Queering Iran, digitally: Implicit activism and LGBTQI+ dating on Telegram

The Iranian state is notorious for its heteronormativity and policing regime in online and offline spaces. The question of how queer Iranians ‘survive’ this inquisitive and intrusive regime of surveillance and control has attracted scholarly interest across disciplines. The existing studies complicate the picture and show that queer spaces, practices, and performances survive despite the extensive control. Digital spaces have presented an opportunity for Iranians of all genders and sexualities to identify, express, and perform
non-mainstream and unruly genders and sexualities. In this research, I explore a Persian-language Telegram channel used as an ‘LGBT [sic]’ dating platform. I use a combination of content analysis and cyberethnography to explore the content of the Telegram channel and the nature of interactions therein. The paper will present findings on how this Telegram channel is used primarily to find dating partners and how implicit forms of LGBTQI+ solidarity manifest themselves through its content. Data shows that, despite the strict control of cyberspace, queer spaces appear online, and implicit activism leaks into public spaces through everyday digital interactions of queer Iranians.