News Dedicated to Muslims lesbian,gay,bisexual

[Rasputin]

Inside Iran's Secret Gay World

In this startling and unique documentary, Out in Iran, we go to Iran and get the world's first look at life inside Iran's persecuted gay community. We meet an astonishing group of courageous people with heartbreaking stories.

YouTube - Inside Iran's Secret Gay World 1 of 3

[Rasputin]

همجنس بازي در همه جوامع و فرهنگ ها وجود داشته است. فاكتور هاي بيولوژيك و اجتماعي در تعيين گرايش جنسي نقش دارند. دوقلوهاي همسان ( حتي آنها كه در خانواده هاي جداگانه بزرگ شده اند) ميزان تطابق بيشتري در گرايش جنسي نسبت به آنچه تنها از روي شانس پيش بيني مي شود نشان مي دهند, ولي اين رقم به 100% نمي رسد, در صورتي كه اگر ژنتيك به تنهائي دخيل بود اين توقع را داشتيم.
به نقل از درسنامه طب اطفال نلسون 2006- كتاب رسمي مرجع پزشكان و دانشجويان پزشكي


بعضي مطالعات تفاوت هائي در اندازه مناطق معيني از مغز در افراد هم جنس باز پيدا كرده اند ولي اين يافته ها هميشگي نيستند. حتي اگر اين تفاوت تاييد شود , تحقيقات بيشتر بايد معلوم كند كه تفاوت در نتيجه همجنس بازي است, يا
خود عامل آن است. ميزان آندوژن ها و استروژن ها( هورمون هاي جنسي) در افراد همجنس باز و غير همجنس باز متفاوت نيست. اينكه قبل از تولد در معرض استروئيد قرار گرفتن بر گرايش جنسي تاثير دارد نامعلوم است. در مورد اينكه فاكتور هاي اجتماعي چگونه بر گرايش جنسي اثر مي گذارند اطلاعات بسيار كمي در دسترس است. هر چند قطعي است كه والدين با دختر و پسر رفتار متفاوتي دارند معلوم نيست چگونه اين كنش هاي متقابل بر گرايش جنسي اثر مي گذارند.

تخمين زده مي شود كه حدود 5-1% افراد بزرگسال خود را به عنوان افراد هم جنس باز مي شناسند. با توجه به نظر نامساعد جامعه نسبت به همجنس بازي اين كودكان در معرض خطر اعتماد به نفس پائين , طرد شدن, آزار كلامي ,و حتي حمله فيزيكي قرار دارند. هر چند رفتار هاي جنسي و نه جهت گيري جنسي خطر بيماري هاي آميزشي را تعيين مي كند, مردان جوان هم جنس باز علي رغم خطر عفونت ايدز, در رفتار هاي جنسي پر خطر شركت مي كنند. بنا به دلائل پزشكي و رواني - اجتماعي , پزشك بايد محيطي فراهم كند كه نوجوان به راحتي بتواند در مورد گرايش جنسي اش صحبت كند.

دانستن اينكه فرد هم جنس باز است و گفتن آن به والدين اغلب بسيار استرس زا است. به خصوص وقتي كه نوجوان مي داند پدر و مادر رفتار دوستانه و حمايتي نخواهند داشت. هر چند بسياري از والدين هم جنس باز بودن فرزندشان را قبول مي كنند, برخي والدين, مخصوصا آنها كه همجنس بازي را غير اخلاقي مي دانند, ممكن است فرزندشان را طرد كنند. نوجوان همجنس باز در معرض خطر بالاي بي خانماني قرار دارد. نوجوان بايد بداند كه حتي والديني كه نهايتا همجنس باز بودن فرزندشان را قبول مي كنند,در آغاز از سلامتي فرزند خود شوكه و هراسناك باشند, يا اينكه با از دست رفتن آينده اي كه براي كودك انتظار داشتند ناراحت باشند.

گاه لازم است به پدر و مادر اطمينان داده شود كه آنها باعث همجنس بازي فرزندشان نشده اند.والدين بايد بدانند كه درمان هائي كه براي تغيير جهت گيري جنسي طراحي نشده اند نه تنها مفيد نيستند بلكه اعتماد به نفس كودك را كاهش مي دهند و باعث تشديد احساس گناه مي شوند. پزشك بايد بتواند در صورتي كه اطلاعات خودش كافي نيست گروه هاي حامي و مشاوره اي معرفي كند, كه بتواند راجع به اين مسائل با نوجوان و والدينش صحبت كنند.

