Gratitude

I stumbled upon an interesting article by Craig and Marc Kielburger in the Toronto Star. Entitled "Speaking up for gay rights in Iran," it briefly outlines the experiences of Arsham Parsi, a gay rights activist who founded the Iranian Queer Railroad, an organization that helps Iranian gays find safe passage to Turkey.

In addition to reminding me of the awful fact that there are still 58 countries in this world that punish homosexuality (including nine that invoke the dealth penalty) and making me feel incredibly grateful for whatever stroke of luck enabled me to be born and raised a Canadian, this article also reminded me of a great film that I screened at last year's Inside Out festival. Be Like Others, by Iranian-born filmmaker Tanaz Eshaghian, explores a culture of young Iranian men who undergo sex-change operations to become women so, ultimately, they can fulfill a desire to sleep with other men. Fascinating and harrowing, the documentary follows two young men who are faced with the horrifying dilemma of either being persecuted for their sexual impulses or radically altering their bodies in what they understand as the only somewhat socially acceptable way of living their lives as men who love men.

This article, the IRQR website, and Be Like Others warrant at least a glance. As residents of a country/countries where queers are allowed to live and love (even if there's still room for improvement), we owe it to our queer brothers and sisters around the globe to be as well-informed and active as possible.