f i g h t i n g... f o r... t o m o r r o w

An interview with Arsham Parsi
By Afdhere Jama

For some years, a group of queer Iranians have been making a progress in exchanging information and supporting each other. From inside and outside of their homeland, they have committed themselves to changing their country's conservative attitude to queer sexuality and the government's harsh laws against them. This group is called the Persian Gay and Lesbian Organization, or PGLO. In recent times, one of their members has become the face of the group, as he embodies much of their concern. His name is Arsham Parsi. He is a sweet, gentle man with a lot of heart and genuine concern for his people, the queer community and the world at large. Here is some of the conversation I'd had with him.