Two More Iranian Gay Teens May Be Executed
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28 January 2008 | 5 Comments
Our freedoms don’t come cheap. In the Western world we may be fighting for things like bathhouses and backrooms at bars, but in other countries they fight for things that are a lot more basic – namely the right to live.
The kids in this photo are teenagers and they’re being executed for being gay…
The photo is from 2005 when two gay teens (14 and 16 years old) were executed in Iran for being gay. Now two more (Hamzeh Chavi and Loghman Hamzehpour – 18 and 19 years old) have been arrested and it looks like they might be executed as well… And to make matters worse, the news on the issue is pretty limited… I found out about it on a blog that usually has X-rated pics of muscle guys. It’s just sad that those of us promoting sex and porn are more interested in this than the mainstream press.
There is a petition you can sign urging the UNHCR to do something about the situation. While it might be a pipe dream to think we can stop the executions, it can’t hurt to sign it…
But the real issue is gay rights around the globe. It doesn’t surprise me that Iran is executing gay guys, but for all the progress we’ve supposedly made in the West, it shocks me that there isn’t more of an outcry about this. If you think you’ve got gay rights, think again…
The reason why we need deeply entrenched gay rights in the West is so our governments will act when they see these types of things in other countries. We need asylum policies that are generous to gay people facing persecution. We need our governments to pull strings and offer countries like Iran a way to not execute the men, but still save face (like deportation to a western country with lots of negative rhetoric. Hell, give them a beating and then give them to us – whatever it takes to keep them alive).
I doubt the Bush administration would think twice about doing anything. Even Canada with it’s liberal policies has a government led by Robert Harper – a Conservative who came in promising his fellow conservatives that he’d put gay marriage up for another vote to try to get rid of it.
The actions of our western governments matter a great deal. It sickens me that Bush was elected not just once, but twice – that our rights in this country have gone backwards over the past 8 years. Ironically Iran has one of the few somewhat democratic governments in the Middle East. But instead of our government doing what it can to quietly support the more liberal, educated elements in Iran, Bush labeled them “The Axis of Evil” and isolated them even further. That actually helped the conservative elements in Iran take back power – and guess what – Iranian gays started getting executed under the more conservative government. Who we elect as our President does have a huge effect on gay rights around the globe. Any of you “Log Cabin Republicans” should be ashamed of yourself. Your vote for George W. is helping kill these kids in Iran…
Until we have true equality, we have to be political – even little things can add up and make a real difference. Whether it’s shutting down bathhouses, or not being allowed to marry – don’t just sit there and take it. When you see the opportunity to say or do something – do it… And for god’s sake – don’t vote Republican in the elections this year!
you have no idea how much iran fucking disgusts me. on a side note its Stephan Harper not Roger.
i cannot believe that you blame President Bush and the policies of his administration for the persecution of gays in iran..
if it had not been for that fucking excuse for a human jimmy carter, there would be NO islamic state of iran..
carter, a fucking democrat was responsible for the removal of the Shah of Iran which allowed the ayatolla koehmeni to take over and usher in the islamic state..
yeah, the democrats care all about human rights.. thank you fucking jimmy carter..
and for all you die-hard gays who can’t see past the “D” on the ballot, yeah, they’ve really done a lot for gays.. thank clinton for Don’t Ask Don’t Tell and the Defense of Marriage Act..
you gays keep voting for the democrats and you get just what you deserve..
oh, and btw, i hope and pray that i get to see the same thing happen to osama-obama that happened to JFK but BEFORE november..
@conservative – You really know nothing about the history of Iran, do you? I was most likely conceived there and it Iranian studies was my minor in college, so let me explain things to you…
The discontent with the Shah was brewing in a strong way well before he got cancer. A couple of years before he celebrated 2500 years of monarchy in Iran. The food was flown in from Maxim’s of Paris, and no Iranians were invited (except one of my college professors who was there as a historian to document the event). At the same time, in the same region, there were people starving while foreign dignitaries were eating Parisian food. Think about what it means for French food to be served at a celebration of Iranian history…
To say Jimmy Carter is responsible for the Islamic State of Iran is laughable. The Shah and the leaders he appointed were responsible. Look back at Iran at that time and you’ll see a leadership that wanted to Westernize the country, not modernize it. Iran had a long rich history and the leaders were throwing it out. They saw the people of Iran as a problem, as backwards. And the people sensed they weren’t respected or being taken care of, so at a moment of weakness they took the opportunity and overthrew the Shah.
If you really want to look at the critical moment in Iranian history look at 1953. A good populist leader arose (Mossadeq) but Iran was controlled by two oil companies at that time and when his movement was squashed Iran took a huge step backwards. That was the critical moment and the Republicans were in the White House (Eisenhower) when that all went down…
I don’t give a shit what Islamic think. The Islamic Goverment are just as guilty as those two young boys. They were young, naive and gullable where the islamic government didn’t even give them a chance to live their lives. Thats a putrid, coward, barberic evil act and anyone else that follows and supports this ancient law are dumb ignorant mother fucking fucks who deserve to be hung themselves. Fuck the Islamic law. This is the 21st centery. We aren’t in the prehistoric days. Those fucken days are over. It’s time to stand up for your human rights. Remember, that we are supported by the UN (United Nations) All countries signed and bound by the UN. People of the cruel, Islamic laws, voice your opinions and let the world hear your cries. Change the laws of homosexuality and legalise it in all islamic countries. Bring justice to those who brutily murdered those two young boys lives. They were murdered for being in love with the same sex. LOVE is not a crime. Is that a crime? NO IT’S NOT. Maybe under islamic law but all that is about to change. Those judges who ordered their (the two boys)execution and those who carried out their execution. You will be condemned to hell for eternity.