جوان همجنس باز از طريقه رفتار باهمجنس خواهي در مدرسه, گروه همسن و ساير گروه هاي جامعه تاثير مي پذيرد. گرفتن اطلاعات بي طرفانه در مورد همجنس بازي در اين شرايط ممكن نيست و جوك در مورد همجنس بازي, طعنه و تمسخر و خشونت بسيار شايع است. عجب نيست كه جوانان و بالغين همجنس باز نسبت به عموم جمعيت ميزان نگراني و اختلال خلقي بيشتري دارند. افزايش ميزان مصرف مواد و خودكشي در اين گروه گزارش شده است. پرسنل پزشكي نقش مهمي در پيدا كردن اين مشكلات دارند.

هر چند آموزش روش هاي ايمن ارتباط جنسي در برنامه ويزيت تمام نوجوانان بايد وجود داشته باشد, پزشك بايد بداند كه برخي رفتار هاي جنسي مردان همجنس باز, خطر انواع معيني از بيماريهاي آميزشي را افزايش مي دهد. آميزش آنان راه موثري براي اكتساب عفونت هپاتيت B وCMVو HIV است. التهاب ناحيه مقعد ناشي از سوزاك , كلاميديا , تبخال تناسلي , سيفليس يا
زگيل تناسلي ممكن است رخ دهد.

[Rasputin]

با افزایش روند خروج هم جنس گرایان و دو جنس گرایان ایرانی از کشور، آنها در کشور ترکیه با شرایط دشوار زندگی دست و پنجه نرم می کنند و ماهها برای گرفتن پناهندگی از کشورهای خارجی در نوبت می مانند .
هم جنس گرایان ایرانی با مشکلاتی چون ورود غیر قانونی به کشور های همسایه ، بی پولی، گرسنگی و کمبود غذا و مسایل بهداشتی مواج اند و شرایط دشواری دارند.
آرشام پارسی دبیر کل سازمان دگر باشان ایرانی در کانادا ، پس از بازگشت از سفر 20 روزه اش به ترکیه ، در گفت و گویی با ما گزارشی از آخرین وضعیت هم جنس گرایان ایرانی پناهجو در خاک ترکیه ارائه داد.
پارسی با اشاره به شرایط سخت زندگی برای هم جنس گرایان ایرانی پناهجو گفت:متاسفانه پروسه گرفتن پذیرش و ویزا خیلی طولانی است و مشکل بی پولی و هزینه های اقامت و اجاره منزل شرایط دشواری را پیش روی پناهجویان می گذارد.وی افزود: این بچه ها مورد توهین قرار می گیرند . هم از طرف مردم ترک و هم ایرانیان آنجا . چرا که هم جنس گرایی را نمی توانند بپذیرند . دیده شده که حتی برخی از ایرانیان آنها را کتک زده اند و به شدت مورد آزار قرار داده اند .
آرشام همچنین گفت : در حال حاضر عده زیادی از ایرانیان بویژه خانواده های بهایی و جمعیت کردها ی ایرانی در ترکیه هستند و منتظر گرفتن پناهندگی از یکی از کشورهای خارجی هستند، ولی در بین همه آنها وضعیت هم*جنس گرایان و دو جنس گرایان از همه بد تر است. چرا که آنها تنها هستند . حتی خانواده های آنها از ایران هیچ حمایتی از آنها نمی کنند.
وی فشارهای اجتماعی بر روی این افراد را عامل مهمی در خروجشان از کشور دانست . گفت :در حال حاضر بسیاری از هم جنس گرایان پناهجوی ایرانی در ترکیه با مشکلات بهداشتی و کمیود غذا مواجه*اند.حتی حمام ندارند که بروندو بسیاری از آنها دچار بیماری های پوستی شدند .
وی در پاسخ به سوالی در مورد آن عده از ایرانیان که با سوء استفاده از نام هم جنس گرایی سعی در گرفت پناهندگی از سازمان ملل می کنند، گفت : متاسفانه دیده می*شود که عده ای دست به این کار می*زنند. چنان چه عده*ای با این کار باعث شدند که مثلا کشور انگلیس دیگر اعتمادی به هم جنس گرایان واقعی نداشته باشدو از دادن پناهندگی به آنها خود داری کند . ما توانستیم که با همکاری سازمان ملل آنها را متقاعد کنیم که مراقب موارد تقلبی و غیر واقعی باشند. به این ترتیب که قبل از دادن پناهندگی به متقاضیان ، اطلاعات آنها را برای ما می*فرستند و ما بر اساس برخی شرایط آنها را شناسایی می*کنیم و بعد از تاییدات لازم به سازمان ملل اعلام می*کنیم.

