Petrelis Files

Columbia Professor: Iran Charging

Gays with Rape, Pedophilia

An important article for everyone concerned with human rights in the Islamic Republic of Iran appeared on March 6 in the Columbia Spectator, but I don't think it received the attention it justly deserves in the gay and human rights communities, which is why I'm sharing excerpts here.

It's not simply that the professor is talking about the incredibly rich and somewhat accepting attitude of gays in Persian culture and life that is noteworthy, but rather it is her stating how Iran's government is going after gays and under a variety of charges.

This is something to always bear in mind when reports surface out of Iran these days of pending executions and trials involving gays, even when our brothers and sisters may not always be charged with gay-specific crimes.

From the Spectator story:

Five months after Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad told Columbia there are no homosexuals in Iran, Dr. Janet Afary argued otherwise Wednesday evening in the International Affairs building.

“Are There Homosexuals in Iran?” was one part of a five-lecture-long series on Iran organized by the School of International and Public Affairs and the Middle East Institute of Columbia University. It was planned in response to both University President Lee Bollinger’s wish to increase campus awareness on the Islamic Republic of Iran and the recent rise in student interest in Iranian issues. [...]

In his speech, the Iranian president denied that there are homosexuals in Iran. Although later reports pointed out that this translation is not entirely accurate, his comment was one of the most quoted of the event.

Afary, who has a doctorate in modern Middle Eastern history from the University of Michigan, has done extensive research on Iran-related topics for her upcoming book, Sexual Politics in Modern Iran. [...]

Her lecture focused mainly on the evolution of the culture and tolerance of homosexuality in Iran. She began by discussing the rich history of Iranian homosexual relationships dating back to medieval Persia, where older men of high status would couple with younger, lower-class men. Such relationships, she said, were recognized and even condoned, as long as they were kept discreet and did not interfere with socially recognized marriages.

Although Islamic law has always explicitly prohibited homosexuality, actual social practices have not always strictly adhered to it, and homosexuality has been thoroughly documented in both European memoirs and Persian accounts.

Afary emphasized that although homosexuality has increasingly been seen as a deviant behavior in Iran, Ahmadinejad’s presidency has marked a drastic shift in the attitude of the Iranian government toward homosexual “offenders.” According to her, Ahmadinejad’s Iran has been “actively pursuing” homosexuals and prosecuting them for crimes such as pedophilia and rape in order to provide additional reasons for entrapment and persecution.

“The state is trying to not recognize Iran’s gay community,” Afary said, “but time is not on their side. It’s inevitable.” [...]