In 2005, theJapanese government rejected an asylum plea from another Iranian gay man. That same year, theSwedish government also rejected a similar claim by an Iranian gay man's appeal. The Netherlands is also going through a review of its asylum policies in regards to Iranians claiming to be victims of the anti-gay policies in Iran.
In 2006, the Netherlands stopped deporting gay men back to Iran temporarily. In March 2006, Dutch Immigration MinisterRita Verdonk said that it was now clear "that there is no question of executions or death sentences based solely on the fact that a defendant is gay", adding that homosexuality was never the primary charge against people. However, in October 2006, after pressure from both within and outside the Netherlands, Verdonk changed her position and announced that Iranian LGBTs would not be deported.[77]
The United Kingdom came under fire[when?] for its continued deporting, especially due to news reports documenting gay Iranians who committed suicide when faced with deportation. Some cases have provoked lengthy campaigning on behalf of potential deportees, sometimes resulting in gay Iranians being granted asylum, as in the cases ofKiana Firouz[78] andMehdi Kazemi.[79]
Iran's state media have shown hatred toward homosexuals on many occasions. In particular,Mashregh News, a news website "close to the security and intelligence organizations", has described homosexuals in an article as "individuals who have become mentally troubled in natural human tendencies, have lost their balance, and require psychological support and treatment".[80]
In October 2007, the then President of IranMahmoud Ahmadinejad, speaking toColumbia University, stated that "In Iran, we don't have homosexuals", though his spokesperson later stated that his comments were misunderstood.[81]
In a November 2007 meeting with his British counterpart, Iranian member of parliament, Mohsen Yahyavi admitted that the government in Iran believes in the death penalty for homosexuality. According to Yahyavi, "if homosexual activity is in private there is no problem, but those in overt activity should be executed".[34]
In a March 2013 interview on the state television, Iran's secretary ofHigh Council for Human Rights,Mohammad-Javad Larijani called homosexuality an "illness" while denying the persecution of gay people in Iran. He stated that "Promoting homosexuality is illegal and we have strong laws against it. ... We consider homosexuality an illness that should be cured. We don't consider it acceptable to beat or mistreat homosexuals, either. ... [Homosexuality] is considered as a norm in the west and they are forcing us to accept it. We are strongly against this."[82] This narrative matches the sameanti-gay narrative in Bahrain, also amongst theIranians of Bahrain, and the dominantnarrative in islamic-coded/majority countries, besides Israel, Jordan, and Turkey.
TheChief Justice of Iran,Sadeq Larijani at a 2014 conference in Tehran denied the execution of gay people in Iran, stating "That they say we execute homosexuals is not more than a lie. ... We do not provide these people with opportunity, but what they say that we hang them is a lie that they have fabricated for the Islamic Republic."[83]
In June 2019, in a press conference held inTehran betweenMohammad Javad ZarifMinister of Foreign Affairs andHeiko MaasMinister of Foreign Affairs, openly gay German journalistPaul Ronzheimer of the tabloidBild asked Zarif "Why are homosexuals executed in Iran because of their sexual orientation?", to which Zarif seem to affirm that execution of gay people takes place by saying that his "society has principles. And we live according to these principles. These are moral principles concerning the behavior of the people in general, and that means that the law is respected and the law is obeyed."[84][85][86]
Movies & Films:
Documentaris:
Children
The review noted many concerns, including discrimination against girls; children with disabilities; unregistered, refugee, and migrant children; and lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and intersex (LGBTI) minors.[94]
Acts of Violence, Discrimination, and Other Abuses Based on Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity
The law criminalizes consensual same-sex sexual activity, which is punishable by death, flogging, or a lesser punishment. The law does not distinguish between consensual and nonconsensual same sex intercourse, and NGOs reported this lack of clarity led to both the victim and the perpetrator being held criminally liable under the law in cases of assault. The law does not prohibit discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity.Security forces harassed, arrested, and detained individuals they suspected of being gay or transgender. In some cases security forces raided houses and monitored internet sites for information on LGBTI persons. Those accused of “sodomy” often faced summary trials, and evidentiary standards were not always met. Punishment for same-sex sexual activity between men was more severe than between women. According to international and local media reports, on April 13 at least 30 men suspected of homosexual conduct were arrested by IRGC agents at a private party in Isfahan Province. The agents reportedly fired weapons and used electric Tasers during the raid. According to the Canadian-based nonprofit organization Iranian Railroad for Queer Refugees, those arrested were taken to Dastgerd Prison in Isfahan, where they were led to the prison yard and told they would be executed. The Iranian LGBTI activist group 6Rang noted that, following similar raids, those arrested and similarly charged were subjected to forced “anal” or “sodomy” tests and other degrading treatment and sexual insults.