[Rasputin]

U.K. Ignores Iranian Gay's Asylum Request

A 35-year-old gay Iranian is on a hunger strike in a U.K. jail to protest a deportation order that will send him back to Iran. Saeed Faraji was arrested by British immigration police on April 20, and is currently being held in Oakington Detention Center in Cambridge.



The Home Office refused his asylum request on the grounds that he could not prove that homosexuals are subjected to "torture, inhumane or degrading treatment" in Iran.



Faraji told his story in a sworn statement to the Home Office's Immigration Appeal Authority, a copy of which was provided to Gay City News:



Faraji is the youngest of five children from a Tehran family of practicing Muslims, and was trained at a technical school in elevator repair. "I knew that I was different from a young age," Faraji said, "and at around 14 I found myself attracted to people of the same sex. I had no attraction for women."



"From childhood, I had a very close friend called Ali Rahaei," Faraji explained. "We were inseparable. Our relationship developed from being friends to being partners."



After completing his military service, Faraji resumed his relationship with Ali, but, he said, "our relationship was always practiced behind closed doors away from prying eyes [because] homosexuality is not allowed at any level in Iran."



"I spent my working time helping my father in his carpet business," Faraji said, "and Ali worked for the Ministry of Agriculture. We tried to continue to see each other as often as we could."



Faraji said that "Ali and I were happily sharing our love for each other, albeit in secret," until one day when the couple was "in my bedroom watching an X-rated video that Ali had secretly obtained. During this time we were watching this video on the computer, Ali performed oral sex on me -- but we did not realize that my cousin had seen us. He was shocked and confused at what he had seen and left the room immediately."



A few days later, Faraji related, it became clear his cousin had informed on him to his family. He and Ali were again having sex in his bedroom "when the door burst open, and my father, Ali's father, and three police came in. Ali and I were scared for our lives, and without even finding my shoes I got my trousers on and ran as fast as I could, jumping from the balcony window. Fearing for my life, I left Ali -- I felt terrible [doing so], but I had to get out. While I was running away I heard gun shots being fired by the police, and I ran even faster."



Faraji made his way to the house of a friend who knew of his relationship with Ali. "He told me that I couldn't stay in his house for long -- Iran was not a safe place for me and the only option I was left with was to flee the country," Faraji said.



His friend helped him find a "passer" who smuggled him out of the country and arranged his voyage; after a long and arduous journey, he eventually arrived in the U.K. on December 11, 1999. Faraji applied for asylum as a sexual refugee the same day, but even though Faraji has made a life for himself in the U.K. in the intervening years, it is only now that the authorities have decided to deport him.



"Since I have been in the U.K. I have experienced freedom to express my views and feelings without fearing for my life," Faraji told immigration officials. "I cannot return to Iran, a country that treats me as a lower kind of human being. Everyone has the right to be treated with decency regardless of their sexual orientation. I also fear revenge attacks from my family," he said.



Friends of Faraji contacted the Iranian Queer Organization (IRQO), the new name adopted by the Persian Gay and Lesbian Organization, or PGLO), which is supporting Faraji's asylum request.



Prime Minister Tony Blair's government has an abysmal record on granting asylum to gay refugees, especially from Muslim countries, and the Home Office's claims that homosexuals are not persecuted in Iran for their sexual orientation are laughable. For example, the government of the Netherlands last year adopted a new asylum policy for Iranian gays, who are now considered a "special category" of persecuted people who no longer have to prove they are individually at risk in order to be granted refugee status.



This reporter has written numerous interviews with gay Iranian victims of torture over the last two and a half years.



As Mani, an underground gay activist inside Iran, told Gay City News last summer, "You who live serenely and comfortably on the other side of Iran's frontiers, be aware that those who think and feel and love like you do in Iran are executed for the crime of homosexuality, are assassinated, kidnapped, and barred from working in offices. You have festivals, and they prisons. You select Mr. Gay of the Year, but they don't even enjoy the right to have gravestones. Be fair and tell us what difference there is between us and you. Isn't it time that all homosexuals around the world rise up and come to our defense?" (See my interview with activist Mani, "Gay and Underground in Iran," in Gay City News, July 6, 2006.)



