The difficulties of being gay in Iran According to a new UN report, gays who come out in Iran do so at their own peril. Their only recourse is often political asylum. Attitudes toward the LGBT community in the Islamic Republic could be described as extremely hostile Police in Iran enter a young man's apartment looking for signs of "misconduct." They rummage through his laundry and check his computer. The young man, who goes by the name of Sahand, stands accused of violating the laws of the Islamic Republic — a relative reported him to police after finding him in bed with another man.