Ebrahim Raisi’s hate speech at the UN General Assembly against the LGBTQ+ community

In his speech at the United Nations General Assembly, Ebrahim Raisi defined the family as consisting of one woman and one man based on Quranic teachings and referring to protecting family privacy and marriage. He considered the union of one woman and one man a universal reality.

Devoting the main topic of his speech to promoting Quranic teachings, he defined other forms of family formation as unnatural and “fake narratives of marriage and sexuality”. He considered it an example of a crime against humanity and the cause of the end of the human race.

Hate speech against sexual and gender minorities from the authorities of the Islamic Republic in Iran and outside Iran has intensified significantly in the past year. Another example is Raisi’s speech during his African trip to Uganda. He called homosexuality a “phenomenon.” He called it “disgusting” and criticised Western countries for “attacking the family”.

Raisi’s homophobic statements were made last week in the side meeting of the UN Human Rights Council. 6rang presented the report “War on Bodies and Minds” regarding the behaviour of the security forces and judicial authorities of the Islamic Republic during the uprising of 2022-23 with sexual and gender minorities. He was considered a crime against humanity.

The world community, international institutions and human rights organisations should not only advocate for the violated rights of this community by recognising the crimes of the Islamic Republic against the community of sexual and gender minorities but also when they see Ebrahim Raisi in such a shameless manner in the public arena of the United Nations in front of the media. And the eyes of the world are focused on the fight against our society, so recklessly, the government under his presidency is violating this society’s rights.