The Gay Homeland Foundation, an organization dedicated to furtherance of a gay national movement and cultural progress of the gay-lesbian community, and baraka, an international self-organization group of gay, lesbian and bisexual immigrants in Cologne, have announced the first political demonstration commemorating all gay and lesbian victims of the Ayatollah regime in Iran in Cologne on 19 July 2007. A vigil is scheduled to begin at 17:30 at the “Memorial for Lesbian and Gay victims of National Socialism” near the Hohenzollern bridge on the left Rhine bank in Cologne, Germany. RUBICON, Cologne's counseling center for gays and lesbians, is also supporting the event.

19 July 2007 is the anniversary of the 2005 execution of two homosexual teenagers, Mahmoud Asgari and Ayaz Marhoni, who were believed to be lovers and were denounced to the police by a family member.

Authorities later distributed official information suggesting that the two teenagers were executed because of a rape of a 13-year old boy. In Iran, such accusations are routinely applied against homosexuals to justify a death sentence, since the regular proof by four witnesses (as prescribed by Sharia) can not be realistically supplied.

The two executed teenagers will always remind us of the fate of many of our brothers and sisters in Iran who were tortured and murdered by the Ayatollah regime and its death squads.

In today’s Iran, gays and lesbians still suffer the worst oppression and live in daily fear of denunciation. The country’s harsh Islamic regime has declared a downright war against homosexuals, reminiscent of ethnic cleansing in its perfidy: Specially trained agents routinely entrap gay men in internet forums. In this atmosphere of constant fear, many commit suicide or undergo unnecessary sex-change operations.
The Gay Homeland Foundation (GHF) last year appealed to the international community to cease deporting gay and lesbian asylum-seekers to persecuting countries, and to consider instead the establishment of a self-administered territory for the gay and lesbian people.

Today, GHF and baraka urge everyone to remember that in this age of gay pride parades, pool parties and liberal lives for some, a large part of our people still lives in a state of daily fear of death, deprivation of any human dignity, and subject to the will and whim of the enemy. Let each of us consider this day whether we as a community are doing enough to protect our brethren from their tormentors.

When July 19 comes around in little more than a week from now, my boyfriend and I will be lighting candles of hope and remembrance all day and evening to mark the two-year occasion of Iran's hanging of two gay teenagers, Ayaz Marhoni and Mahmoud Asgari.

Last year I was part of an international gay human rights coalition that organized vigils and the like, in dozens of cities and countries, including three cities in Iran, to call for an end to the death penalty, respect for LGBT people in Iran, and global gay solidarity.

But this year, for many complex reasons, no such worldwide action will happen, which saddens me but that won't stop me from making sure at least two gay men in San Francisco remember the barbaric hangings of the gay Iranian teens.

"We often feel let down by the gay community in the west. We need help to protect our friends and save their lives. In these hard times for gay Iraqis, the whole LGBT community worldwide should stand up for the rights of Iraqi LGBTs," said Hili.

"Iraq is one of the most homophobic and dangerous places on the face of the earth. It is a deadly place for anyone who is found out to be homosexual or who is even suspected of being one.

Iraqi LGBT is making an appeal for donations to fund its work. They need money for safe houses, food, electricity, security protection and clothing - and to help pay the phone bills of members of the Iraqi LGBT group.

Can you make a donation to help the work of Iraqi LGBT?

The UK-based gay human rights group OutRage! is working with Iraqi LGBT to support its work. Iraqi LGBT is coordinated by Ali Hili from the safety of London UK. The group does not yet have a bank account.

Operating an Iraqi LGBT bank account in Baghdad would be suicide. For this reason, it has to operate its finances from London. All the group's members in London are Iraqi refugees seeking asylum. Their lack of proper legal status makes it difficult for them to open a bank account in the UK.

This is why Iraqi LGBT is asking that cheques be made payable to "OutRage!", with a cover note marked "For Iraqi LGBT", and sent to OutRage!, PO Box 17816, London SW14 8WT, England, UK. OutRage! then forwards the donations received to Ali Hili and Iraqi LGBT for wire transfer to activists in Baghdad.

The Iranian government has confirmed that in the coming weeks more than 20 men will be executed on moral violations of rape, sodomy and assault and battery.

Police arrested over 1000 men in May in poor neighbourhoods of Tehran and other cities as part of a moral 'crackdown' on indecent behaviour. Those arrested will face trial and possible death at a later date.

Judiciary spokesperson Alireza Jamshidi told The Guardian that the death penalty will be applied on the grounds of "rape, insulting religious sanctities and laws, and homosexuality."

It is unclear if any of the men have been accused of consensual gay sex.

But this year, for many complex reasons, no such worldwide action will happen

From the moment news of Iran hanging two gay teenagers on July 19, 2005, reached San Francisco, two members of the Board of Supervisors have been in the forefront remembering the victims Mahmoud Asgari and Ayaz Marhoni, and standing in solidarity with LGBT Iranians.

