Why is the 17th of May important as the International Day Against Homophobia, Biphobia, Transphobia, and Intersexphobia? What challenges does this day bring us? When we talk about discrimination against sexual and gender minorities, what are we really talking about?

In the laws of the Islamic Republic, same-sex behavior is considered a crime and even carries the death penalty under the label of “sodomy”. Criminalizing same-sex relationships leads to the exclusion of LGBTQ+ individuals from society. This issue becomes more complicated when the taboo surrounding homosexuality and the institutionalized homophobia in society prevent any civil and political activities aimed at decriminalizing homosexuality within the borders of the country. This becomes the foundation for preventing the recognition of various sexual orientations and gender identities of LGBTQ+ individuals and leads to the silent and daily suffering of sexual and gender minorities from various forms of discrimination and violence, without the ability to seek legal recourse or support against the violence they face. The ruling government has

The issue of detecting sexual and gender minorities and homelessness.

According to this level of structural and social oppression, many sexual and gender minorities are expelled from their families and forced to leave their homes after revealing their sexual orientation or gender identity. The homophobia and transphobia present in these structures also have their own economic logic and lead to the removal of financial independence and equal job opportunities for sexual and gender minorities. As these individuals have no financial or job support, many become homeless and even shelters specifically for the homeless do not accept them.

After coming out, many sexual and gender minorities face various forms of violence from society. These violence are not always in the same form and intensity. The lack of access to support institutions and the absence of protective laws ultimately pushes this spectrum of sexual and gender minorities towards seeking advice from their closest friends and acquaintances. This is something that may happen in everyone’s life, but in cases where expertise is needed, one must turn to a specialist.

To clarify this diversity in post-coming out violence, we can refer to two

Narrative One: “After revealing my gender identity to my family, I faced physical violence from my father that lasted for a long time. This caused me to be under a lot of mental pressure until one day I left home with a backpack. My friends refused to shelter me and I was forced to spend the night in a park. That night, a person attacked me with a knife and tried to force me into his car. This was one of the violent and traumatic experiences I had. Cold, hunger, and lack of personal hygiene were also some of my other problems at that time. These issues led me to seek refuge with a clergyman who was known as a kind and righteous person by my friends. After going to his house, he repeatedly assaulted me and eventually I was forced to return to my family, who had reported me missing to the police. However, reporting this clergyman only resulted in events that forced me to leave Iran.”
Narrative Two: “I was living in a