{"id":2499,"date":"2019-10-21T12:59:33","date_gmt":"2019-10-21T12:59:33","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/6rang.org\/english\/?page_id=2499"},"modified":"2019-10-21T12:59:33","modified_gmt":"2019-10-21T12:59:33","slug":"universal-periodic-review-iran-october-2019-a-summary-on-lesbian-gay-bisexual-and-transgender-lgbti","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/6rang.org\/english\/universal-periodic-review-iran-october-2019-a-summary-on-lesbian-gay-bisexual-and-transgender-lgbti\/","title":{"rendered":"Universal Periodic Review Iran (October 2019) A summary on lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBTI)"},"content":{"rendered":"\n\t\t\t\tWe are talking about more than 8,000,000<\/strong> people!
According to WHO statistics, four to 10 per cent of every society are LGBT people. The Iranian population of more than 83 million is no exception.<\/p>\n\n\n

Background<\/h1>\n\n\n

The Iranian Lesbian and Transgender Network (6Rang) is a\nnon-governmental, not-for-profit organization concerned with the human rights\nsituation of lesbian and transgender people in Iran. 6Rang is a member of the\nInternational Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Trans and Intersex Association (ILGA).\n6Rang has made submissions to the UN bodies and published reports that, among\nother issues, have focused on documenting human rights abuses against lesbian,\ngay and transgender people in health-care settings in Iran.<\/p>\n\n\n

Issues<\/h1>\n\n\n

The following\nfour issues are the focus of the suggested recommendations that should be made\nto Iran in this third cycle. <\/p>\n\n\n

Criminalization<\/h2>\n\n\n

Iran\u2019s new\nIslamic Penal Code (IPC), adopted in 2013, criminalizes consensual same-sex\nrelations between adults and LGBT expressions such as what it so called \u2018cross-dressing\u2019<\/em>\nby severe and inhuman punishments including the death penalty and flogging.<\/p>\n\n\n

Medicalization and pathologization<\/h2>\n\n\n

A range of\nmedical practices, accompanying this criminalization, coerce LGBT people into\nreparative or conversion therapies, hormone treatments and sex reassignment,\nand forced sterilization. Being a trans person, while not a criminal offence,\nis seen as a gender identity disorder that is diagnosed through the account of\nsame-sex desires and gender non-conformity and is considered \u2018curable\u2019<\/em>\nthrough the mentioned medical procedures. Such procedures are also a\nprerequisite to the legal gender recognition as expressed by the concerned\nindividuals. LGB persons, however, have to choose between identifying as trans and\nundergoing these \u2018curing\u2019<\/em> procedures, or being categorized as criminal\noffenders with its accompanying\nrisks. In any case, 6Rang has documented more than\n3,000 accounts of substandard treatments and malpractices in the administration\nof these procedures.<\/p>\n\n\n

Persecution and Harassment<\/h2>\n\n\n

The Islamic Republic of Iran (IRI) is extremely hostile towards the LGBT community and any form of homosexual <\/em>conduct or expression as well as any form of civil activism and defence of human rights that is concerned with sexual orientation and gender <\/p>\n\n\n

identity. Our\nresearch shows that arbitrary arrests, violence and mistreatment by police\nforces, raids on private parties against the LGBT community are widespread.<\/p>\n\n\n

Hate Speech<\/h2>\n\n\n

Homophobic comments and incitement to\nhatred and violence against LGBT people is widespread in public domains.\nHigh-ranking IRI officials, religious leaders and state media continue to use\nhateful, derogatory and dehumanizing rhetoric against LGBT individuals,\ndescribing homosexuals as \u201canimalistic\u201d, \u201csubhuman\u201d, \u201csick\u201d and \u201cdiseased\u201d. <\/p>\n\n\n

Proposed Recommendations<\/h1>\n\n\n

The following is a selection of our key\nrecommendations<\/p>\n\n\n

  1. With a\nview to fully decriminalize same-sex relations between consenting adults, repeal\nArticles 233-35 and 237-39 from the Islamic Penal Code (IPC) as these impose\nthe death penalty and flogging for offences related to consensual same-sex\nconducts between adults and impose punitive measures based on a person\u2019s sexual\norientation, gender identity and expression.<\/li><\/ol>\n\n\n