This is a manifesto written by a group of members and activists of the LGBTIAQ+ community of Iran
and Afghanistan, as well as queer feminist and trans feminist activists.
The manifesto highlights the discrimination and systematic violence experienced by the LGBTIAQ+ community under the oppressive regime of the Islamic Republic, and stresses the need for their inclusion in the ongoing
feminist revolution.
The manifesto also notes that the community is diverse, and the demands expressed in the manifesto do not represent all members of the community. The purpose of the manifesto is to introduce the community and express their demands, which are based on cross-identities and aimed at preventing double discrimination. It is hoped that this manifesto will lead to a more dynamic and inclusive presence of the LGBTIAQ+ community, including those who have had less opportunity to participate due to various layers of discrimination.
Our Demands:
- Decriminalization of non-cisgender/non-heterosexual relationships
- Prohibition of conversion therapy against LGBTIAQ+ community
- Recognition of gender identities for non-binary people
- Gender reconfirmation without medical or psychological permissions
- Access to gender reaffirmation medical services without preconditions
- Equal access to medical services for gender reaffirmation
- Insurance coverage for gender reaffirmation services
- Prohibition of unnecessary surgeries on intersex people
- Forced sterilization of intersex, transgender, and non-binary people must stop.
- Free and public education about sexual identity, gender, and gender identity should be available
in people’s mother tongue, sign language, and Braille. - Laws must protect LGBTQ+ children and adolescents from domestic violence.
- Transgender and non-binary children and adolescents should have access to age-appropriate
gender reaffirmation medical services. - Laws should protect LGBTQ+ children and teenagers from violence in educational centers.
- Laws should protect and remove discrimination against LGBTQ+ people when referring to
gynecologists and obstetricians. - Laws should protect and remove discrimination against LGBTQ+ people when referring to
urology specialists. - Laws should protect and eliminate discrimination against trans and non-binary people when
referring to endocrinologists. - Laws should protect members of the LGBTIAQ+ community against violence and discrimination
in medical and health service centers. - Laws should protect members of the LGBTIAQ+ community against violence and discrimination
based on antipathy toward this community. - Safe spaces for non-binary people and gender-separated spaces should exist.
- All trans women should have the same access as cis women to spaces reserved for women, and
their security in these spaces should be ensured. - Transgender men have the right to use spaces reserved for men, while their security must be
ensured. - Legislation and political decisions must be separate from religion to achieve equality, as religion
has been a factor of repression against the LGBTIAQ+ community. - Compulsory military service should be canceled for all people, including trans women, non-
binary individuals, queer individuals, and Ace/Aro individuals. - Sex workers should have the right to exit their occupation, and sex brokers should be
criminalized. Sex workers should have access to health, education, and employment rights. - Sex workers should have the right to form unions and be involved in determining labor laws
related to their occupation. - Every person should be able to choose sex work without government barriers and benefit from
services related to their job. - Laws are needed to protect sex workers, especially those in the LGBTIAQ+ community, against
violence in medical centers, workplaces, and society. - The LGBTIAQ+ community has the right to form unions, associations, organizations, and
independent institutions and be involved in legislation and implementation of laws. - Charities and support centers should be established to help LGBTIAQ+ community members
who are vulnerable to domestic violence, discrimination, and violence. - Eliminate racial/ethnic discrimination causing double discrimination against Afghan, Arab,
Kurdish, Turk, Turkmen, Baloch, Lor, Gilak, Mazni, Talesh, Tat, etc. members. Laws should
ensure equality for all regardless of nationality, ethnicity, or race. - Ensure equal access to voluntary termination of pregnancy for all, including trans men and non-
binary people, who face corrective rapes and unwanted pregnancies. This right is a subset of
body autonomy for all. - Enact laws protecting LGBTIAQ+ members from discrimination and violence in the workplace.
- Create support and protection for LGBTIAQ+ refugees from Iran and Afghanistan who were
forced to flee due to discrimination and violence. - Ensure public spaces and services are accessible to people with disabilities, including LGBTIAQ+
community members with disabilities. - Eliminate discrimination and violence against people with disabilities, including those in the
LGBTIAQ+ community. - Ensure feminist institutions are inclusive of trans women, trans men, non-binary people, and
sapphic people, and rely on their presence and agency in institutions. Terf and Swerf are
transphobic and have negative effects on feminist thought. - Ensure equal presence and participation in social-political activities for members of the
LGBTIAQ+ community. - Ensure freedom of expression and prevention of censorship in publishing and art for all,
including members of the LGBTIAQ+ community. - Guarantee the right to independent publications and media related to the LGBTIAQ+ community
without censorship. - Enact protection laws for people with HIV against violence and discrimination in treatment and
health care centers. - Enact protection laws for people with HIV against violence and discrimination in the workplace.
- Laws protecting people with HIV against violence and discrimination at multiple levels of society
- Education to prevent the reproduction of social stigma against HIV and STD
- The right to equal access to contraceptives and sexual hygiene for the public and especially for
sex workers. - The right to activity and activism focused on the rights of the LGBTIAQ+ community, including
the right to independent and individual activism without governmental barriers. - The right to postnatal leave for those who experience childbirth.