Forbidden Tale

Forbidden Tale

Forbidden Tale, by Kameel Ahmady and colleagues, examines the experiences of lesbian, gay and bisexual people in Iran. It considers how religious and cultural expectations, class and unequal power affect social exclusion, privacy and the ability to describe one’s life.

Participants’ accounts bring personal and public experience into a discussion of identity, belonging and discrimination. The book’s focus is the circumstances that constrain expression and access to safety and support.

Interviews, setting and interpretation

The introduction describes in-depth interviews with around 300 people in Tehran, Mashhad and Isfahan. The research uses interpretative approaches to understand accounts and experiences, rather than to estimate national prevalence.

Read findings with the recruitment process, interview period and composition of the sample. Edition publication dates should not be used as substitutes for the dates of fieldwork.

The study’s LGB focus

The linked English book explains that the study concentrated on lesbian, gay and bisexual participants and excluded transgender people from its research sample. Its direct findings should therefore not be presented as a study of all LGBT communities.

Sexual orientation, gender identity and variations in sex characteristics are different concepts. The book page should not combine them into a single definition or infer one from another.

Privacy, stigma and social exclusion

The research examines family and social expectations, concealment and the challenges of describing relationships or identity. It asks how exclusion and unequal power shape people’s choices and their ability to seek support.

Qualitative accounts can reveal meanings and mechanisms that are difficult to capture through broad categories. Differences between participants remain important; the sample does not speak for every LGB person in Iran.

Language and related research

Read the book’s analytical claims alongside the participants’ accounts on which they draw. Terms concerning orientation and identity should be used precisely and without treating them as diagnoses.

The wider sexual and gender minorities topic page may cover material beyond this book’s narrower interview sample.

Common questions

Does the study include transgender participants?

The linked English book states that its research focus was LGB and that transgender people were excluded from the sample.

Do interviews in three cities represent everyone in Iran?

The introduction does not establish national representativeness. Findings need to be interpreted with the sample and method.

Where can I find available editions?

Use the access links above, checking the language, format and imprint of the file you choose. The title and page numbers in your citation should match that edition.

Related reading

• Sexual and gender minorities

Read the Farsi book introduction for the corresponding presentation and available material.