Breaking the Silences about Non-hetero Female Sexuality in Saghi Ghahraman’s Poetry

Abstract

ABSTRACT Born in Iran, Saghi Ghahraman, an Iranian poet, lives in exile in Canada currently. Ghahraman founded Gilgamishaan Books, and founded and operated the Exiled Writers Club for two years. Zhe has been running the Iranian Queer Organization (IRQO) since 2008. In this paper analyzing hir non-phallocentric, multilayered, and non-linear poetry, I contend that Ghahraman rewrites androcentric history within the public sphere of cyberspace, pushing back against the attempts to mute queer sexuality and desire within Iranian culture. My main goal here is to illustrate that Ghahraman gives voice to the historically unthinkable and unspeakable issue of veiled Iranian women’s bodies and voices breaking the deafening silences concerning the multiplicity of gender identities and sexualities. In this way, not only does Ghahraman assert hirself and hir desire, but zhe also liberates others who have been subjected to this historical silencing and suppression of their voices.