Now, on the second anniversary of the tragic hanging, Supervisor Ross Mirkarimi, an Iranian-American, and his colleague Supervisor Bevan Dufty, a Gay-American, today announced they will hold a vigil and light candles of remembrance for the hanged Iranian teenagers on July 19, 2007, at 12 noon, in San Francisco's City Hall.

...

San Francisco is now the fourth city to hold a public vigil on July 19, 2007, in collaboration with gay human rights activists in Cologne, Germany, Moscow, Russia, and Warsaw, Poland.

(Spain) - The president of Spanish Gay Rights group FELGTB, Antonio Poveda, has made a call to the international community to turn its attention to violation of human rights in Iran. David Montero, person in charge of the FELGTB for international subjects, condemned Iran's “strategy of criminalization of the homosexual love which they carry out all the religious fundamentalisms, that are fomenting hatred towards lesbians, gays, transsexuals and bisexuals." The FELGTB is going to start up protests on 18 July (sic) at 12:30 in front of the embassy of Iran to demand the stop of the planned executions.

To the editor:

Some friends of mine, organizers of the Gay Homeland Foundation, are helping organize an international memorial for two gay Iranian teens, Mahmoud Asgari and Ayaz Marhoni, who were murdered by the Iranian state two years ago this Thursday. I live in a small town in southern BC, and even here, some queer friends and I are going to gather for a remembrance ceremony.

It doesn't have to be huge; it can be as small (or as large) as you want to make it. But let's not forget them -- if we don't speak up and remember them, no one will.

I direct you to the pertinent page at the Gay Homeland Foundation site:
http://gayrepublic.org/index.php?name=News&file=article&sid=1503

To date, there are four large international sites taking part: Cologne, Germany, Moscow, Russia, San Francisco, USA, and Warsaw, Poland. Michael Petrelis' site has more info. on the times and dates and contact info:

http://mpetrelis.blogspot.com/2007/07/hrw-sf-moscow-join-cologne-warsaw-for.html

Wouldn't it be nice if Toronto, Ottawa, Montreal, and Vancouver joined in?

Mahmoud Asgari and Ayaz Marhoni are OUR kids -- please don't let their lives be forgotten! This Thursday, speak up for "family" who have little voice of their own; from our positions of relative comfort, we need to reach out to our brothers and sisters who desperately need a friend to speak out for them.

So, on Thursday, light a candle, say a prayer, punch a hole in the wall in anger and frustration... do something to remember these two boys who were murdered for love. And then write to your MP, your Senator, your local newspaper or television station... they are martyrs in our struggle, they are our brothers, and we cannot forget them.

And next year on July 19, let's see a national Day of Remembrance, for ALL the Mahmouds and Ayazs out there, regardless of where they are from.

Sincerely,

[my name]

PS: To the editors: if you're interested, here's some background on the case:

http://enmasse.ca/forums/viewtopic.php?t=3752

More than twenty Russian activists protested outside the Iranian embassy in Moscow today, the second anniversary of the execution of two gay teenagers in Iran.

A group of nationalists and religious activists who turned up to counter-demonstrate were stopped by police and dispersed.

While this was seen as a positive step after the bloody police actions at a gay Pride demonstration earlier this year, it emerged that the application for the Iran protest did not mention gay rights.

Moscow Pride organiser Nikolai Baev said:

"It seems that even homophobic activists start to understand that gays and lesbians may rally and protest in Moscow absolutely free, and walk on streets with their flags and slogans.

"This is also a clear result of our policy that we started with the gay Pride movement in Russia."

Protesters carried placards carrying the slogans "Iran! Hands Off Gays!" and "No Death Penalty!"

Meanwhile, on Jul 19, the second anniversary of the widely publicized hangings in Mashhad, gay activists gathered in Moscow, Cologne and San Francisco — and reportedly in Warsaw — to remember the hangings. GayRussia.Ru said about 25 people picketed Iran's Moscow embassy.

In San Francisco, activists and city Supervisors Ross Mirkarimi and Bevan Dufty lit candles in Mirkarimi's City Hall office.

Mirkarimi, an Iranian American, told the Bay Area Reporter, a San Francisco gay newspaper, that it is important not to underplay the issue of Iran's sodomy executions.

"It's important to be strategic ... but we can't tiptoe around something that is a blatant horrific action such as this," he said.

Blogger and longtime activist Michael Petrelis, who organized the San Francisco vigil, told the BAR, "If this were 1941 Germany ... I would not be silent, as a homosexual Jewish American."

In the end, given information currently available, there is no disagreement among human-rights activists that Iran executes men convicted of sodomy. But in many of the cases that are publicized, the executed individuals apparently have been convicted of additional crimes, too.

Darling, if you KNEW what role HRW really played in this...

Darling, if you KNEW what role HRW really played in this...

I am sorry to tell you but our Foundation apparently is among those organizations who might not be readily mentioned on regular news sites.

So...? Fill us in...

And why would that be? Just because we dare advocate for our own homeland? Are we seen as shit-disturbers, or mere nut-cases? Or both?