Letters in support of Faraji, who faces imminent deportation back to Iran, should be faxed to the British Ambassador to the U.S., Sir David Manning, British Embassy, 3100 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington DC, 20008 -- Fax: (202) 588 7870. Please include Faraji's prisoner number at the Oakington Detention Centre: 20/4c.



In another urgent case, the Secretary-General of the IRQO, 26-year-old Arsham Parsi, has appealed for emergency financial support to help smuggle an arrested gay activist and blogger out of Iran.



"For security reasons we will call him Babak," Parsi said from his base in Toronto, where Parsi was granted asylum last year as a sexual refugee from Iran. "Babak is 27 years old, and had worked as a writer and translator for the monthly, Persian-language on-line magazine of the Iranian Queer Organization, Cheraq," Parsi said, adding, "He is also a gay blogger who actively pursued queer rights, for which he received many threats from the police. Babak had fled Iran through the mountains to Turkey, but he was stopped by the Turkish police and arrested for lack of documents."



Babak was sent back to Iran before he could claim refugee status at the Turkish office of the U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees. Parsi said that after his deportation back to Iran, Babak "was taken to jail, badly beaten and tortured, and released only after a friend paid $1500 bail to get him out." But, Parsi said, Babak faces trial soon on charges stemming from his gay activism, and says "it is very important that he is smuggled out of Iran as soon as possible before he is summoned to court."



"We are a global gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender family," Parsi said, "and we need to help out members of this family who are in desperate need -- particularly individual activists like Babak who have been persecuted for the way they love and for the crime of defending the rights of our brothers and sisters."



Parsi appealed for emergency donations to pay a "passer" to smuggle Babak out of Iran before he is again jailed and tortured.

[ayoub]

hahahhaa u ppl write 2 much takes pure years 2 read man write less fings it wud be easier 2 read lol fnx

[Rasputin]

Iran: Persian Gay And Lesbian Activist Urges Tolerance

Growing up in Iran was not easy for Arsham Parsi. Early in his childhood, he recognized that he was "different." When he realized during his teenage years that he was attracted to other men, his life became even more complicated.

"I grew up with religious and Islamic ideas," Parsi says. "'Well,' I thought, 'I'm a sinner.' I was trying to become a good person by practicing religious rites, including by praying a lot and fasting. Becoming good was one of my main concerns, and because of that, I entered a very difficult period. I decided to get to know myself. Now I'm glad that I know myself. I have my beliefs, I believe in my God, and I have my sexual orientation."

Gay and lesbian groups are marking International Day against Homophobia today, celebrating the day 17 years ago that the World Health Organization (WHO) removed homosexuality from its list of mental illnesses. Since then, the situation for homosexuals has improved in many parts of the world.

But they still face discrimination and harassment in many countries -- including Iran, where a strict official interpretation of Islam threatens homosexuals with the death penalty.

Pressure...And More Pressure

Parsi now lives in Canada, and is secretary-general of the Toronto-based Iranian Queer Organization (formerly called The Persian Gay and Lesbian Organization). He says homosexuals in Iran live in fear.

Under Islamic laws as applied in Iran, homosexuality is punishable by death. But in recent years, there have been only a few reported cases of individuals being officially charged with homosexuality.

Yet Parsi says the specter of the harsh sentences casts a shadow on the life of homosexuals.

"There is pressure on all [people] in Iranian society," Parsi says. "But if they arrest women, they don't execute them for being a woman; if they arrest [unmarried] couples, they don't execute them for being together at a party; they put them under pressure. But in the case of homosexuals, even if nothing happens, they always face fear. Many believe that the punishments for homosexuals are only on the books and they are not being applied. But we don't accept this -- we think homosexuals are being sentenced, but perhaps [these cases] don't get reported."

Sexual issues are considered taboo in Iran, and there is widespread misinformation about homosexuality. Many Iranians consider it a disease or sickness. For some, homosexuality among men is synonymous with pedophilia.

As a result, gays and lesbians in Iran cannot be open about their sexual orientation. Many suppress their feelings. There are also reports of sex-change operations or hormone therapy to escape persecution. Some also face arranged or forced marriages insisted on by their families.

Parsi claims a lack of knowledge and homophobic culture that rules Iranian society puts enormous pressure on homosexuals.

Fear Factor

"Execution and flogging are punishments [that homosexuals can face], but these sentences are not being applied only after arrest," Parsi says. "Before the government detains and flogs someone, the families, friends, and acquaintances [harass] that person, they ostracize him and create many problems for that person."