The government censored all materials related to LGBTI issues. Authorities particularly blocked websites or content within sites that discussed LGBTI issues, including the censorship of Wikipedia pages defining LGBTI and other related topics. There were active, unregistered LGBTI NGOs in the country. Hate crime laws or other criminal justice mechanisms did not exist to aid in the prosecution of bias-motivated crimes.
The law requires all male citizens over age 18 to serve in the military, but exempts gay men and transgender individuals, who are classified as having mental disorders.[95] New military identity cards listed the subsection of the law dictating the exemption. According to 6Rang, this practice identified the individuals as gay or transgender and put them at risk of violence and discrimination.
The government provided transgender persons financial assistance in the form of grants of up to 45 million rials $1,240 and loans up to 55 million rials $1,500 to undergo gender reassignment surgery. Additionally, the Ministry of Cooperatives, Labor, and Social Welfare required health insurers to cover the cost of such surgery. Individuals who undergo gender reassignment surgery may petition a court for new identity documents with corrected gender data, which the government reportedly provided efficiently and transparently. NGOs reported that authorities pressured LGBTI persons to undergo gender reassignment surgery.[94]
| Right | Legal status | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Same-sex sexual activity legal |  | Punishments include imprisonment,corporal punishment,execution, lashings, fines[1] |
| Equal age of consent |  | |
| Anti-discrimination laws in employment only | | |
| Anti-discrimination laws in the provision of goods and services | | |
| Anti-discrimination laws in all other areas (incl. indirect discrimination, hate speech) | | |
| Same-sex marriage | | |
| Recognition of same-sex couples (e.g. unregistered cohabitation, life partnership) | | |
| Stepchild adoption by same-sex couples | | |
| Joint adoption by same-sex couples | | |
| LGBT allowed to serve openly in the military | | Based on Article 33 of the army's medical exemption regulations, "moral and sexual deviancy, such as transsexuality" is considered to be grounds for a medical exemption from the military service, which is mandatory for eligible male individuals over 18.[96] According to Human Rights Watch, in order to "prove" their sexual orientation or gender identity, men seeking a military exemption on that basis would be required to undergo "numerous" "humiliating" physical and psychological tests, which may be costly, and they may also encounter administrative barriers, such as "few doctors" to perform such tests and doctors that refuse to perform them without parental accompaniment.[96] |
| Right to change legal gender |  | (Since 1988Sex reassignment surgery required.) |
| Access toIVF for lesbians | | |
| Conversion therapy banned | | |
| Commercialsurrogacy for gay male couples | | |
| MSM allowed to donate blood | | |
| Female sex partners ofMSMs allowed to donate blood | |
Article 234: 'The hadd punishment for the receptive/passive party, in any case (whether or not he meets the conditions for ihsan) shall be the death penalty.' Article 236: 'If the active party is a non-Muslim and the passive party is a Muslim, the hadd punishment for the active party shall be the death penalty'
(...) Ahura Mazda answered: 'The man that lies with mankind as man lies with womankind, or as woman lies with mankind, is the man that is a Daeva; this one is the man that is a worshipper of the Daevas, that is a male paramour of the Daevas, that is a female paramour of the Daevas, that is a wife to the Daeva; this is the man that is as bad as a Daeva, that is in his whole being a Daeva; this is the man that is a Daeva before he dies, and becomes one of the unseen Daevas after death: so is he, whether he has lain with mankind as mankind, or as womankind. The guilty may be killed by any one, without an order from the Dastur (see § 74 n.), and by this execution an ordinary capital crime may be redeemed. (...)
Amnesty International reports that some 5,000 gays and lesbians have been executed in Iran since the 1979 Iranian Revolution, including two gay men executed in 2014, both hanged for engaging in consensual homosexual relations.– via Foreign Affairs(subscription required)
De Iraanse boot heeft de publieksprijs van de Canal Parade gewonnen.
Hun (Iraaniers) opvallend ingetogen blauw gekleurde boot won de publieksprijs.
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