Homophobia is no Laughing Matter

This is my response to a satirical piece published by IranWire’s Persian site on September 20, 2014, written by blogger Sharagim Zand. 

First, let me explain why I am responding in English to a “satirical” article written in Persian. The primary reason is I am not comfortable expressing myself in Persian – my mother tongue – when it comes to notions of sex and gender. (Maybe it has to do with the fact that I have come to strongly associate the Persian language, Iranian society, and culture with blind homophobia and disturbing transphobia. Correct me if I am wrong.)  A secondary reason has to do with the international media. Rarely does the media reflect the voices of Iranian lesbian, gay, bisexual and trans* (LGBT) people first-hand; there are always intermediaries who translate or convey our words and life stories through articles, photo exhibitions and films. At some point, this condescending form of communication must be abandoned. At the same time, I am no spokesperson for the vast, beautiful and disorganized LGBT people of Iran. I am speaking for myself, as one who happens to be a queer Iranian.

 Now, the task at hand: In the last 20-30 years, the spectacular progress of LGBT rights all over the world, in particular regarding the issues of same-sex marriage and gender expressions and protections, has made LGBT issues into a hot topic. Global figures such as Cardinal Desmond Tutu, Dalai Lama, Madonna, Lady Gaga – not to mention Persian divas Shohreh Solati and, more recently, Googoosh — have been among the many expressing their support of gay and lesbian people all over the world. Essentially, in the West, it is rare for those in the public sphere (politicians, journalists, athletes, artists, etc.), to express homophobic or, to a lesser degree, transphobic sentiments, without getting called out. This brings us to IranWire, a bilingual media outlet, in both Persian and English, staffed mostly by people living outside of Iran as far as I can tell.

Since the popular protests of 2009 in Iran, many journalists chose to leave due to physical threats and severe censorship; eventually, some of them were hired by Persian-speaking media such as IranWire, BBC Persian, Radio Zamaneh, etc. However, during their years of experience in Iran, most of these journalists have had no training regarding reporting on LGBT issues. Upon leaving Iran, they are faced with the possibility of less censorship on certain, previously taboo subjects, such as the voluntary or compulsory Islamic veil, homosexuality, and the conduct of Ayatollah Khamenei. Mr.Sharagim Zand is one of these journalists. What I have gathered from Mr.Zand’s public postings on Facebook indicates he is currently residing in Turkey with his wife and seeking asylum. (I sincerely wish him and his wife strength and luck.)   

Up to now, he has published 14 satirical pieces on IranWire making fun of a dire situation: Iranian asylum seekers in Turkey and the many troubles they have to endure to achieve asylum status from the UN. It is gallows humor. Iranians, be they professional journalists or not, are experts at gallows humor. In the 13th installment of this series, he tries to poke fun at those Iranians who fake claims of homosexual tendencies in order to be granted asylum status, and leave the unenviable purgatory called Turkey.

The problem is when he acknowledges homophobia in Iranian society at the beginning of his piece, he then goes on to perpetuate false clichés of sexuality and gender. Consider this “humorous” passage (my translation):

 The number of [asylum] cases [involving fake claims of] homosexuality is so much that makes it the second most popular form of fake asylum cases after cases of fraudulent apostasy claims...
[Translator's note: Both apostasy and homosexuality in Iran have a documented history of death punishments.] 

The only reason fake homosexual [asylum] cases are not ranked number one is because homosexuality is not acceptable in [Iranian] society and, in particular, in male groups — an undeserving status, but due to reasons, which are not fully clear to the author, this type of fake case is becoming more and more popular among the ladies, and it can be predicted [with a fair amount of certainty] that in the near future a new wave of lesbian refugees will head to the UN offices, and, consequently, elevate this [type of fraudulent] case to its deserved standing [of number one] among the various fake cases.

Fortunately, since a few years ago, homosexuality has been considered a classy and stylish deed among ladies, indicative of their special social and even artistic persona.

How this passage can be considered humorous by anyone – who is not just another straight dude fancying lesbian sex porno (HINT: “a new wave of lesbian refugees,” “classy and stylish deed among ladies”) – is beyond me.

Another passage:

My advice to the brothers who are to submit a [fake] gay claim is to be as normal as possible on the day of the interview [with the UN case office for refugees] and be themselves. Most of the time, a homosexual person is no different than a normal person. Combing your hair like a doll, tattooing the eyebrows, applying eyeliner, wearing  earrings, wearing tight leather pants and spikey, fishnet shirts and high-heels, are common behavior among trans people. Swearing to God, being trans is different from being homosexual. Why are you doing this?

Even more frightening than Mr. Zand’s casual use of homophobic language is the prospect of him writing about trans* people in the future – a subject he is evidently deeply ignorant about. For example, Mr. Zand seems not to know that some transgender people are in fact homosexual (There are transwomen who are lesbian and transmen who are gay). There are fundamental differences between gender expression, sexual orientation, and being a fan of punk or gothic music, which obviously needs to be explained to him before he publicly embarrasses himself. Another example: “Most of the time, a homosexual person is no different than a normal [emphasis mine] person.” According to Mr. Zand, homosexual people are not normal, but usually act like normal people. Obvously, Mr. Zand has seen a few normal-acting, normal-looking gay Iranians, which I would like to congratulate him on.

Incidentally, what is “normal”?

Normal, for an Iranian gay, lesbian or bisexual, is most probably contemplating suicide over one’s entire youth, if not life — because usually everyone at school, in their family, on TV, at work, in the police force, and in places of worship, thinks homosexual tendencies are a sickness, and are prone to make the “funniest” jokes on the subject. It is even worse for transgender Iranians.

I suggest IranWire asks Mr. Zand to read this manual published by the International Gay and Lesbian Human Rights Commission, or, maybe, assign him a responsible editor to help him with his “humor.”   

Amin Mirsaeidi lives outside Iran. Some days he misses the streets of Tehran. Other days, he tries to act like a normal person.