Ambassador summoned
Iran outraged by Australian LGBTQ post on Instagram
03.09.2024, 18:20
The Iranian government is outraged by an Instagram post from the Australian embassy. It celebrates the LGBTQ movement and calls for a cosmopolitan society. Iran sees this as an insult to Islamic values and summons the ambassador.
Iran has summoned the Australian ambassador in Tehran after an online post on the anniversary of the international LGBT movement. The country condemned the content of the Instagram post and described it as an insult to the country’s Islamic values. The Australian embassy should definitely avoid such posts in the future, the Foreign Ministry said, according to the Irna news agency.
On Saturday, the embassy honored the LGBTQ movement’s “Wear It Purple Day” on Instagram and called for a cosmopolitan society. The day has existed since 2010 and takes place on the last Friday in August. Queer people and their allies wear purple T-shirts to raise awareness of bullying against queer young people in schools.
“Promoting homosexuality”
The country’s conservative media viewed the post as promoting homosexuality in Iran and demanded a harsh response from the government. According to the Irna news agency, Australian Ambassador Ian McConville stressed at the meeting in Tehran that the Instagram post had nothing to do with Iran and therefore should not be seen as an insult to the country. He would nevertheless forward the Iranian protest to his government.
Homosexuality is classified as a “disease” in the Islamic Republic of Iran. The clergy in the country has a zero-tolerance policy towards homosexuals. Some clerics even call for the death penalty for homosexual couples. Any kind of discussion on the subject is considered an absolute taboo.