Journalist Ali Hamedani on politics and homosexuals in Iran

Ali Hamedani of BBC Persian went to Turkey to meet Iranian Lesbian Gay Bisexual Transgender LGBT exiles who fled their home country Iran fearing being forced to change their sexThe story is to be aired this weekend on BBC as a documentary called Our World Iranrsquos Sex Change Solution Hamedani speaks about politics homosexuals in Iran fleeing a country and of the enduring human emotions of love and longing An interview with journalist HamedaniQ When did you start researching for this filmA I began exploring these issues in 2006 The then Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadi Nejad had said that Iran doesnrsquot have any homosexual people so I started finding out about Lesbian Gay Bisexual Transgender LGBT life inside Iran For this particular film I started researching seven months ago We travelled to Turkey several times to meet our case studies and film themQ Did you have to travel to Iran and Turkey and from which country did you travel to TurkeyA The Iranian government does not let us come and go to Iran neither for personal matters nor work and when it comes to this topic they are even more hostile The reason I travelled to Turkey from London was there is a big refugee community there who left Iran recently and can talk about their issuesQ Who did you meet in Turkey lesbians gays bisexuals or transgenders Also where in Turkey did you meet themA I met several lesbian gay and transgender people who are seeking for asylum in Turkey such as Soheil who escaped there as his family were pushing him to have a sex change I met Donya a lesbian They have both been granted asylum in Canada The Turkish government does not let refugees stay in big cities but accommodate them in small ldquosatellite citiesrdquo like Kayseri and DenizliThe train line which goes from Tehran to Kayseri for a lifechanging journeyQ How did they leave Iran for Turkey and did they get a Turkish visa easilyA With an Iranian passport you can travel to number of countries without a Visa The most popular one is Turkey They usually get the train from Tehran and start their three day train journey to TurkeyLesbian DonyaQ What about their families in Iran Do their families know they left for TurkeyA Most of them escaped from their families and homes like Soheil They donrsquot want them to know where they are going or when they leave Some of them didnrsquot tell their families the truth simply saying they were going to work or study in TurkeySoheil has got asylum in CanadaQ What are they doing in Turkey Are they working in TurkeyA Refugees are not allowed to work in Turkey Most of them canrsquot work legally and that causes them many problemsQ Turkey too is an Islamic country is it gayfriendly Is the LGBT community safe in TurkeyA It is a unique country in the Moslem world when it comes to LGBT issues Although the society is tough at least it is not ldquoillegalrdquo to be homosexual there In big cities like Istanbul they are very friendly The biggest Gay Pride in that region happens in Istanbul every yearQ Could you meet them openly in public places and speak to themA Yes it was possible But in the small city of Kayseri where we met some persons sometimes people stopped us and were curious about these people They are already aware of them living in KayseriQ What are their dreams and do they aspire to go back to Iran everA They all miss their own homeland but they say they donrsquot want to go back They complained about the bad life they all experienced there They are hoping for a better safer and brighter life in the future outside IranQ Do they know of their gay friends or associates being killed for being gayA They told me about friends who were jailed tortured or even raped They knew friends who committed suicideQ What of their future Are they going to become Turkish citizensA No Turkey is a temporary home They seek asylum from The UNHCR office in Turkey and wait for a few years 23 years to go to a third country usually Canada and America For example Raha whorsquos journey from Tehran to Turkey we follow in the film has now registered as an asylum applicant and his first formal interview is due in 2016Our World Iranrsquos Sex Change Solution broadcasts on BBC World News this weekend Saturday November 8 at 840 am and 940 pm and on Sunday November 9 at 340 am and at 340 pm