Global Voices

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The world is talking, are you listening?

Arsham Parsi is the founder and director of the Iranian Queer Organization based in Toronto, Canada. In 2008, he told Global Voices, “the Internet has been a gift to us.”

This year, on May 17, the International Day Against Homophobia, several Iranians, once more used this ‘gift’ to raise their voices by launching a “We are everywhere” campaign, on YouTube, Facebook and blogs against homophobia worldwide.

In Iran, homosexuality is punishable by death.

Iranian blogger Pesar (means ‘boy’ in Persian) writes [fa]:

Today is the international day against homophobia. I am happy to see that many bloggers have published posts and updated their blogs today. I hope one day this kind of discussion will find its way into mainstream media and will not only be confined within the cyber world. I hope one day when I say I am gay, I am not accused of being a sinner or am mistreated.

We Are Everywhere

On Facebook several Iranians declared their homosexuality openly and did not hide their faces.

In another video Shokoofe, a Lesbian, says [fa]:

My queer experience started by falling in love and I believe everybody can feel that in this world. The strange thing was that people around me where thinking it was a joke while I was suffering. The most painful thing was not being able to talk with people close to you. I could talk, but they did not listen. I think we can live in a better world, where you don't face death for being in love with a person. I hope our days have a big sun, a rainbow and loves that can be talked about without fear.