Iran summons Australian ambassador over ‘norm-breaking’ pro-LGBTQ+ Instagram post

Australia’s ambassador to Iran has reportedly been summoned to the country’s foreign ministry after sharing a pro-LGBTQ+ post on Instagram.

The embassy shared the post to mark Wear It Purple Day, on Friday (30 August), a date that “strives to foster supportive, safe, empowering and inclusive environments for rainbow young people” in Australia.

“Celebrating ‘Wear it Purple Day’ with a splash of purple in every corner, and some delicious cupcakes made with love,” the post was captioned, showing Aussie embassy staff with suitably coloured cakes.

“Today, and every day, we’re dedicated to creating a supportive environment, where everyone, especially LGBTQIA+ youth, can feel proud to be themselves. Let’s keep championing diversity and inclusion for a brighter, more inclusive future,” the post went on to proclaim.

In response, Reuters reported, Ian McConville was summoned to the ministry in the capital Tehran, which labelled the post “norm-breaking”, and which “promoted homosexuality”.

The Iranian Labour News Agency quoted McConville as saying the post was not meant to be an insult to Iranian people or their values and the Islamic republic was not mentioned in the post, which remains live on the embassy’s Instagram account.

Homosexuality is illegal in Iran and same-sex acts between men are punishable by death, while women face the possibility of 100 lashes. There are no protections for LGBTQ+ people from discrimination, and conversion therapy is believed to be widely performed.

Last year, Nicolette Mason, the founder of the Iranian Diaspora Collective, a non-partisan, queer-led, multi-faith group, told PinkNews that the country’s younger citizens wanted “to be able to live freely like the rest of the world”.

Share your thoughts! Let us know in the comments below, and remember to keep the conversation respectful.

• Oct 11

National Coming Out Day: Every celebrity who’s come out as LGBTQ+ in 2024 so far