Welcome to Iran
A 27-year old Iranian gay rights activist has been jailed and tortured for his activities with Cheraq, the Iranian Queer Organization’s (IRQO) on-line monthly magazine. Like John and I, “Babak” is a gay blogger seeking to build community and increased support of GLBT human rights around the world.
In Iran, these activities can lead to death. Babak is currently awaiting a trail, one that could lead to execution or many years in prison. As such, the IRQO is collecting funds to smuggle him out of the country and help other Iranian queer refugees, many of them residing in Turkey.
Iran is believed to have executed more than 100 gay men in recent years, including teenagers (see photo). Countries such as Sweden and Turkey have deported gay Iranians who fled their homeland in fear for their lives. To read more about this case and the plight of gays in Iran, click here.
April 29th, 2007 at 1:17 pm
You may want to visit my blog today.
April 30th, 2007 at 4:28 am
Only a devil would do this to children, and the ayatollahs in Iran have proven over and over how closely aligned with the devil they are. Scum would be insulted to be comared to them. What’s especially despicable is, from what I’ve been able to learn about the two boys who were hanged, what they were doing amounted to little more than masturbation — a style of it called frottage. I only hope when the bastards who condemned these kids to death finally die, God sends then straight to where they belong and lets them know why.
April 30th, 2007 at 10:41 am
Thanks, Sue for the props!
Jemmytee, I can feel the anger in your writing. I hope that you can use some to that in you’re own sphere. I don’t mean to be patronizing - so please don’t take this that way. In my opinion there’s not much we can do about what goes on in Iran - not that we shouldn’t try. However, there is a TON of gay rights and LGBTQ civil rights work to be done in our own communities. I guess what I’m trying to say is change the world by changing your own part of it. Use the anger you feel to motivate you to do something positive in your own community!:)
April 30th, 2007 at 6:15 pm
When the story of these two teens was first published last year I felt for the first time true hate to this cursed land called Iran and it’s leaders. What years of spiteful anti-semitic and anti-Israeli propaganda did not achieve was “accomplished” with a single photo. A country where kids are hung in public for loving each other does not have the right to be a member of any international community and should be banned from the company of civilized nations.
Joshua
http://joshuacactus.blogspot.com/