Today marks the anniversary of the hanging of two teenage boys.
Their crime: They were gay.
(Sorry this is late, but I haven't seen any diaries about this observence.)
edited
Today is the International Day of Action Against Homophobic Persecution in Iran, to mark the anniversary of the execution of Mahmoud Asgari and Ayaz Marhoni for homosexuality.
The Iranian government claimed that they were execution for raping a younger boy, but the Persian Gay and Lesbian Organization disputes this, were executed simply because they were gay.
"The Persian Gay and Lesbian Organisation endorses the worldwide July19 protests and condemns the Iranian regime's persecution of its gay and lesbian citizens," said Arsham Parsi, Secretary of the Human Rights Commission of Iran's leading gay organisation, the PGLO in a letter to Outrage!.
"We urge cities all over the world to show solidarity with our freedom struggle. Your solidarity is tremendously important and effective.
"It is very distressing to witness the way some leading human rights groups have been hood-winked by the homophobic culture both inside and outside Iran," wrote Arsham Parsi who has recently been given asylum in Canada.
"[Human rights groups] have chosen to believe the propaganda waged against gay human rights, rather than gay victims and gay groups like PGLO.
"We feel great pain when we see human rights advocates ignoring the evidence and failing to speak out against the torture and execution of gay people in our country.
"We know first-hand, from the violent abuse of our members and supporters, that the jailing, flogging and hanging of gay people is official state law and policy.
"Sources in Iran have confirmed that the two youths executed in Mashhad last July were lovers, not child rapists. We are convinced they were hanged because they were gay.
"We are very disappointed that some people prefer to believe the story of Iranian officials about these two teens that is geared towards defaming the character of the murdered boys.
http://www.ukgaynews.org.uk/...
Outrage! and the PGLO have made five demands to the Iranian government and to the international community:
Vigils are taking place across North America and Europe today.
New York -- Location: Iranian Mission to the U.N., 622 Third Avenue (at 40th St.) Time: 5:00 P.M. Contact: Andy Humm, Andyhumm@aol.com
Washington, D.C. -- Location: DuPont Circle Time: 5:00 P.M. Contact: Rob Anderson rcand@mac.com, Tel. work (202) 508-4446 home (202) 550-8812
Provincetown -- Location: Town Hall Square Time: 5-6 PM Contact: Andrew Sullivan, andsul@aol.com
San Diego -- Location: U.S. Federal Building Time: 4:00 pm Contact: Michael Mussman, michaelmussman@yahoo.com
San Francisco -- Location: Harvey Milk Plaza, Castro and Market Streets Time: 5:00 pm Contact: Michael Petrelis, mpetrelis@aol.com
Fort Lauderdale-Broward County (South Florida) -- details to be announced soon Contact: Michael James, Editor, Independent Gay News, MJames@OurIndependent.com Telephone 954.563.0470
Sioux Falls, South Dakota -- Location: Calvary Cathedral, 500 S. Main Avenue
Time: 9:00 pm Contact: Kathy Knobloch, thecenter.colc@midconetwork.com
Seattle, Washington -- Location: Seattle Central Community College Plaza, Pine and BroadwayTime: 7:00 pm
Contact: George Bakan, editor, Seattle Gay News, sgn2@sgn.org
Chicago - Location: Vigil at Millennium Park (Pritzker Pavilion entrance).
