Sexism refers to any form of discrimination, prejudice, or bias based on gender or sex. This term gained popularity during the second wave of feminism and the period between the 1960s and 1980s. Sexism can include giving superiority to one gender over another or limiting the abilities of women and men based on their gender. The most extreme form of sexism involves anti-female beliefs and even hatred towards women.

Common phrases in the upbringing of children in Iranian society such as “a man doesn’t cry”, “be a man!”, “be a man of your word”, or common words and phrases in Persian literature such as “manliness”, “youthfulness”, etc. are examples of sexism. This concept, which was initially created to raise awareness about the pressures on women and girls, gradually became more widely used in the early 21st century and evolved into a term to refer to pressure on women, men, intersex individuals, and transgender genders. An example of gender bias against men is the societal pressure on them to participate in war or provide for their families.

In fact, the foundation and basis of gender construction and perpetuation is the effort of patriarchal dominance. Sexual minorities, as a community that has always challenged traditional binary frameworks of femininity and masculinity, are doubly targeted by gender construction. The gender binary divides activities, interests, clothing, and even jobs into two categories: feminine and masculine. Anyone who crosses these boundaries is subject to questioning their masculinity or femininity. Heavy sports such as bodybuilding and fields like civil engineering (which are typically only open to male students in Iran’s universities) are seen as entering the masculine realm for women, while careers like nursing or dancing are seen as a threat to traditional masculinity for men. This is what is defined as “breaking masculinity” for men. Men must constantly strive to prove their masculinity. This is often done through belittling anything considered feminine or through insulting and degrading gay men. This belief even extends to sexual relationships, where a “real man” is always expected to be the “active

It is important to remember that the LGBTQ+ community is not only affected by sexism, but also by heterosexism. Heterosexism refers to prejudice and discrimination against those who are not heterosexual, and for heterosexists, heterosexuality is the only acceptable and natural orientation. Heterosexism is not the same as homophobia. It can be seen as a system of power that gives special privileges to heterosexuals based on their sexual or romantic orientation.

Hegemonic masculinity and femininity are actually another manifestation of gender. In patriarchal societies, we are not only faced with one type of femininity and masculinity, but there are various forms of femininity and masculinity that are all under the dominance of hegemonic masculinity. Hegemonic masculinity is actually an idealized form of masculinity, and Irving Goffman’s definition of ideal masculinity in the United States was a male with the following characteristics: “young father, married, white, urban, northern, heterosexual, Protestant, college-educated, employed, good-looking, with proportionate weight and height, and physically fit.” Hegemonic masculinity or femininity does not mean that all men and women in society possess these characteristics, but rather, it is expected that they conform to this idealized model, and anyone who deviates from it is seen as inferior. With the focus on heteronormativity in all societies today, gay men are even further removed from this “superior man,” and other non

But gender discrimination is not only imposed by the majority society on sexual minorities. In the context of the second wave of feminism, the lesbian feminist movement, one of the old branches of feminism, emerged to challenge gender discrimination. However, they themselves later became victims of gender discrimination within feminist movements. To the extent that Betty Friedan (one of the important and influential figures of feminism in her time) referred to lesbians as a threat. She claimed that lesbians were a threat to the credibility of the feminist movement and diverted attention from the main goal of feminism, which was achieving equality. During a period when sexism caused lesbian women to be marginalized by gay men in LGBTQ+ organizations. They were also seen as a threat by the feminist movement and thus formed their own independent organizations. As it is evident, women, men, or sexual minorities can be both perpetrators and victims of gender discrimination, and individuals within sexual minority communities are not immune to sexism. To the extent that even today, white gay men hold the