Parsi says social forums for homosexuals -- whether online, at private parties, or in cafes -- are accompanied by fear.

Police frequently raid private parties and detain young Iranians who have been socializing, dancing, and sometimes drinking alcohol. Such raids target more than just the homosexual community.

In 2001, when Parsi was still in Iran, he launched a small Internet group that later became known as the Persian Gay and Lesbian Organization. The aim -- through connections with human rights organizations around the world -- was to address the unique hardships of lesbians and gays living in Iran.

He left Iran in 2005 in large part out of fear of arrest and sought asylum abroad. He has lived in Canada since 2006, increasing his activities in defense of Iran's homosexual community.

He says his group informs the world about violations of the rights of gays and lesbians in Iran.

"We have created a link between the voices inside the county and those outside [the country]," Parsi says. "We try to be a platform for informing others in case there is an arrest in Iran, in case someone has been flogged or another similar incident -- because today in Iran no one is really interested or cares to listen to the problems of homosexuals."

Trying To Inform

The Iranian Queer Organization also tries to increase awareness about homosexuality through a monthly email magazine, "Cheragh" (Light).

Parsi argues that many people act homophobic owing to a lack of knowledge.

"Fighting homophobia means treating the person who sits next to you properly; it means that if your son is homosexual and his [brother] shouts at him for it, you have to defend him," Parsi says. "You who are his mother, father, or brother -- you have to support him."

As his and other gay rights groups celebrate International Day against Homophobia -- with this year's emphasis on education -- Parsi urges tolerance.

To mark the day, Human Rights Watch (HRW) named Iranian President Mahmud Ahmadinejad to its annual "hall of shame." The list includes leaders who have undermined human rights by actively promoting prejudice against lesbian, gay, bisexual, or people who have undergone sex changes.

HRW says Ahmadinejad has overseen a creeping campaign to "counter public immorality," arbitrarily arresting thousands of Iranians for dressing or behaving differently. It accuses Ahmadinejad of using religious vigilantes to raid homes and other private places in search of "deviant" behavior -- including homosexuality.

[Rasputin]

Iran: Gay and lesbian activists urge tolerance

Growing up in Iran was not easy for Arsham Parsi. Early in his childhood, he recognized that he was "different." When he realized during his teenage years that he was attracted to other men, his life became even more complicated.

"I grew up with religious and Islamic ideas," Parsi says. "'Well,' I thought, 'I'm a sinner.' I was trying to become a good person by practicing religious rites, including by praying a lot and fasting. Becoming good was one of my main concerns, and because of that, I entered a very difficult period. I decided to get to know myself. Now I'm glad that I know myself. I have my beliefs, I believe in my God, and I have my sexual orientation."

Gay and lesbian groups are marking International Day against Homophobia today, celebrating the day 17 years ago that the World Health Organization (WHO) removed homosexuality from its list of mental illnesses. Since then, the situation for homosexuals has improved in many parts of the world.

But they still face discrimination and harassment in many countries -- including Iran, where a strict official interpretation of Islam threatens homosexuals with the death penalty.

Pressure...And More Pressure

Parsi now lives in Canada, and is secretary-general of the Toronto-based Iranian Queer Organization (formerly called The Persian Gay and Lesbian Organization). He says homosexuals in Iran live in fear.

Under Islamic laws as applied in Iran, homosexuality is punishable by death. But in recent years, there have been only a few reported cases of individuals being officially charged with homosexuality.

Yet Parsi says the specter of the harsh sentences casts a shadow on the life of homosexuals.

"There is pressure on all [people] in Iranian society," Parsi says. "But if they arrest women, they don't execute them for being a woman; if they arrest [unmarried] couples, they don't execute them for being together at a party; they put them under pressure. But in the case of homosexuals, even if nothing happens, they always face fear. Many believe that the punishments for homosexuals are only on the books and they are not being applied. But we don't accept this -- we think homosexuals are being sentenced, but perhaps [these cases] don't get reported."

Sexual issues are considered taboo in Iran, and there is widespread misinformation about homosexuality. Many Iranians consider it a disease or sickness. For some, homosexuality among men is synonymous with pedophilia.

As a result, gays and lesbians in Iran cannot be open about their sexual orientation. Many suppress their feelings. There are also reports of sex-change operations or hormone therapy to escape persecution. Some also face arranged or forced marriages insisted on by their families.

Parsi claims a lack of knowledge and homophobic culture that rules Iranian society puts enormous pressure on homosexuals.

