"We've frequently observed that solely for the offense of same-sex love and sleeping together, people have been condemned to death by hanging or stoning - there have been many such executions carried out by the malicious and criminal Iranian regime ... Look, you must understand that, in Iran, if a homosexual falls in love, he has committed a grave crime: here, homosexual love equals death, the gallows and stoning. So, this is a major part of what I term the 'condemned's' life: he is oppressed and sinks into despair and self-hate and, in too many cases, ultimately opts for suicide... You who live serenely and comfortably on the other side of Iran's frontiers, be aware that those who think and feel and love like you do in Iran are executed for the crime of homosexuality, are assassinated, kidnapped, and barred from working in offices. You have festivals, and they prisons. You select Mr. Gay of the Year, but they don’t even enjoy the right to have gravestones. Be fair and tell us what difference there is between us and you. Isn't it time that all homosexuals around the world rise up and come to our defense?" - a 24-year-old gay activist in Iran, to Doug Ireland.
(Photo: the hanging of two Iranian teenage boys for being gay, July 19, 2005.)