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With just six weeks to go, registrations for presidential candidates are only due next week. A number of hopefuls have already announced plans to run but their candidacies will not be valid until the powerful Guardian Council vets their competence and loyalty to the Islamic republic.
In , out of registered nominees, only four candidates were allowed to stand — two of them, Mir Hossein Mousavi and Mehdi Karroubi, are under house arrest for refusing to accept the results and for alleging fraud. The final list of this year's candidates is expected on 23 May and a three-week campaign period will follow. Despite this, Ahmadinejad has embarked on an extensive schedule of provincial visits in what is suspected to be part of an election strategy designed to promote his favoured candidate.
On Wednesday, he was visiting Rasht, the capital of north-western Gilan province, situated on the coast of the Caspian Sea. At the weekend, he went to Tabriz in the East Azerbaijan province. Previously, he visited a number of other provinces, such as Isfahan, Khuzestan and Semnan. He is not alone; other nominees are following his footsteps.
Under Iranian law, the president cannot run for a third term but all the signs indicate that the year-old Ahmadinejad, a relatively young politician in the Iranian hierarchy, has no plans for retirement. In the eyes of loyalists to the supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, today's Ahmadinejad bears no resemblance to the young revolutionary and later Tehran mayor who rose to become president in Back then, he quickly became the ayatollah's protege, enjoying an unprecedented influence over Iranian politics.
Now, Ahmadinejad is at odds with his erstwhile patrons in the Revolutionary Guards and widely seen as a lame duck. Ahmadinejad has fallen foul of the loyalists because of his unwavering support for Mashaei , who is accused of leading a deviant current in the inner circle of the president, loathed for their advocacy of greater cultural openness and nationalism. Today, I feel my life is no different than before.
I am undetectable, which means my HIV viral load is so low that it cannot be detected, and I cannot pass it on during sex. Despite what you may think, it's actually very easy! In fact, all HIV medicines, tests, additional pills, and periodic health check-ups are not only available, but they are free! In this case, my country, as far as I think and I've seen, acts well.
Also, the doctors I've encountered have been amazing. At first, I was scared to approach them and talk about my sexuality with them.
However, my experience with the doctors in Iran has been so positive. I never felt victimized by them for being gay or for having HIV. Even in the HIV Centres in Iran they openly discuss homosexuality in a non-judgmental manner, even offering free condoms to men who are gay. On one occasion I had to visit a hospital in Yazd because of a chest pain I was experiencing at the time.
Yet this did not change their manner at all! They continued to be kind and gentle towards me as if I was any other patient, never passing any judgement, and never making any homophobic comments. Instagram is another very useful social media platform we use to connect with each other. Otherwise, it is quite hard, and I cannot imagine what life was like before they were invented! There is no gay scene as you know it in the West because of the anti-gay laws in Iran.
However, there are occasional private ad hoc underground gay parties that happen but they're only advertised last minute by word of mouth, social media, and gay dating apps. Also, look out for our Iran Pride Day on the fourth Friday of every July, which is celebrated annually in secret since it began in In , for the first time, the organizers of Iran Pride Day decided to hold the event openly as part of the Amsterdam Gay Pride Festival.
Most of them had to cover their faces to protect their identity and avoid prosecution upon their return to Iran. They repeated it again in and , each year growing bolder.
I remain very positive about this. There was a time when slavery, colonization, world wars, and government-based massacres were the norm in our world and sadly still are in some places. Over time it will change, particularly as homosexuality becomes more normalized in our society. However, like most things, it will take time. Whether this will happen in my lifetime is another question! In the meantime, we continue to fight for progressive change.
It can be! If you head here as a visitor who just wants to experience the natural beauty of my homeland and you keep your sexuality to yourself, you'll be just fine. However, you have to respect the fact that Iran is an extremely conservative religious country, so all romantic displays of affection must be avoided. I have many foreign gay friends who have traveled to Iran and loved it.
They've always had a safe trip, never experiencing any problems.
For example, no one asked them at the airport if they are gay! But in all cases, they kept their sexuality a secret. Iran is a lot safer than you may think. Iranians are very kind-hearted people who love connecting with all foreigners. We are proud of our country and love to show it off. Therefore, I guarantee all visitors will feel this warmth when they visit. However, as a gay person, you need to stay in the closet in Iran. Just avoid being openly gay here and especially don't proposition anyone publicly — the gay apps are a lot safer for that. Also, when checking into hotels, consider booking single beds instead of a double, especially if you're staying in a small family-owned guesthouse.
Another tip is to be careful with what you post about Iran on social media during your visit as there is strong Internet censorship.
It's best to avoid posting anything and save it for after your trip. I recommend gay travelers visiting Iran to join this very useful Facebook Expat Group and to also check out this interesting article about gay travel to Iran by two very good friends of mine!! Sadly yes. Iran has very tight Internet censorship laws with thousands of websites and apps blocked, including Grindr, Twitter, Facebook, and YouTube. You need a VPN to access them. Some of my gay foreign friends who've visited Iran in the past have used this as an opportunity to take a refreshing break from technology!
Iran is a really beautiful country with a rich history dating back to the famous Persian Empire. My favorite place to visit in Iran is Isfahan. Isfahan also has many beautiful bridges, palaces, and other historical buildings to explore.
I also love the capital, Tehran. It has such an exciting vibe, full of markets — like the Grand Bazaar, which is 6. The Milad Tower of Tehran dominates the skyline of the city, which you can climb for some pretty stunning views! There are no openly gay Iranian celebrities living in Iran, for obvious reasons… However, outside of the country, there are several who are proudly flying the flag for us! Arsham Parsi is the one I admire the most. Mania Akbari is a filmmaker and artist who fled Iran to release her films because her movie explores very controversial issues that are banned in Iran, in particular women's rights and sexual identity.
For this reason, she had to flee the country to London, where she lives now in exile. Another gay Iranian I really like is Ali Mafi. Ali is an openly gay Iranian comedian living in San Francisco. I love him because he uses his stand-up routines to talk about what it's like being gay in an Iranian household amongst other things. I would love to one day lead a simple life with my lover to hand without fear of persecution from anyone.
However, at the moment I have an excellent and stable job, I have free access to HIV care, modern medical checks, great friends, and most importantly, an amazing caring mother. Leaving all this behind would be extremely hard for me! Get in-depth gay travel guides, inspiring stories, savvy planning tips, and exclusive discounts on gay tours.
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Stefan is the co-founder, editor and author of the gay travel blog nomadicboys. As a travel nerd, he has explored more than 80 countries across 5 continents.
What he loves the most about travelling is discovering the local gay scene, making new friends and learning new cultures. Stefan is also a qualified lawyer, having practised as a commercial property litigator in London for over 10 years. He left his lawyer days behind to work full time on Nomadic Boys with his husband Sebastien.
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Find out more about Nomadic Boys. I had a short visit to Tehran for work.
I fell in love with the people who were so hospitable and kind. I hope to go back and visit some of the places mentioned in this article. Get in-depth FREE gay travel guides, along with inspiring stories, savvy planning tips, and exclusive discounts on gay tours. Subscribe now to our gay travel newsletter! Thinking of traveling to Iran?