Fear Factor

"Execution and flogging are punishments [that homosexuals can face], but these sentences are not being applied only after arrest," Parsi says. "Before the government detains and flogs someone, the families, friends, and acquaintances [harass] that person, they ostracize him and create many problems for that person."

Parsi says social forums for homosexuals -- whether online, at private parties, or in cafes -- are accompanied by fear.

Police frequently raid private parties and detain young Iranians who have been socializing, dancing, and sometimes drinking alcohol. Such raids target more than just the homosexual community.

In 2001, when Parsi was still in Iran, he launched a small Internet group that later became known as the Persian Gay and Lesbian Organization. The aim -- through connections with human rights organizations around the world -- was to address the unique hardships of lesbians and gays living in Iran.

He left Iran in 2005 in large part out of fear of arrest and sought asylum abroad. He has lived in Canada since 2006, increasing his activities in defense of Iran's homosexual community.

He says his group informs the world about violations of the rights of gays and lesbians in Iran.

"We have created a link between the voices inside the county and those outside [the country]," Parsi says. "We try to be a platform for informing others in case there is an arrest in Iran, in case someone has been flogged or another similar incident -- because today in Iran no one is really interested or cares to listen to the problems of homosexuals."

Trying To Inform

The Iranian Queer Organization also tries to increase awareness about homosexuality through a monthly email magazine, "Cheragh" (Light).

Parsi argues that many people act homophobic owing to a lack of knowledge.

"Fighting homophobia means treating the person who sits next to you properly; it means that if your son is homosexual and his [brother] shouts at him for it, you have to defend him," Parsi says. "You who are his mother, father, or brother -- you have to support him."

As his and other gay rights groups celebrate International Day against Homophobia -- with this year's emphasis on education -- Parsi urges tolerance.

To mark the day, Human Rights Watch (HRW) named Iranian President Mahmud Ahmadinejad to its annual "hall of shame." The list includes leaders who have undermined human rights by actively promoting prejudice against lesbian, gay, bisexual, or people who have undergone sex changes.

HRW says Ahmadinejad has overseen a creeping campaign to "counter public immorality," arbitrarily arresting thousands of Iranians for dressing or behaving differently. It accuses Ahmadinejad of using religious vigilantes to raid homes and other private places in search of "deviant" behavior -- including homosexuality.

[Rasputin]

EU's stand against gay executions

The Intergroup on Gay and Lesbian Rights welcomed news that the European Commission intends to mark the 10th October of every year as the European Day Against the Death Penalty.

Several nations retain the death sentence as punishment for homosexuality.

In July 2005 two gay teenagers were publicly executed in Iran for the "crime of homosexuality."

According to Iranian human rights campaigners, over 4,000 lesbians and gay men have been executed since the Ayatollahs seized power in 1979

The draft proposal submitted by the Commission yesterday aims to support the World Day against the Death Penalty.

If the draft is adopted by the Council and the European Parliament, the European Day will be organised jointly with the Council of Europe.

The Intergroup welcomed the Commission's leadership on the issue.

"Marking the 10th October of every year as a European Day Against the Death Penalty would do much to reaffirm the shared European values on this issue," Michael Cashman, MEP for the West Midlands, explained.

"Within the LGBT community, we are all too aware of the irreversible nature of this punishment.

"Too many countries still penalise same-sex sexual relations, and many of them have in place provisions whereby LGBT people risk the death penalty for simply being who they are."

"Still too many countries with which the European Union maintains diplomatic and commercial links are engaging in this outrageous violation of basic human rights," MEP Raul Romeva added.

"I welcome this initiative to focus on the continuing struggle to abolish the death penalty. I also hope the initiative will be followed up with open and frank talks led by the Commission and the Council to seek abolition of the death penalty from countries like Afghanistan, Iran, Mauritania, Sudan, and many others who still penalise same-sex sexual relations with the death penalty."

[Rasputin]

پرچم ایران در رژه همجنسگرایان

رژه شنبه همجنسگراهای لندن یه تریلر به کشورهای اسلامی اختصاص داده شده بود و دور اون پرچم ایران هم دیده می شد.

[Rasputin]

Iran may execute more gays

The Iranian government has confirmed that in the coming weeks more than 20 men will be executed on moral violations of rape, sodomy and assault and battery.

Police arrested over 1000 men in May in poor neighbourhoods of Tehran and other cities as part of a moral 'crackdown' on indecent behaviour.

