Iranian Queers: More than victims or symbols

Since Iranian President Ahmadinejad famously said "There are no homosexuals in Iran," in a speech at Columbia, opponents of the Iranian government have worked hard to put and keep the situation of Iranian LGBT people in the front of our consciousness. But we seldom hear the voices of Iranian queers themselves, who have a more nuanced and complex reality than that portrayed in the Western media. Simin Yahaghi talks with Dr. Sima Shakhsari, professor of Ethnic and Gender Studies at U.C. Berkeley. Audio, 25 mins.