Underground queer network challenges Iranian regime

As international powers engage with Iran’s regime, led by Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, to limit its expanding nuclear program, the marginalised LGBTQ+ community is establishing and running a covert underground system to oppose state-enforced sex reassignment surgeries.

These compulsory surgeries, sanctioned by the state as an alternative to execution for homosexual individuals, are embedded in Iran’s legal code that criminalises consensual same-sex relations. The network offers safe havens, fake identity documents, and secret communication channels to shield members from government raids and incarceration, according to ‘Washington Blade’.

Accurate information regarding the prosecution of LGBTQ+ individuals in Iran for resisting state-imposed sex reassignment surgeries over the last decade is hard to obtain, as the regime’s opaque judicial processes mask these cases under vague offences such as “corruption on earth” or “sodomy.” Organisations like 6Rang indicate that thousands of gay and lesbian Iranians are pressured to undergo surgeries to escape execution for same-sex activity, with defiance often resulting in arrests or harassment for violating gender norms.

In 2022, Zahra Seddiqi Hamedani and activist Elham Choubdar were sentenced to death for their social media activism, accused of “corruption” and “human trafficking,” although their verdicts were reversed in 2023. Likewise, Rezvaneh Mohammadi received a five-year sentence in 2019 for promoting “homosexual relations,” a charge suggesting resistance to the regime’s heteronormative practices.

In 2003, Arsham Parsi intensified his clandestine advocacy for Iran’s LGBTQ+ community by founding Voice Celebration, a secret Yahoo chat group where 50 queer Iranians used pseudonyms to exchange coded messages, evading the regime’s scrutiny. Participants operated like operatives in a shadow network, disseminating texts about human rights and survival strategies, aware that a single breach could lead to torture or execution. At age 23, Parsi orchestrated the group’s encrypted communications, creating a virtual lifeline that interconnected isolated individuals nationwide until his cover was nearly compromised, prompting a desperate escape in early 2005.

In a discussion with the Washington Blade, Parsi revealed a defiant undercurrent in Iran — a movement that eludes the label of traditional resistance yet brims with covert rebellion against the state.

The government’s relentless effort to compel gay men into forced surgeries, promoted as a “solution” to their sexuality, aims to erase their identities through enforced uniformity. Parsi, directing the International Railroad for Queer Refugees, explained how queer Iranians fight back using clandestine tactics: Underground education to counteract state propaganda, discreet psychological support to build resilience, and encrypted networks to form secret alliances. These endeavours, veiled to evade regime detection, dismantle the state’s narrative with every concealed signal and confidential contact.

“We are working to create a true grassroots resistance by empowering people to understand their identity, seek safe alternatives, and reclaim their agency despite the oppressive context,” said Parsi. “The Iranian regime’s policies are built on denial of sexual orientation and a forced alignment with a binary gender model.”

“Rather than recognizing gay, lesbian, or bisexual individuals, the system pressures them — particularly gay men — to undergo irreversible surgeries in order to be legally tolerated,” he added. “This systemic violence creates deep psychological harm and compels many to resist, even quietly, to protect their truth. The lack of legal recognition and the threat of arrest, harassment, or blackmail fuels the underground defiance we see today. It’s not only resistance for survival — it’s a rejection of state-imposed identity suppression.”

For nearly two decades, IRQR, under Parsi’s guidance, has served as a lifeline, facilitating daring escapes and managing a covert network for Iran’s persecuted queer community.

Parsi revealed that his work relies on secret, encrypted channels — meticulously managed to avoid detection — to guide at-risk individuals to safety, smuggle critical information, secure hidden safe locations, and provide emotional support. Each operation faces threats not only from the regime’s security forces but also from Basij militia operatives who impersonate queer individuals to infiltrate networks, increasing the peril for those identified by their identities.

At signs of defiance, Basij militia, clad in black, respond swiftly; charging through crowds on motorcycles with batons and guns ready, prepared to suppress any challenge to Iran’s regime. These paramilitary volunteers, fiercely loyal to the Islamic Republic, act as the state’s enforcers, their plainclothes operatives infiltrating dissident networks to discover and quell defiance.

The Basij instill fear among queer Iranians with their so-called morality patrols and digital traps targeting those who dare to live outside the regime's rigid norms.

“Their goal is not only to gather intelligence but to undermine, divide, and cancel the work of activists and organizations like ours,” said Parsi. “This divide-and-conquer strategy is designed to break solidarity and generate mistrust.”

“We have seen numerous cases where trusted circles were compromised by these informants, and it has made our work — and survival — even more complex,” he further noted. “Despite this, we persist. Through our underground connections, we have helped thousands of queer Iranians seek safety, community, and ultimately, freedom.”

Parsi conveyed that international assistance — through funding, advocacy, policy pressure, or amplifying his narratives — can greatly enhance his efforts to protect Iran’s persecuted queer community. He emphasised that IRQR operates with limited resources, making global solidarity crucial to improving outreach, enhancing safety measures, and responding quickly to those in need. Parsi underscored that such support raises awareness about the crisis in Iran, reminding those at risk that they are not forgotten while exerting pressure on a regime that thrives on silence and fear.

One of the offerings from Parsi’s underground network is online workshops that educate queer Iranians on remaining beyond the regime’s reach.

He explained that these sessions, structured for safety and accessibility, cover peer support, mental health education, digital security training, and guidance on refugee pathways. Parsi stated that the workshops equip vulnerable Iranians with the tools to navigate persecution, defy state surveillance, and pursue escape, highlighting the resilience of a community under constant scrutiny.

“In Iran, the high risk of persecution makes traditional protests impractical,” said Parsi. “Instead, acts of resistance take quieter forms — like anonymous storytelling which are just as powerful in building awareness and connection within the community. While discreet, these activities help create a sense of solidarity and empowerment among queer Iranians.”

Parsi, undeterred by the unyielding Iranian regime, expressed confidence that while underground acts of defiance — living authentically, supporting each other, resisting forced medical interventions — may not change policy immediately, they are already improving lives. He stressed that these quiet rebellions by queer Iranians contest the regime’s narrative of shame and invisibility, laying the groundwork for future change. Each act, he emphasised, weakens the regime’s grip, offering hope to those navigating a landscape of relentless oppression.

“At IRQR, we view each life saved, each network built, and each truth spoken as a small but powerful act of resistance,” said Parsi. “These are the seeds of future liberation. Over time, as they multiply and gain visibility — locally and internationally — they will help reshape the landscape for queer Iranians.”

Henry Koh, Executive Director of ILGA Asia, stated that the underground resistance of queer Iranians is a powerful affirmation of bodily autonomy and self-determination. He described it as an extraordinarily courageous act within a regime where visibility entails enormous personal risk, from arrest to execution.

In the interview, when inquired whether the Iranian regime’s punitive actions against openly queer individuals fuel underground resistance, Koh responded without hesitation.

“Absolutely,” he affirmed. “The climate of criminalization and repression leaves little safe space for queer people to live openly. This forces many into secrecy or underground networks as a means of survival, resistance, and mutual support. Such conditions are not only unjust but also profoundly harmful to the well-being of LGBTIQ+ individuals.”

“It is important to differentiate between supportive gender-affirming care and any form of coercive medical intervention,” he added. “When states or authorities mandate medical procedures as a condition for recognition or safety, it constitutes a grave violation of human rights. Gender identity is deeply personal, and no institution should override an individual’s self-defined identity.”