Those arrested will face trial and possible death at a later date.

Judiciary spokesperson Alireza Jamshidi told The Guardian that the death penalty will be applied on the grounds of "rape, insulting religious sanctities and laws, and homosexuality."

It is unclear if any of the men have been accused of consensual gay sex.

Homosexuality is illegal in Iran and is seen as a violation against God.

On July 19th, 2005 two Iranian teenagers, Mahmoud Asgari, 15 and Ayaz Marhoni, 17, from Khuzestan province, were witnessed engaging in homosexual activities in a semi-public area and were hanged for perverting Islamic law.

The National Council of Resistance in Iran issued a press release, 2005 which stated, "the victims were charged with disrupting public order among other things."

Islamic law states that all sexual acts outside of a heterosexual marriage are forbidden and punishable.

The Iranian clerics will not permit any political party or organisation to endorse LGBT civil rights and no legislation exists to prevent discrimination, harassment, hate crimes and corporal punishment.

Some left-wing Iranian political movements have expressed support for the LGBT community.

The Green Party of Iran website states, "Every Iranian citizen is equal by law, regardless of gender, age, race, nationality, religion, marital status, sexual orientation or political beliefs."

The manifesto of the Worker Communist Party of Iran supports the rights of all individuals "to be completely free in deciding over their sexual relationships with other adults."

Protests against the hanging of the two gay teenagers were held in Amsterdam, Berlin, Brussels, Chicago, Fort Lauderdale, Frankfurt, London, Marseilles, Mexico City, Moscow, New York, Provincetown, Sacramento, San Diego, San Francisco, Seattle, Sioux Falls, Stockholm, Tehran, Toronto, Vancouver, Vienna, Warsaw and Washington DC.

[Rasputin]

Muslim Gays Seek Lesbians For Wives

On a Web site for gay South Asians, 27-year-old Syed Mansoor uploaded the following message last summer:

"Hi, I am looking for a lesbian girl for marriage. I am gay but I would like to get married because of pressure from parents and society. I would like this marriage to be a 'normal' marriage except for the sex part, please don't expect any sexual relationship from me.

"Being an Indian gay person, I believe it is so much worth it to give up sex and have a nice otherwise normal family. We can be good friends and don't have to repent all our life for being gay/lesbian."

Across the globe and especially in America, hundreds of other gay Muslims have started to pursue marriages of convenience--or MOC, as they are known-- in which gay Muslims seek out lesbian Muslims, and vice versa, for appearances' sake.

Mansoor works as an accountant in New York and is a devout Muslim. He abstains from drinking alcohol or eating pork and is particular about offering early morning prayers.

To his friends on Wall Street, he is a financial whiz; to his parents, a devoted son. But Mansoor is also part of a burgeoning trend of gay Muslims adopting marriages of convenience. Hard statistics are hard to come by, but on a single Web site for South Asian gays and lesbians seeking such marriages, almost 400 requests had been uploaded.

They ranged from a desperate plea from Atlanta ("I just finished medical school, and the pressure for me to get married is becoming ridiculous. I can't have a conversation with my parents without them pressuring me") to a straightforward one from Texas ("I will not object to her having sex with other women").

Mansoor credits the Internet for making these marriages a real possibility for gay Muslims. Gay activists agree and say that in recent years they have seen a rise in such marriages among Muslims.

Jack Fertig, a co-coordinator for al-Fatiha, a national advocacy group for gay Muslims, says he comes across at least one such e-mail request every month.

"It's obvious that this is becoming a viable option," he said. "People are seeking, looking and trying to make connections that could develop into such marriages."

Other activists say gay Muslims are resorting to these unions for reasons of self-preservation.

"Marriages of convenience are the result of gay Muslims wanting to avoid emotional and physical harm to themselves," says Muhammed Ali, a board member of Homan, a Los Angeles-based support group for gay Iranians.

Homosexuality is a crime punishable by death in much of the Islamic world. In Iran last year, two gay teenagers were publicly executed, while in Afghanistan, the Taliban government would torture homosexuals by collapsing walls on them.

Though gay Muslims in America don't have such fears, they still seek out marriages of convenience as a way of staying in the closet. Many of them worry about being ostracized from their families if their secret is revealed.

A marriage of convenience is the perfect solution, Mansoor said. "It's a great option," he said. "I get married to a lesbian, we sleep in different rooms and remain friends. Meanwhile, I can have a boyfriend."

