June is LGBTQI+ Pride month, a month that promotes self-affirmation, dignity, equality, and visibility of lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender people, fights back against the shame and stigma that was used to oppress queer identities for most of modern history, and there is still much work to be done understanding intersex and non-binary gender identities.The first Pride, of course, was actually a riot. The Stonewall riots, in 1969, were in response to decades of mistreatment of and brutality by police, and the following year, people marched through the streets of New York to commemorate the one year anniversary of the riots. And so began the 50+ year struggle for equal rights under the law.

Today, the LGBTQ+ community is still under unprecedented attack. The recently leaked draft SCOTUS ruling that effectively plans to overturn Roe v. Wade also expressly set its targets on marriage equality. Furthermore, hundreds of anti-trans bills have been passed in Republican-controlled state legislatures across the country.

As we celebrate our first Pride month as the newly-formed Iranian American Democrats of California, it’s important to recognize intersectionality in the Iranian community, and the many queer Iranians who make up the fabric of our society and our state. We’re here. We’re queer. And we’re Persian.

In Iran, queer people are still murdered merely for being who they are, and in our communities, queerness is sometimes still considered taboo, which is why celebrating our queer brothers and sisters is more important than ever.

As the first Iranian American president of the Stonewall Democrats, and the Regional Chair of IADC representing Los Angeles, I hope you will join Stonewall for several of our upcoming Pride events, whether you identify as queer or not.

Info for West Hollywood Pride Parade, 6/5: