Historically, Iran has not been a safe place for cisgender women and LGBTQIA+ individuals. But homosexuality has not always been a crime in Iran. Some folks might question the necessity for a space specifically for gay men, but it is clear from the recent sentencing of two Iranian activists that there is still a lot of contempt for anyone who is not straight and/or cisgender. Iran’s Supreme Leader Ali K called Western civilization “a new age of ignorance”, and referred to homosexuality as a “severe moral deprivation” in a televised speech, according to US News. A man named Mohamed that lives in the neighborhood of Tarasht, located within the city of Tehran, told LGBTQ Nation that the laws don’t stop folks from downloading apps like Bandoo and Grindr.