Mansoor is also willing to throw a financial incentive into the deal. A year has passed since he posted his request on an online discussion board, and, as yet, he has received no replies. But he continues to hope. "Now that I have a good job and earn handsomely, my family keeps asking, 'Why don't you find a wife?' " he said. "I plan to have a marriage of convenience just to satisfy the world."

Muslim authorities around the world have repeatedly emphasized that homosexuality is not permissible. Muzammil Siddiqi of the Islamic Society of North America said there is no flexibility on this topic.

"Homosexuality is a moral disorder. It is a moral disease, a sin and corruption. . . . No person is born homosexual, just like no one is born a thief, a liar or murderer," he said. "People acquire these evil habits due to a lack of proper guidance and education."

Mainstream Islamic scholars also take an unfavorable view of MOCs. The face of Imam Omar, a scholar at the Islamic Cultural Center of Manhattan, crinkled with laughter when he was asked about this phenomenon. "These people are Muslims?" he asked.

Omar receives all sorts of inquiries and is now rarely taken aback. But a query about marriages of convenience stunned him. "What kind of marriage is this?" he asked. "A nikah [marriage] in Islam needs to be consummated. There is no concept of marriage in Islam without sexual relations."

Although some gay men feel a union of convenience is the best option, Rachel Sussman, a marriage counselor in New York, said they may not know what they are getting into. "It's opening up a Pandora's box," she said. "What happens if his partner falls in love with someone? What happens if he falls in love with someone who is not okay with him being married?"

Sussman says that arrangements can potentially lead to depression, anxiety and severe marital distress.

But Ali of Los Angeles disagrees. He doesn't think MOCs are any unhealthier than other arrangements.

"If you look at our traditional culture, marriages were usually marriages of consensus and convenience and not necessarily emotional marriages," he said. "If two people care enough about each other to help each other out, who is to say they won't have a good marriage?"

[Rasputin]

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[Rasputin]

Iranian lesbian threatened with deportation in Britain could find refuge in Italy

Italian politicians said Rome could grant asylum to an Iranian lesbian who faces deportation from Britain and a possible death sentence back home. Meanwhile, gay rights proponents and left-wing politicians rallied for her cause in a protest Monday outside the British embassy here.

Pegah Emambakhsh, 40, who fled to Britain from Iran in 2005 after her partner was arrested and tortured, is due to be expelled this week after her bid for residency was rejected, according to a British advocacy group.

Supporters in Britain are lobbying immigration authorities to show leniency. And activists in San Francisco have met with British representatives to press Emambakhsh's claim for asylum.

"If returned to Iran, she faces certain imprisonment, likely severe lashings and possibly even stoning to death. Her crime in Iran is her sexual orientation," said Peter Tatchell, of London-based gay rights charity OutRage.

The main Italian gay rights group, Arcigay, led about 100 people in a protest Monday evening outside the British embassy. Some left-wing politicians from parties in Premier Romano Prodi's center-left coalition joined the demonstration.

Arcigay has called on Prodi's government to offer Emambakhsh asylum.

"This life needs to be saved," Aurelio Mancuso, an Arcigay leader, yelled through a megaphone.

Government officials, including Justice Minister Clemente Mastella, have told reporters that Italy is ready to welcome the woman.

Italy, like other EU countries, does not have the death penalty, and began a push at the United Nations earlier this year for a worldwide moratorium on capital punishment.

Homosexuality is considered a crime in Iran and can carry the death penalty. In 2005, the Islamic regime hanged two teenagers on charges of involvement in homosexual acts.

Britain's Home Office declined to comment on Emambakhsh's case, saying it cannot discuss individual asylum cases.

Richard Caborn, a former British sports minister and a lawmaker for the northern English city of Sheffield, where Emambakhsh has lived since 2005, said he had won a temporary delay of her deportation and was planning to press British Home Secretary Jacqui Smith over the case.

"Maybe they wanted proof, but I don't know what proof I could have offered," Italian daily La Repubblica quoted Emambakhsh as saying in an interview published on Sunday. "I'd rather die than go back to Iran, where something more terrible and painful than death awaits me."

Emambakhsh was arrested in Sheffield last week and sent to an immigration detention center in London before her planned deportation.

EU Justice Commissioner Franco Frattini told the Italian news agency ANSA on Monday that Britain should look at the case "in depth."

He acknowledged Emambakhsh's case was difficult to prove but added that "even if there is a doubt, a reasonable suspicion, protection must prevail and the repatriation to Iran must be suspended."

[Rasputin]