Time: 5:30. Contact: Gay Liberation Network, LGBTliberation@aol.com
Tulsa, Oklahoma -- Location: Tulsa County Courthouse Place, Vigil Time: 8:30 PM Contact: Laura Belmonte, Tulsa Oklahomans for Human Rights (TOHR), mobile 918-906-2134
Salt Lake City -- Location: GLBT Community Center Youth Activity Center, 355 North 300 West Time: 6:30 P.M. Contact: Rachel McNeil, rachel@glbtccu.org
Toronto -- Location: University of Torontdo, Hart House, Music Room, 7 Hart House Circle. Toronto, Ontario Time: 5-9 P.M. Speakers will include Arsham Parsi, Human Rights Secretary of the Persian Gay and Lesbian Organization (PGLO) and an Iranian exile, and local gay and political leaders. Contact: pglo@pglo.net
Vancouver -- Location: Vancouver Art Gallery - Robson Plaza Time: 6:00 p.m. Contact: Finn Kovaltsenko, aidengreer@shaw.ca
Dublin -- Location: Dublin City Centre, The Central Bank, Dame Street Time: 5.30pm, Speakers to include Senator David Norris Contact: BeLonG To Youth Project, belongto@eircom.net telephone 01-8734184;
Mexico City -- Location (Lugar): Contempo Cine, Address (Direccion): Londres 161, 1er piso; entre Florencia y Amberes; Time: (Miercoles 19 de julio/)Wednesday Hora: 19:00 Hrs Contact: Enkidu Magazine, info@enkidumagazine.com, Telephone 044 55 2517 5098
Bogota, Colombia -- Petitions of protest against anti-gay repression, for which the LGBT group Columbia Diversa gathered signatures, will be delivered to the Iranian embassy in Bogota. Contact: Andrew Dier, andrewdier@yahoo.com
Milan, Italy -- Location: Corso Magenta 39, in front of the palace where the European Union Commission has its offices Time: 18:30 (6:30 PM) Contact: Fabio Sacca, ARCIGAY youth coordinator, giovani@arcigay.it., Tel. 39-349-1777-021
Warsaw -- Location: Candle-light vigil, 22 Królowej Aldony street Time: 9 P.M. Contact: Lukasz Palucki, luke.santi@eranet.pl
Amsterdam -- Location: Homomonument (Keizersgracht canal near Westerkerk)Time: 10 P.M. Contact: René van Soeren of COC, rvansoeren@coc.nl, and Mike Tidmus, tidmus@mac.com
The Hague (Netherlands) -- Location: Iranian Embassy to The Netherlands Time: 1:00-2:00 P.M. Organized by COC, Contact: René van Soeren of COC, rvansoeren@coc.nl
London: -- Location: House of Commons, Committee Room 12 Guest Speakers:openly gay Labour Party Member of Parliament Chris Bryant MP (photo right), Jean Lambert MEP, Iranian gay activists, Simon Forbes and Peter Tatchell Time: 6:30 pm Contacts: Peter Tatchell, peter@tatchell.freeserve.co.uk & Brett Lock, brettlock@gmail.com
Stockholm -- Location: Iranian Embassy, Elfviksvägen Västra Yttringe gård Lidingö Time: 5:00 P.M. (17:00) Contact: Bill Schiller, bill.schiller@sr.se (Supported by Tupilak, Nordic Homo Council, Nordic Rainbow Humanists, and International Lesbian & Gay Cultural Network Information Secretariat)
Marseille -- Location: Le Vieux Port Time: 7 PM (19h) Sponsored by a collective of 15 gay organizations. Contact: Philippe Colomb (philippe.colomb@si-lgbt.org) and Hussein Bourgi (husseinbourgi@hotmail.com)
Moscow -- Location and Time to be announced in Moscow at the last minute, to prevent disruption by fascists or police. Contact: Nicolas Alexeyev, GayRussia.ru and nicolas_alexeyev@yahoo.com
Brussels -- Location: Brussels Stock Exchange Time:8 PM to 11PM (20h a 23h) Contact: Stephen Barris, ILGA stephenbarris@ilga.org
Vienna -- Location: Office of IranAir (official airline of the Islamic Republic of Iran), A-Wien 1010 Opernring; Time: to be announced Contact: HOSI Wien and Bettina Nemeth, Obfrau Tel. 0699-11965265; Christian Högl, Obmann Tel. 0699-11811038; Kurt Krickler, Tel. (01) 5451310 oder 0664-5767466
office@hosiwien.at.: 5245 34 408 ZVR-Nr
Gloucester, U.K. -- Location: The Coach and Horses "gay" pub, Saint Catherines Street, Gloucester. Time: 8:00 PM