this post was submitted on 15 Aug 2023
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Social networks in Iran have been flooded with compromising footage featuring several known ultra-conservative officials engaging in homosexual activities. While homosexuality is punishable by death in Iran, the Iranian regime has attempted to deny the videos and cover up the scandals. We spoke to a former religious authority who says authorities are trying to “save face” by refuting the wave of videos.

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[–] [email protected] 234 points 1 year ago (2 children)

First thing I thought was that's a huge double-edged sword.

I was glad to see this very close to the top of the article.

“We should be careful not to label a homosexual relationship as a vice or any other label that the Islamic Republic attaches to homosexuals. We should not repeat their behaviour and condemn what happened. The problem here is not Seghati's sexual relationship with another man, but the lies, hypocrisy and deception,” this tweet reads.

[–] [email protected] 91 points 1 year ago (3 children)

Absolutely right. I don't care what you do in private but the moment you start depriving others of life and liberty for those same actions, well...I won't weep when the axe falls on that person

[–] doppelgangmember 18 points 1 year ago

About to become some Leopards Ate My Face content real soon I bet

[–] [email protected] 13 points 1 year ago

Except really I think these kind of reveals will slowly lose their relevance since we are getting tools that make it far easier to do "Deepfakes". So it will just become the goto answer. In some ways its liberating, in other ways horrific since it will mean accountability is far harder. Hell we already have the trial run with this whole discussion of "Fake news".

[–] utopianfiat 2 points 1 year ago

I think consequences accruing to bad people for the wrong reasons are still worth concern, personally.

[–] [email protected] 5 points 1 year ago (1 children)

it's almost confusing this has to be said. the whole point is obviously the criticism that the people in charge of jailing/killing gay people are indulging themselves. I feel you'd need to be pretty dense to not get that, yet I see it mentioned a lot.

[–] glimse 6 points 1 year ago

I feel you'd need to be pretty dense to not get that, yet I see it mentioned a lot.

You must not live in a country where homosexuality is punishable by death then. I think it's a pretty important point to make when you might have readers who have had that idea reinforced their whole life

[–] [email protected] 145 points 1 year ago (1 children)

The world will be a better place when leaders are subject to the same rules and treated the same as citizens.

[–] [email protected] 25 points 1 year ago (1 children)

So, when there's no more rulers at all then?

[–] [email protected] 12 points 1 year ago (1 children)
[–] [email protected] 43 points 1 year ago (2 children)

I am shocked. Shocked! Well not that shocked.

[–] [email protected] 12 points 1 year ago

Imagine being an ultra-conservative Iranian authority who hasn't been having homosexual sex. Now you have something to brag about and get even more conservative.

[–] [email protected] 6 points 1 year ago

Ha ha, had a good chuckle

[–] qwertyWarlord 41 points 1 year ago

Projection. Every. Time

[–] [email protected] 31 points 1 year ago (1 children)
[–] [email protected] 31 points 1 year ago (1 children)

The ultra-conservative authorities were probably surprised by it getting out. But nobody else.

[–] [email protected] 5 points 1 year ago

Caught with their pants down, if you will.

[–] [email protected] 26 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago) (1 children)

Isn't this literally pretty much the plot to the second book of the handmaids tale or am I losing it. Would make sense, hypocrisy is a big thing amongst the far right I guess

[–] [email protected] 14 points 1 year ago (2 children)
[–] [email protected] 8 points 1 year ago

I just googled that dudes name and that story is wild

[–] [email protected] 2 points 1 year ago

That story has stuck with me ever since because I actually do have a wide stance, but don't want to lead anyone on and cause disappointment.

[–] [email protected] 11 points 1 year ago (1 children)

Big surprise here, suck a shame they trap themselves in the closet even more

[–] [email protected] 18 points 1 year ago (1 children)

It's a classic cycle. Because some have gay leanings they see everything homosexual as a sinful temptation and assume it's the same for everyone else. The people must be protected against that perceived temptation so it must be forbidden. Meanwhile they fight against their own nature and succumb sometimes, which makes them repeat the cycle.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 1 year ago (1 children)

Sucks to be a bigot ig, glad I wasn’t enslaved to any religious ideologies

[–] [email protected] 1 points 1 year ago

Ironically these idiots are proud of being slaves to their 'god'

[–] [email protected] 8 points 1 year ago (4 children)

I am convinced that any person who is homophobic is gay deep inside

[–] [email protected] 17 points 1 year ago (1 children)

They could just be intolerant bigots. There are any number of reasons someone might hate someone, and the logic of "they must just be gay" doesn't really work for other types of bigotry and racism.

[–] Hotdogman 9 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago)

Deeeeep inside... Hrrngh

[–] [email protected] 5 points 1 year ago

Reminds me of that meme where a cartoon character is in the fridge stuffing his mouth and the top caption reads "anti-gay preachers when no one is looking" And then the bottom caption reads "COCK"

[–] utopianfiat 5 points 1 year ago (1 children)

I don't really like this- for one, it's based in the fact that homophobic people who also engage in queer behavior in secret tend to be outrageous in their hypocrisy. Thus, because it's such juicy news people tend to assume it's more common than it actually is. This is called the availability heuristic.

For another, it individually pathologizes the condition of being homophobic as being rooted in psychological reaction formation- thereby denying that homophobia is something encultured by the broader homophobic social system that we live in. The condition of being a gay homophobe isn't a psychological one but a sociological one- it's not (just) shame but a very real fear of the very real consequences which recruit them to uphold the very system that oppresses them.

[–] Someology 0 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago)

You are using the terms sociological and psychological a bit incorrectly. Sociological phenomenon definitely feed into individual psychological phenomenon. Sometimes (actually commonly) an individual uses a psychological coping mechanism as a means to survive their sociological setting. Sociology affects Psychology of individuals, but that does not mean the individual psychological phenomenon do not exist on an individual level or that those things are solely Sociological.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 1 year ago

A stroll around Dubai at night does, too.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 1 year ago

Heads are going to literally roll.