6Rang Warns Against Instrumentalization of LGBT+ Rights Amid Iran War

The Iranian LGBT+ rights organization 6Rang has issued a statement warning against the instrumentalization of LGBT+ rights by global and regional powers amid the ongoing war involving Iran, Israel, and the United States.

The statement follows remarks by U.S. President Donald Trump in a recent YouTube interview with influencer and boxer Jake Paul, where he said: “We support gays, but they [the Islamic Republic of Iran] throw gays off buildings.”

While reaffirming that Iran enforces some of the harshest laws criminalizing same-sex relations, 6Rang challenged both the accuracy and the political framing of such claims.

“This is a fact that the Islamic Republic of Iran enforces some of the most severe and violent laws against consensual same-sex relations,”the statement reads. “However, ‘throwing individuals from buildings’ is not a documented legal punishment in Iran and is more often part of political and propaganda narratives.”

The organization also criticized what it described as contradictions in U.S. policy, noting that earlier this year U.S. authorities reportedly attempted to deport an Iranian same-sex couple, a move that, it warned, could place LGBT+ asylum seekers at serious risk. 6Rang reiterated that returning individuals to countries where same-sex relations are criminalized can endanger their lives.
More broadly, the statement places Trump’s remarks within a longer pattern of governments invoking human rights narratives to justify political or military agendas. It points to historical precedents, including the use of women’s rights discourse during the U.S. war in Afghanistan.
At the heart of the statement is a clear rejection of all forms of political exploitation of LGBT+ communities:

“The LGBT+ community and our rights are not tools for any power anywhere in the world.”

6Rang emphasized that Iranian LGBT+ people have long fought for their rights under conditions of extreme risk and repression, and said the struggle would continue until a democratic system that upholds human rights is established.

The organization also warned against both forms of harm: attacks rooted in social stigma and discrimination, as well as the use of LGBT+ rights as a pretext for advancing political or military objectives.

“We will not allow any power to attack us under social taboos or to justify its policies in the name of defending us.”

The statement concludes with a message of defiance and resilience, reaffirming that Iran’s LGBT+ community will continue its struggle for equality and justice, independent of geopolitical agendas.