The book “Understanding Iranian Homosexuality” is a collection of articles written by “Nima Shahed” since 1385. Nima Shahed is a pseudonym under which the author has published these articles. During this time, he worked as a collaborator with the Iranian Queer Organization (IRQO) in Iran and was actively involved in activities related to the rights of homosexuals. After the publication of this book, Nima Shahed stopped using this pseudonym and has not published anything under this name since, and is unlikely to do so in the future. He has selected articles from his published works in various media that shed light on Iranian homosexuality as a hermeneutic issue; that is, how one can understand homosexuality in its historical context. Nima Shahed publishes his book in memory of one of the victims of sexual laws in Iran, which is why in many places, the author of the book is referred to as “Mehdi Ta’if”.

و هتروسکسیسم

The main chapters of this book, which indicate its subjects, are: 1- Introduction 2- The Meaning of Homosexuality in Iranian Sexual Discourse 3- Critique of the Book “Playing with Gender in Persian Literature” from a Different Perspective 4- Hidden Homophobia of Iranian Intellectuals 5- Aesthetic of Homosexuals and the Identity of Homosexuality: A Look at the Paradox of Homosexuality and Fascism 6- Towards the Phenomenology of Queer Iranian Life 7- The Virtual Life of Queer Iranians 8- Conclusion: The Dialectic of Homosexuality and Heterosexism.

The author states in the preface of the book: “These articles have previously been published in homosexual journals or media outlets that support the rights of homosexuals. The common thread that connects these research and analyses is an effort to introduce the structure, context, and meaning of homosexuality in Iran. Here, I have simply compiled these related articles and attempted to draw meaningful conclusions from them.”

He has also mentioned in the introduction of the book: “In the first article, which follows Foucault’s approach on gender and intimacy, I have pursued the historical circumstances that have led to what we can now call homosexuality in Iran.” The author then introduces other sections of the book as follows: “In the second article, I have followed Fattah Babai’s critique of Kuyer’s works. In this critique, based on Kuyer’s own experiences, I have extracted and examined the assumptions of homophobia in his book “Homosexuality in Persian Literature.” In the third article, and continuing the critique of Kuyer’s works, we have selected individual statements from Iranian intellectuals that can be seen as evidence of their own homophobia.” In the explanation of the fourth article, Shahed writes: “In the fourth article, I have attempted to introduce a distinction within the category of homosexuality, in which we can separate modern homosexual desires from those that are presented as a

In addition to the introduction of this book, it can be added that as the title suggests, it can be very useful in understanding and becoming familiar with homosexuality in Iran, and reading this book is recommended to all human rights defenders and advocates for the rights of homosexuals.

The book “Understanding Iranian Homosexuality” was written by the author in seven chapters and an introduction. This book was published by “Gilgamesh” publications in the spring of 2013 in the city of Toronto, Canada.

Book Title: Understanding Iranian Homosexuality

Author: Nima Shahed

Publication: Gilgameshian

Print order: First, Spring 1392