Iran denounces Orlando terror attack, ignores gay venue

At a June 13 news conference, a spokesman for Iran’s Foreign Ministry condemned the terrorist attack at an Orlando nightclub. “The Islamic Republic of Iran, based on its principles of condemning terrorism and its determination to completely and seriously confront this phenomenon, condemns the latest terrorist attack in Orlando,” said Hossein Jaber-Ansari.

The attack early June 12 by a man who reportedly pledged allegiance to the terrorist group Islamic State (IS) left 49 people dead and 53 wounded. The coverage by Iranian media of the shooting has been revealing, as the attacker targeted a gay nightclub. Homosexuality is illegal in Iran and is usually tried under the crime of sodomy, rape or adultery and usually carries the punishment of flogging and even possibly the death penalty. While Iran has outlawed homosexuality, it has a different view of transgender issues and even subsidizes sex change operations. Because of this, it has one of the highest sex change rates in the world.

Iranian media still has a complicated relationship with covering homosexuality. Kayhan newspaper, perhaps the country’s premier conservative outlet, put the attack on the front page of its June 13 edition. However, the newspaper did not mention that the attack was at a gay nightclub, an important distinction given that, according to family members, the attacker was motivated in part by hatred of homosexuals.

Vatan-e Emrooz, another well-known conservative outlet, acknowledged that the attack took place at a gay nightclub but used a derogatory term for homosexuals in its subheadline. Reformist Shargh Daily referenced that the attack was at a gay nightclub and used the correct term for homosexual. However, the divide cannot be broken down into a Reformist-conservative split. Reformist Ghanoon Daily wrote about the attack but did not reference that it was at a gay nightclub, while conservative Bultan News used the correct term for homosexual.