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Arsham Parsi's speech at Canadian for Choice discussion panel in Toronto (November 24, 07) In the past, my speeches were mostly from a legal standpoint and I talked about the legal and social conditions of Iranian queers. This is my first speech on sexual health and the Iranian queer population. I thank my friends at Canadian For Choice for giving me and IRQO this opportunity. It was just a few years ago that we complained that no one cares about us and no one knows about our difficult circumstances. Today there’s no place for such complaints. Last year, directors of the IRanian Queer Organization participated in more than a hundred seminars, interviews, and lectures in Europe and North America. Media inside and outside Iran started to report on Iranian Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender population. Many students do their dissertations and theses on the situation of Iranian queers. Today the international community is aware of the living conditions of queer individuals in Iran. This was one of the basic objectives of IRQO and we have fortunately achieved it. One of the most crucial issues regarding health and sexual relations is HIV/AIDS. Before being a queer rights activist, I used to collaborate with one of the prominent medical doctors in Iran who worked on AIDS programs. Many individuals were infected with HIV/AIDS due to their lack of knowledge about sexually transmitted diseases. They did not know what safe sex was. In complying with the government’s regulations, we were not allowed to talk about sex or sexual health. We were only allowed to use brochures and meetings to address “avoid risky sexual behavior.” One of my dearest friends committed suicide in 2001 because of his sexual orientation and that changed the direction of my life. I started to focus more on queer rights. I started to work as a queer human rights activist and became the executive director of IRQO. At IRQO, we worked on health-related as well as legal issues. We realized that Iranian queers face the danger of AIDS more than others since the vast majority of them do not have access to information on safe homosexual sex, sexual health, and sexually transmitted diseases. Only a small percentage of queers used condoms; and unfortunately even fewer knew how to use them properly. When I asked them the reason for not using condoms, they would turn red, look down, and remain silent. I think shyness, shame, and fear may be the reasons for not using condoms. Iranian queers individuals felt shy to go to the pharmacy and buy condoms. To avoid the shame of buying condoms, they would risk their health. In Iran, there is a misconception that homosexuality is the cause of AIDS. People think AIDS is a Western disease derived from vulgarity, prostitution, and promiscuity. Two years ago, a gay man’s mother told me that the HIV virus is produced as a result of sexual relations between two men. She referred to various newspapers and news articles she had read as evidence. She thought that sexual relations between members of the opposite sex are never risky. In Iran the number of those living with HIV/AIDS is growing. A few months ago the Persian website of BBC quoted the head of Iranian Ministry of Health and Medical Education that 15,587 people live with HIV/AIDS in Iran;14,702 are men (about 94%) and 885 are women (just under 6 %). The exact statistics are not available and experts believe that the real number is higher than the official statistics. Dr Minu Mohrez, head of Tehran-based AIDS Research Centre (Markaz-i tahqiqat-i aids) estimated the real number is about 70 thousand, half of them unaware of their HIV status. Therefore they can transmit the virus unknowingly. Dr. Abbas Sedaqat, head of the Office on AIDS in the Ministry of Health, states that since the first case of AIDS was observed 21 years ago in Iran, more than 2062 individuals have died of the disease. Anywhere in the world, sexual intercourse is the predominant means of transmitting HIV but Iranian media does not report this. They claim that HIV is mostly transmitted through sharing of needles in drug addicts, and sexual intercourse and blood transfusion are only secondary means of HIV transmission. Experts state that the number of HIV cases is growing among young people and they emphasize prevention among teenagers and youth, the need for cooperation between the Ministry of Education, media, non-governmental organizations, and the Ministry of Health. Yet there is no sex education before college and even then the focus is only on family planning. Considering the present circumstances, education is not an easy task. In a society where it is taboo to talk about sex, how can effective sex education be provided? AIDS is a stigma. Those infected with HIV/AIDS are not seen in a positive light, and this issue is generally not talked about in public. For the same reason cliché phrases such as “risky behavior” and “prevention” have entered the language of government-controlled media. A friend of mine told me that at the Mehr-Abad Airport in Tehran, there is a big sign aimed at HIV prevention. On the right it says in English: “Abstain, Be Faithful and Use Condom” (ABC) and on the left it says in Farsi: “Avoid, Be Faithful, Prevent.” One can only guess how difficult it would be to use the word “condom” and wonder whether one can even speak of sexual relations and safe sex in these conditions. We are aware of the pitfalls and dangers of the ABC method. The Iranian government uses the ABC method, but is it logical to believe there is no premarital sex amongst Iranian youth? I know many people who engage in sexual relations and hide it. The concern is that Iranian youth consider oral sex to be completely risk-free. Yet, we know for a fact this is not the case. Considering the difficult cultural, social, and legal conditions in which Iranian queers live, it is difficult for them to keep long-term relationships. Cohabitation of a same-sex couple is not socially acceptable. So the legal and social climate can contribute to individuals having more than one sex partner; therefore being “faithful” as defined by the government requires certain conditions unavailable in Iranian society. But our duty is not to impose a set of morally charged guidelines. Sexual health is an important issue regardless of the number of sex partners one person has. The Iranian government is unwilling to address at-risk groups such as prostitutes, run-away youth who have escaped from home, and prisoners. AIDS victims are generally from the most disadvantaged social class and due to ideological reasons the government does not address them properly. Until three years ago when I was still in Iran, it wasn’t easy to purchase condoms even in pharmacies. Yet the biggest reason for the spread of HIV/AIDS is the lack of correct information. Queers usually have a lot of questions on safe sex and sexual relations which they cannot ask comfortably. They fear visiting a doctor, and information sources in Farsi are difficult to come by. Farsi websites are disturbingly silent on the issue of queer population. About two years ago IRQO published a special magazine's issue on HIV/AIDS that answered questions of queers with the help of several medical doctors. However due to limitations that we faced, and still face, and keeping in mind the degree to which we openly talk about queer issues today, the need for information has become even more critical. Sexual health is one of the most important issues for the Iranian queer community today, and there is great need for sources in Farsi. And finally IRQO is to start a project this year in order to provide education on HIV/AIDS. We invite all HIV/AIDS organizations or activist to cooperate and collaborate with us in this project. Arsham Parsi |
