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IRQR Iranian Railroad for Queer Refugees Welcome to our website!
INTRODUCTION
The Iranian Railroad for Queer Refugees (Click Here) is our new organization’s name since October 9, 2008. For IRQR, we are working to create a simple structure and focus upon supporting Iranian queers to be safe on their journey and to arrive in a new country to live and be free. IRQR is an international, non for profit, queer human rights organization based in Toronto, Canada. We help Iranian gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgendered refugees all over the world. We help when Iranian queers are threatened with deportation back to Iran. We also assist Iranian queers in obtaining asylum in friendly countries. When Iranian queer people flee persecution in Iran, they generally go to Turkey. The United Nations High Commission for Refugees (UNHCR) interviews these refugees and decides whether their case for asylum is valid. If they are granted asylum status, the UNHCR finds a new country for each person on base of their profile. IRQR helps these refugees through the process and, whenever possible, provides funds for safe houses from donations, since Turkey is also a homophobic and transphobic society and queer people are not physically safe there either.
IRQR's Vision The objects of the corporation are to increase public awareness about, and provide support such as legal services and financial assistance, to refugees and immigrants leaving Iran because of persecution bases on their sexual orientation and gender identity.
IRQR’S GOALS--DEMOCRACY AND JUSTICE IRQR believes that the ability to achieve a higher quality of life is dependent upon education and having a democratic and credible government and a just legal system in Iran. Our goals are: * To end discrimination against sexual minorities in Iran * To raise awareness of queer oppression in Iran and in other countries * To advocate for the Iranian queer population * The abolition of execution in Iran * To end systematic abuse of human rights in Iran.
THE ISLAMIC REPUBLIC OF IRAN’S LAW AGAINST HOMOSEXUALITY In the Iranian Islamic Penal Code, homosexuality is illegal and punishable by death. Torture in the form of whipping is also used to punish homosexuals. Ironically, the law provides for a choice of execution--hanging, stoning, being halved by a sword or dropped from a high place-- but a judge may also decide which form of execution is employed. Punishment may occur if two men or two women are discovered lying under one cover or even kissing “with lust”. Sex changes for transgenderd people are legal in Iran. However anyone who refuses to conform to the strict appearance of one gender and who wants to live as a transgender is also persecuted. Gay men and lesbians who do not experience themselves as transsexuals may be coerced to undergo sex change operations so that they can be with someone they love. This is also an abuse of human rights: to not have the right of self-expression in relation to gender identity. The regime may list homosexuality as one of a number of offences when someone is punished, making it difficult for human rights organizations to prove absolutely that people are being executed or flogged because of their sexual orientation. We, as a group of human rights activists and freedom fighters who have witnessed the inhumane conduct of the Islamic Republic of Iran for many years, do wholly protest these violent acts. These punishments for people who love people of the same sex are inexcusable acts of barbarism. Queers are neither deviants nor devilish people. We are normal human beings with needs and habits in common with the rest of society. We work, study, eat, rest, and love … just as others do. The Islamic regime has engaged in a violent crackdown against gay people (and many others who do not conform), which has escalated in the last year (2006-2007), arresting them at private parties, through internet chat rooms and through betrayal by friends and family. Many Iranians who are lesbian or gay do not realize the danger they face until they themselves are arrested or victimized by the system. This seems to have been the case when, in 2005, two teenage boys were hung in the north-eastern city of Mash'had. After being interrogated and tortured, they admitted to having sex with each other and stated that they were not aware that same-sex sexual relationships were punishable by death. Prior to their execution, the teenagers were held in prison for 14 months and were severely beaten with lashes. It is thought that when they were arrested they were around the age of 16. Photos of the teenagers before they were hung showed them weeping hopelessly on their way to the public execution.
PERSECUTION OF LGBTs IN IRAN Persecution is not confined to the regime. Queers suffer persecution in family life, in the workplace, and in other social aspects of life. In one case, a father attempted to kill his son because the young man was in a sexual relationship with someone of the same sex. This is referred to as an “honour killing.” Many persecuted and unloved queer people run away from their homes or turn to suicide as the easiest way to leave their misery behind. If they do not have money and they have difficulty finding work, they live on the streets; recourse to prostitution and drugs often follows. Their lives are very difficult and are sometimes violently cut short. Security guards arrest and torment gays and lesbians in the streets, over the Internet, and in the media. When Internet chat room meetings become face to face dates, the risk is that the date is an undercover agent. Gay men and lesbians know that such a meeting may result in arrest and severe punishment.
IRQR’s PROJECTS Our aim is to enlighten those who are queer and to educate those who oppose homosexuality due to a lack of correct information and sexual education. Due to intolerance in Iran, there is no way to freely research sexuality and other issues of orientation. The lack of complete and important information prevents many Iranian queers from having a clear insight into their current lives or from making plans to achieve a brighter future. Through our Persian magazine for queer people and through a weekly radio program called RAHA (“Liberated”) we can reach more people. We would like to broadcast this radio program by satellite, so that those without access to the Internet will be able to listen to us. We would like to provide at least one TV program to more effectively enrich our social culture in all its aspects, including sexuality. However, reaching this point will require us to have sufficient human and financial resources. Providing and broadcasting these media programs costs money, but we are happy to work for and pay for projects and programs that can enlighten our LGBT brothers and sisters. We must do our best to end the current lack of self-recognition and self-confidence among queer people and to prevent frequent tragedies, such as suicide.
HOW INDIVIDUALS AND GROUPS CAN HELP IRQR We are presently financially independent and receive no grants or governmental support. We rely on money from our subscribers and from individuals and groups who want to help us. There have been a number of humanitarians as well as queer activists and groups that are willing to help us and who wish to work for the freedom and sexual equality of Iranian queer people and we are very thankful for their support. In fact, we would not be here today if we had not received this help. We hope to receive more attention and collaboration from other organizations and individuals as we continue our mission. We need more allies and queer people to undertake responsibilities and to work to free queer people in Iran.
IRQR’s NEEDS We need financial aid * To procure sufficient office supplies, * To carry on with our magazine, radio, and television projects.
We need volunteer help: * To bring more volunteers to IRQR * To lobby Members of Parliament * To lobby governments when they threaten to deport queers back to Iran * To write articles and letters to newspapers, magazines and on Internet sites * To send money to refugees in safe houses in Turkey, to buy food and get medical and psychological help for them as they are often sick and traumatized. * To translate interviews with refugees and articles from Persian into English * To edit articles that are put on the IRQR website * To do research in Iran.
We are very optimistic that through solidarity and collaboration we can overcome the current unacceptable situation in Iran, and free Iran’s queer community. Such a significant goal cannot be achieved without the goodwill of people internationally. Today, we have among us many intelligent and educated queer people who need only the right and powerful tools to achieve their freedom. It is the will of society that makes government pass new and appropriate laws. If a large part of society stands for queer rights and freedom, then this work on behalf of queer people in Iran will come to fruition.
* We are humans- human rights are our rights. * Rights are never given, they are struggled for.
IRanian Queer Railroad – IRQR http://www.irqr.net Email: info@irqr.net
Thank you to Rowan and Daniel, for editing our About Us page
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The Underground
Railroad was an informal network of secret routes and safe houses used by
19th century Black slaves in the United States to escape to free states
and mainly to Canada with the aid of abolitionists who were sympathetic to
their cause. In Canada they had their freedom. In the past few years one
of our major activities was about asylum seekers who must escape Iran due
to their sexual orientation and we will continue this work under IRQR.
Iranian queer refugees are resettling in Canada, and also in United States
and in parts of Europe.