The paradoxical queer history of Iran

IranPride Day logo. IranPride is every 4th Fri of July in Iran.
Photo: Wikimedia Commons

This past February, something special happened.

For the first time in the 44-year history of the Islamic Republic of Iran, the majority of trade unions and notable social activists inside the country published a charter that demanded basic rights that, in their words, need to be addressed immediately. One of their demands was “The immediate and unquestionable removal of all forms of the discriminatory structure against sexual minorities and people with gender-nonconforming identities. Recognizing LGBTQAI+ rights and decriminalizing them.”

A country that often vilifies, or at best ignores, the LGBTQ+ community now boldly included their rights in this important charter. LGBTQ+ rights are more often being brought up by right-leaning oppositional groups outside of the country as well.

The attitude towards the community is clearly shifting on a structural level, even within the government.

So what brought us here?

A queer paradise

Tehran, the capital city of Iran, was once described in the 70s by Jerry Zarit (an American professor who used to teach in Tehran) as a sexual paradise, one that provided him with the most exciting time of his life in which he wasn’t constrained by Western restrictions and homophobia.

In the 1970s, the American press was very enthusiastic about Tehran’s robust gay culture. At that time, Iran was…

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