Iranian Politician Calls for Gay Execution

It perhaps comes as no surprise that an Iranian politician has expressed support for the torture and even execution of gays but this abominable declaration reportedly took place in May during a meeting with British MPs at a peace conference. President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's now famous homosexuality denial during a speech at Columbia University in New York in September remains the most glaring example of the Iranian regime's views but Mohsen Yahyavi remains the highest-ranked politician to sanction capital punishment for gays.

This issue is certainly nothing new in Iran. The hanging of two reportedly gay youth in the city of Mashhad in 2005 sparked widespread outrage among human rights and LGBT organizations around the world. The European Union (and member countries) have repeatedly criticized Iran's human rights record with regards to gays and lesbians while the United States appears more concerned with the country's plan to supposedly develop nuclear weapons. This issue is most certainly one for concern. But Washington arguably should focus the same attention on Tehran's gross violation of human rights -- in this case the state-sponsored gay executions. Gay Iranians' lives literally hang in the balance.

Canadian Broadcasting Corporation Airs Revealing Documentary About LGBT Oppression in Iran

This blogger remains highly suspicious of self-preserving naivete as a means to shelter oneself from reality. The American people remain, by and large, blissfully ignorant to events which continue to unfold outside the United States. The LGBT community is no exception but a recent Canadian Broadcasting Corporation documentary about the brutal oppression LGBT Iranians endure in their own country serves as a stark reminder of the conditions under which many of our brothers and sisters unfortunately live.

The CBC broadcast "Out in Iran" earlier this year but this blogger rather ashamedly discovered it only this past weekend. Producers interviewed gay activist Mani Zaniar, a former gay prostitute named "Hooman," a transgender woman and others who continue to suffer persecution from the current regime. Iranian law punishes those convicted of lavat or sodomy with a range of punishment that includes 100 lashes and even death. Those who appeared in the documentary literally risked their lives to publicly discuss their plight within Iran. Zaniar himself explained his decision to come forward in a short but defiant and brave statement.

"It is time for us to speak out," he said. "It is time to start defending our rights."

LGBT Americans certainly struggle against discrimination based on the lack of anti-discrimination and anti-hate crime statutes, marriage equality and other basic legal protections. They remain fortunate, however, to live in a country where their government will not execute them because of the person with whom they choose to sleep with or love. This point underscores the obvious as opposed to make a self-righteous argument as the movement in this country continues to struggle under overinflated egos, self-serving personal and organizational agendas and a lack of accountability. There are certainly a multitude of good people within the broader movement who continue their good work on behalf of LGBT Americans. Organizations and stakeholders within the movement, however, need to remind themselves of the common goals of fairness and equality upon which it was created. Zaniar and his Iranian colleagues certainly provide this reminder through their extraordinary activism.

Iranian Authorities Arrest More Than 80 Suspected Gay Men

Iran remains one of the world's most oppressive countries in terms of ongoing persecution of LGBT people. The Islamic Republic's penal code calls for the execution of anyone found guilty of sex with a person of the same-sex. Iranian authorities routinely conduct raids on parties and other gatherings attended by gay men, lesbians and cross-dressers.

The Toronto-based Iranian Queer Organization reported police arrested more than 80 people last Thursday at a birthday party in Isfahan. IRQO Executive Director Arsham Parsi said in a press release authorities continue to torture those it took into custody and refuses to allow their families to visit them in jail. One man, whom IRQO identified as Peyman, said he found police cars outside the home where the party had been held after he turned onto the street.

"All my friends were arrested while seven or eight policemen beat them with batons," he said. "Fearing the usual punishments for attending a party, two had jumped from the second-floor window and were in a bad condition."

This arrest is the latest in a series of raids and executions that continue to highlight the brutal oppression LGBT Iranians continue to endure in their own country. Gay City News contributor Doug Ireland reported last month many Iranian gay men undergo sex-reassignment surgery to avoid government persecution . The same reporter documented the British government's decision to ignore a gay Iranian's asylum application after authorities arrested him on April 20. Another Iranian asylum seeker committed suicide two years earlier after British authorities also denied his request. The hanging of Mahmoud Asgari and Ayaz Marhoni in 2005 also sparked outrage among international LGBT activists.

Some dispute claims as to whether authorities executed the two teenagers because of their homosexuality. But nobody can dispute the severe oppression LGBT Iranians continue to face in their country. Iran has a long history which spans thousands of years. The country also lays claim to a rich and diverse culture. Yet the government's continued oppression of its LGBT citizens remains a shameful blemish to an otherwise proud tradition.