In a September 24, 2007 speech to Columbia University, Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad stated, “In Iran, we don’t have homosexuals.” Nearly two years later, Ahmadinejad was declared President for another term after a democratic election, but following this announcement, challenging candidate Mir Hossein Mousavi urged his supporters to peacefully protest a seemingly rigged election. For over a week, thousands of Iranian citizens have protested the election results, but there has been very little peace involved. Iran’s police force and militia groups the Revolutionary Guard and Basij have used violence to quell the voices of those who oppose Ahmadinejad, leading to 17 deaths and many more injuries resulting from gunfire, baton beatings and tear gas.

If anything, this suppression signifies a regime that will take any action to stay in power and enforce unfair treatment of its female and queer citizens while putting on a facade of democracy to keep citizens from rebelling. Even worse, other nations who support these protesters have been criticized for influencing the outcry and supposedly worsening the situation. This is simply a tactic of intimidation because we know that we cannot turn a blind eye to this problem and hope it is settled solely by the Iranian government. In a country that maintains laws punishing consensual homosexual acts between adults with death, we need to work to settle this dispute to have any success of rectifying the deplorable state in which LGBT individuals are made to live.

In London last Thursday, a protest of 700 people at the Iranian Embassy welcomed LGBT supporters who showed solidarity with the current unrest in Iran. We need to continue to show our presence in helping the people of Iran, whether through social networks, blogs and news articles or by organizing protests and calling on our government to speak out about this very important moment. We also must remain vigilant; supporting justice for an entire country of people is necessary and especially pertinent in this context, but supporting justice for a minority community will remain a secondary issue unless we continue to speak out against discrimination and violence against the LGBT community worldwide. Show solidarity now and demand solidarity always.

Election Day 2008 is upon us. In Illinois, there’s only a half-hour left to vote, so make sure you put your bid in. For those readers in California, make sure to vote on Proposition 8 (preferably “No”). Propositions in Arizona and Florida are also up to vote; make sure your thoughts on all these issues are reflected in your votes.

The 27th Annual Reeling Film Festival, a Chicago-based event for LGBT and allied filmmakers, kicks off on Thursday, November 6th with the feature film Breakfast with Scot at Piper’s Alley (1608 N. Wells Street). The festival continues for 11 days, until November 16th, at six Chicago theater locations. This international event is held annually in conjunction with Chicago Filmmakers, and this year’s showcase is more diverse than ever with representations in over 70 fiction and documentary films depicting queers from myriad backgrounds.

The Gay Liberation Network will be holding a protest on Saturday, November 8th from 5:30 PM to 7:30 PM at 1 W. Wacker Dr., outside the Renaissance Hotel, in response to the Museum of Broadcast Communication’s induction of James Dobson to their radio hall of fame.