Key Points
- A group of Iranian LGBTIQ+ community members attended the annual Midsumma Pride March in Melbourne on Sunday.
- For some, it was their first pride parade, following persecution they faced in Iran due to their sexuality.
- While they felt liberated, the dream to wave a pride flag in their home country remains alive.
In her home country of Iran, Mona felt lucky that she wasn't arrested by the police for being openly queer.
Today in Melbourne, the Iranian woman experienced the first pride rally of her life at the annual Midsumma Pride March.
"Queer, Life, Freedom", she shouted among tens of thousands of revellers as she lifted the rainbow flag.
Mona fled to Turkey as a refugee and arrived in Australia one year ago, knowing she did not have a safe future from her family or the police in Iran.
“If I had stayed in Iran and managed to run away from my family, I would have definitely faced persecution from the government. My family would have surely reported me to the police," Mona told SBS Persian.
Mona marched alongside a group of Iranian LGBTIQ+ community members who attended the parade, many of them expressing their identity for the first time in public.
A group of Iranian LGBTIQ+ people and supporters attended the Midsumma Pride March. Source: SBS News / Niv Sadrolodabaee
But their presence at the parade extended beyond themselves; they used the platform to raise awareness about the greater LGBTIQ+ community in Iran.
They called for the freedom of Sareh Mansouri and Elham Choobdar, .
Despite human rights groups reporting that the women were convicted due to their sexuality, state-affiliated media disputed the allegations.
LGBTIQ+ people in Iran face several legal challenges, where homosexuality is punishable by death.
While Mona said it was "really satisfying" to chant for her people at the parade, the scars of her hidden identity continue to linger.
“I must confess that I still felt shy when I was shouting deeper inside. I think this is because of the culture in Iran and the life I experienced,” she said.
'Not possible to express yourself'
Alongside Mona was Ehsan, an Iranian gay man who came to Australia in 2018. He said many of his friends are arrested in Iran because of their sexuality.
“I remember once I was at a party with my gay friends in Iran, and the police came to arrest us. We had to bribe them. It could’ve happened easily; many of my friends have been arrested," he said.
Ehsan was almost arrested in Iran for being gay. Now he dreams of raising a pride flag in his home country.
“It was not possible to express yourself as a gay man in Iran easily. I’ve been through a lot just to come out to my family in Iran."
“Growing up as a gay person in Iran, you always learn to suppress yourself and hide your identity from your friends and family. After moving to Australia, in a click, you realise that everyone is cool with your identity.”
While he was proud and happy to be a part of the march, he said he dreamt about celebrating his identity in his home country with his family by his side.
“I was about to cry; seeing people shouting and supporting us was amazing," he said.
"I always hope we can have this in Iran. I want to carry my rainbow flag around Azadi Tower in Tehran and experience what I had today, with my friends and family.”
Iran has experienced a wave of , sparked by the arrest and death of 22-year-old Kurdish woman Mahsa Amini.
'Queer, Life, Freedom' is a spin-off from the original unofficial battle-cry slogan of 'Woman, Life, Freedom' that Iranian activists have been chanting during the recent wave of unrest.
