Outputs
The main outputs of the NQIfFM project include a documentary, a co-authored book, a poetry collection, four journal articles, and a database.
We will also produce a research brief for NGOs, immigration organisations and policy-makers on how to better support queer Iranians in their journeys to safer locations.
This section will be updated throughout the life of the project and after its formal end. If you would like to hear about our publications, please follow us on our social media channels.
Documentary
The Other Place
To find out more about the making of The Other Place documentary, you can read "The Other Place: A Journey of Suffering, Resistance, and Creativity".
Book
Decolonising Queer Migration: Perspectives of Iranians in Exile (provisional title)
The project's co-authored book should come out with Bristol University Press in 2026.
More information will be added here in due course.
Poetry Collection
Rainbows on Rugged Terrains: Poetics of Queer Iranians in Exile
This collection features poetry from queer Iranians in exile in Turkey, the UK, and Canada. These poems are the outcomes of group workshops, whether in person or remotely, and vividly portray the participants’ experiences of persecution and discrimination based on their sexual orientation, gender identity or sex characteristics, both in Iran, which they were forced to leave, and in the countries of transition or resettlement.
This bilingual collection presents poems side by side with their translations. The pieces in this collection offer a diverse array of experiences reflecting the journeys of queer Iranians from Iran to their current places of residence, whether temporary or permanent. These experiences encompass themes of rejection, deprivation, isolation, fear, forced migration, uprootedness, displacement, suspension, non-belonging, loss, despair, and yearning for inclusion, home, love and security. The means of expression employed include poetic imagery, metaphor, simile, allegory, wordplay, and figurative language.
You can buy a paper copy or download a free digital copy from the publisher's website here.
Journal Articles
Tbc
Tbc
Tbc
Other outputs
Sima's Story
A podcast
Sima left Iran more than ten years ago and has been living in Turkey since then. In this podcast, she reflects on how she sees her sexuality and gender. She tells us about her experiences of oppression and boundaries, but also of fluidity and liberation.
This is Sima's journey through and across identities.
Sobhan's Story
A podcast
پس از تحمل سختیهای فراوان در ایران، سبحان، پناهجوی کوییر ایرانی که اکنون در کانادا زندگی میکند، همچنان مقاوم و امیدوار است و خود را وقف کمک به سایر افراد کوییر کرده است. این پادکست بهطور مختصر و تأثیرگذار داستان زندگی سبحان را روایت میکند و به چالشهایی که با آنها روبهرو شده و بر آنها غلبه کرده است، میپردازد.
Mani's Story
A podcast
Mani, a Toronto resident, shares his story and lived experiences as a gay man whose coming out journey was deeply intertwined with activism. Despite initial challenges and pessimism, Mani initiated a political movement advocating for gay rights. This podcast tells Mani's story—a narrative of resilience and resistance.
Saghi's Story
A podcast
In this podcast, Saghi Ghahraman, founder of the Iranian Queer Organization (IRQO) in Toronto, shares the challenges faced in supporting Iranian queer refugees in Turkey. Though now dissolved, IRQO played a pivotal role in resettling hundreds of Iranian queer refugees in Canada. This is Saghi’s story—a story of resilience and dedication to caring for the Iranian queer community.
Submission in reply to UN IE on SOGI's "Call for Input: Protection against violence and discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity in relation to forced displacement"
The UN Independent Expert on sexual orientation and gender identity issued a "Call for Input: Protection against violence and discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity in relation to forced displacement" late 2024. Submissions were meant to contribute towards a thematic report to the 59th session of the United Nations Human Rights Council, dedicated to an exploration of forced displacement as it relates to real or perceived sexual orientation or gender identity (SOGI). The NQIfFM project made this submission in reply to the call.
An intersectional approach to LGBTIQ+ Iranian refugees in the United Kingdom
A blog post
Deborah Faudoa Rodríguez, from the National Autonomous University of Mexico (UNAM), collaborated with the NQIfFM project in 2022 through the International Junior Research Associate (IJRA) scheme at the University of Sussex. During her placement, Deborah supported the project's bibliographic research and literature review. Deborah also produced this blog piece exploring 'An intersectional approach to LGBTIQ+ Iranian refugees in the United Kingdom'.