"My parents fell in love with the Islamic Revolution when I was a baby and welcomed life under its strict religious rules. The Ayatollah's face stared down from the walls at home, a daily reminder of what was expected and what was forbidden. This included being gay, but by my teenage years I knew I was different from my peers, and began hiding my sexuality from my parents and the world outside."
"At university, I had three gay friends who understood one another's predicament and the intricate lies required to keep our secret. They told me about these parties, in the apartments of other gay men and trans women who transformed their homes with sound systems, lights and homemade alcohol into club nights behind closed doors."
"I longed for and dreaded an invite, wondering if I was ready to be let loose with the biggest circle of gay men I'd been among, worrying I'd see someone I knew, afraid of the morality police and, more so, my parents finding out. There were so many layers of haram—forbidden behaviour—what would I tell them?"
Growing up in Tehran under the Ayatollah's regime and morality police surveillance, the author was raised in a strictly religious household where homosexuality was forbidden. By teenage years, recognizing his different sexuality, he began concealing his identity from family and society. Life under the regime offered little room for celebration, with Western influences deemed dangerous. In his mid-20s, university friends introduced him to underground gay parties held in private apartments transformed into secret club nights with music, lights, and homemade alcohol. Despite longing for this hidden community, he feared exposure to acquaintances, authorities, and especially his parents. When finally invited to such a gathering, he carefully prepared his appearance, drawing inspiration from Western pop culture icons like Britney Spears and Rihanna, whose music videos he secretly watched.
#lgbtq-identity-in-iran #religious-oppression-and-hidden-communities #underground-gay-culture #coming-of-age-under-authoritarian-regime #secret-social-spaces
Read at www.theguardian.com
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