Forbidden Tale

Forbidden tale: A comprehensive study on lesbian, gay and bisexual (LGB) in Iran was written by Kameel Ahmady, a British Iranian social researcher and anthropologist, and published by Mehri Publishing House in 2020 in London. The book is based on Ahmady's research from 2017 to 2018, which aimed to investigate the challenges and attitudes towards the Iranian transgender and homosexual community. The book later become available in Persian, Kurdish, French, Spanish, and English.

The book and its research method
Ahmady and his colleagues conducted this research to examine the circumstances and living conditions of LGBT+ individuals in Iran. This research was part of Ahmady's ongoing study on gender and social harm, which he has been conducting for several years. The research took place over a period of 18 months, between 2017 and 2018, in the three major cities of Tehran, Isfahan, and Mashhad.

This study involved conducting detailed interviews with over three hundred individuals who identify as part of the LGBT community in Iran. Of those interviewed, 60% identified as male and 40% identified as female. The study does not encompass all gender and sexual identities. The research aims to examine the challenges faced by the LGBT community in Iran due to the changing gender relations and interactions in the present era. Additionally, the study offers theoretical frameworks and scientific methodologies to readers, LGBT individuals, universities, research centres, public and social activists, and students to provide a better understanding of LGBT issues in Iran.

The primary objective of this research project is to gain insight into the experiences and beliefs of queer individuals by critically analyzing their perspectives. The study aims to understand the challenges faced by this community as a result of living in a society that is religious, class-oriented, traditional, and patriarchal, which queer individuals reject as part of their identity. The researchers, led by Ahmady and his colleagues, view the marginalization and repression of this social group as a driving force that motivates them to raise awareness about their situation. They believe that society has neglected and marginalized queer people structurally, and they seek to shed light on their plight.

Forbidden Tale used phenomenological, hermeneutic, and interpretive approaches for analyzing data. Its distinctive characteristic is its exclusive concentration on LGBT individuals, particularly those who identify as transgender with both male and female gender aspects. The study explores their existence without any financial incentive.

The arrest of the author of the book
The book also studies Iran's judicial and legal system, which is based on Islamic Sharia law. According to Sharia law, any sexual relationship between unmarried men and women is considered a criminal act that is punishable under the law. Additionally, Sharia law prohibits the expression of non-heterosexual orientations, including homosexual orientations. Due to these restrictions under Iranian law, the book was unable to be published within Iran. Instead, it was first published outside of Iran by Mehri Publishing House in London. The book's content, which discusses heterosexual and homosexual tendencies, would likely be censored in Iran where such topics are banned from publication.

In 2018, Iranian and international media reported that Kameel Ahmady was arrested by Iranian security agencies. In 2019, Ahmady was put on trial and sentenced to 9 years and 3 months in prison on various charges, including "supporting and promoting homosexuality". This charge specifically referred to Ahmady's research on the status of homosexuals in Iran. While Ahmady was imprisoned and interrogated in Evin Prison, his research on this topic was published by Mehri Publications in London. Ahmady's imprisonment and the charges against him appear to be related to his work investigating homosexuals' experiences in Iran, where such topics are banned. He spend over 100 days in interrogation before released on heavy bail. After the conviction he managed to escaped on foot over mountains and return to UK.

Reprint of the book
Forbidden Tale was published in Persian by Mehri Publishing House in London. It was later published in English, French, Spanish, and other languages by Avaye Buf and Lambert Academic Publishing and a Kurdish version was published by Daneshfar Publishing in Erbil, Iraq. Over the past few years, the book has been made available to readers in multiple languages in both print and electronic formats.