Hundreds of LGBT people in Iran have reportedly joined a grassroots visibility campaign on social networking site Facebook and YouTube to defy a regime that punishes homosexuality with death
According to media reports, three men were hung in Iran on Sep 4 for committing “lavat”, the phrase used in Islamic law for sodomy. In 2007 Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad made international headlines by claiming that there are no gays in Iran.
The Facebook page entitled 'We Are Everywhere', features videos, audio messages and images uploaded by the individuals, and encourages others to come forward and share their personal stories.
The Guardian of UK reported on Sunday that some Iranian members of the page have posted audio messages or videos although they do not reveal the posters' identity while some outside the country talked about their sexual orientation more openly.
It quoted an Iranian gay man, only identified as Mehdi, who has posted a video online from inside Iran saying: "As a gay person, my biggest problem in Iran is that I cannot be my real self. I always have to play a role. I always have to suppress my own existence and part of my identity and hide myself in fear from the society and potential problems that I might face."
"Like this video, I always have to hide a part of myself from others in my life," referring to his own video which shows only his face from his mouth down.
The Guardian report quoted another Iranian gay man, apparently posted from outside the country, who only showed his speech written on a roll of kitchen towel which he scrolls down in front of camera: "I am an Iranian gay. I fear to show my real face, I fled Iran, I escaped from my own family, I was driven away from my country. Now, I am a gay refugee in Turkey and count the days, we are everywhere."
Since the campaign made the news over the weekend, the Facebook page now has over 2,700 'Likes' and is filled with messages from well-wishers all over the world. The online campaign was launched in conjunction with the International Day against Homophobia and Transphobia (IDAHO) that is internationally observed on May 17 each year.