Homan: A Space for the Iranian LGBTQ Community
In a recent episode of Periodically Queer, a new podcast on LGBTQ+ print media and community-building by ONE Archives Foundation, host Erik Adamian took listeners on a journey to learn about Homan, an organization and magazine formed to advocate for the rights of Iranian LGBTQ+ people living abroad.
Between 1991 and 2002, the Sweden-based organization published 18 print issues of Homan Magazine, and Homan Los Angeles organized, printed, and distributed the magazine worldwide. Adamian spoke with Albert Maghbouleh and Payam Ghassemlou, co-founders of Homan Los Angeles, about their efforts to support the LGBTQ Iranian community worldwide and confront homophobia within the larger Iranian community.
"As someone who's of Armenian-Iranian descent and identifies as queer, this magazine holds a lot of personal significance for me," says Adamian. "Talking to Albert and Payam made me feel like I was able to connect with the legacy of Homan, for putting Iranian homoerotic content, gender expressions, and everything LGBTQ on paper, before the time I was coming of age. I've never felt this way before, and I'm eager to share with you how this conversation unraveled my sense of self, identity, and place within the larger queer community."
Albert shared the story of bringing Homan with him on a trip to Iran, reflecting on the risks he took to distribute the magazine in the 1990s and early 2000s. Payam spoke out about the importance of LGBTQ+ representation in creating visibility and hope for future generations.
Keep scrolling for a closer look at Homan Magazine, and listen to Episode 2 of Periodically Queer to learn more.
Follow ONE Archives online on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.
1999 Homan Cover
Credit: Cover Image, Homan, 1999, Vol. 1, No.15, ONE Archives at the USC Libraries.
This 1999 cover of Homan features a color illustration of a nude individual posing on a pedestal. Text in Persian and English appear, along with the Homan logo, which places double women signs and double men signs within an outline of Iran and the upside-down pink triangle symbol.
1996 Homan Cover
Credit: Cover Image, Homan, June 1996, No.10/11, ONE Archives at the USC Libraries
Magazine cover in color featuring two femme figures in formal dress posing together.
1996 Homan Cover
Credit: Cover Image, Homan, June 1996, No.10/11, ONE Archives at the USC Libraries
The June 1996 cover of Homan features a yellow tapestry of two kneeling individuals: "Two sprightly friends, two gallons moreover of wine that has long been stored, A leisure hour, a page to muse on, a nook on the verdant sward."
2000 Homan Cover
Cover Image, Homan, Spring 2000, No.16, ONE Archives at the USC Libraries
The Spring 2000 cover of Homan features a color photograph of a francophone youth with a "IRAN, etre homosexuel = application de la charia flagellation peine de mort par lapidation" sign.
2000 Homan Cover
Credit: Cover Image, Homan, Spring 2000, No.16, ONE Archives at the USC Libraries
This 2000 cover of Homan features two masculine individuals holding hands while laying on grass underneath a rainbow graphic overlaid with Farsi script.
2001 Homan Cover
Credit: Cover Image, Homan, Spring 2001, No.17, ONE Archives at the USC Libraries
This 2001 cover of Homan features three black-and-white photographs of panelists at a conference.
2002 Homan Cover
Credit: Cover Image, Homan, Winter 2002, No.18, ONE Archives at the USC Libraries
This 2002 Homan cover features a black-and-white photograph of a youth resting against columns and bordered by tapestry curtains.
1998 Homan Cover
Credit: Cover Image, Homan, July 1998, No.13, ONE Archives at the USC Libraries
The 1998 cover of Homan features a black-and-white photograph of marchers holding signs in protest of Iran's anti-LGBTQ laws.
1998 Homan Cover
Credit: Cover Image, Homan, July 1998, No.13, ONE Archives at the USC Libraries
The July 1998 cover features a black-and-white photograph of marchers holding a sign of the Homan logo and another that reads "Homosexuella Avrattas I Iran."
1999 Homan Cover
Credit: Cover Image, Homan, Winter 1999, Vol.8, No.14, ONE Archives at the USC Libraries
The Winter 1999 cover features a square illustration of a royal figure surrounded by six attendants.
1999 Homan Cover
Credit: Cover Image, Homan, Winter 1999, Vol.8, No.14, ONE Archives at the USC Libraries
The cover features a red-and-black illustration of King Hormuzd IV with attendants by Mirza Baba, 1789-90.
2002 Inner Spread (Photos)
Credit: Magazine spread, Homan, Winter 2002, No.18, ONE Archives at the USC Libraries
This spread from the Winter 2002 issue of Homan magazine features striking photographs of various community members.
1996 Inner Spread (Collage)
Credit: Magazine Spread, Homan, June 1996, No.10/11, ONE Archives at the USC Libraries
This spread from the June 1996 issue of Homan magazine features a cut-and-paste collage of overlapping nude bodies partially censored by black strips of paper. The opposing page lists the names and addresses of various human rights and LGBTQ organizations.
1999 Inner Spread (Script)
Credit: Magazine spread, Homan, 1999, Vol.1, No.15, ONE Archives at the USC Libraries
This spread from the 1996 issue of Homan magazine features Farsi script and a black-and-white illustration of individuals interacting in nature.
