ABSTRACT
As of 2019, there are six countries where the death penalty is utilized in relation to sexual orientation: Northern Nigeria, Saudi Arabia, Somalia, Sudan, Yemen, and Iran (Human Dignity Trust). In Iran, homosexuality is a capital crime, yet paradoxically, it is also the only country in the Middle East to have explicit laws that deny the existence of gays and lesbians. By using an autoethnographic and performative writing approach, I engage with the literature about queer people of color to contextualize my story as a queer Iranian–U.S. American continuously struggling to perform parts of myself. I highlight the limited research regarding queer Iranian individuals and conclude this chapter with implications of why performing (in)visible stories are pivotal in eradicating oppression. Finally, I explicate how my story serves to open the (closet) door for other queer Iranians who have been forced to live inside of it.
