I’ve taken to not posting much in the evenings, but this is something I don’t think can wait until morning. I posted about the story of the gay teenagers hanged in Iran, response to the hangings, and the ensuing controversy around the rape allegations against the two boys. Now, Doug Ireland, who originally broke the story in blogistan, has an update on the hangings and rape charges.
…new information is continuing to come in from Iran casting doubt on the validity of the rape charge against the two hanged boys. Afdhere Jama, editor of the e-zine for Queer Muslims, Huriyah, says contacts of his in Iran affirm that the two boys hung in Mashad were lovers. "The first day I found out, I called my Iranian contacts from Huriyah," says Jama. "All agreed on the fact that these boys were murdered for being queer. One of my contacts who has been to gay parties in Mashad (the city where the boys were executed) swears the boys were long-term lovers, and another source told me one of he boys’ family members outed the couple.
…I have also had e-mail correspondence over the last ten days with the editors in Tehran of an Iranian underground publication for Iranian gays — who have asked that neither their names nor the name of their publication be cited, as they are fearful of the heightened repressive atmosphere for same-sexers there. They, too, assert the ‘rape’ charge was trumped up and that the two boys who were hanged were lovers. I am trying to confirm the above refutations of the government’s "rape" charge from still more and new sources within Iran and inside Mashad.
Ireland also has more on the the repression of gays in Iran.
I’m not sure how much more confirmation some folks might want on the story before they think blogs are justified in taking it up, but Ireland seems to be getting the word from what gay community there is in Iran, as best he can. I suppose we all could have waited a couple of weeks to cover it, but I’m not sure what it would have helped or changed, except that the story would have had a lot less urgency.
I have been following this story since I first heard about it. I am not one to believe in coincidence, and I don’t think coincidance plays a role in the worldwide attention these two boys are getting. Even Lady Bunny has them posted on her site. I think these things are coming to light because the world saw what it looks like when two fresh faced youth are put to death over this.
Shame on our politically correct “human rights” groups in this country. They did nothing but stereotype these two boys as typical Middle Eastern boys who fool around with each other because they can’t get to the girls, all the while citing one report that the boys committed rape. Never once did they stop and consider the growing gay rights movement around the world and in Iran. A rights movement that is obviously beginning to see backlash.
Even though though our fight here stateside is far from over, we need to support our LGBT brothers and sisters in developing countries. Who knows when we may need their support in the future.