The International Gay and Lesbian Human Rights Commission (IGLHRC) has released a short video promoting upcoming graphic novel, ‘Yousef and Farhad’. The work revolves around the struggles of the two titular characters as gay men living in Iran.

‘Yousef and Farhad’ has been crafted by Algerian-American political cartoonist, Khalil Bendib, and Iranian-American author, Amir Soltani. Soltani’s previous work, ‘Zahra’s Paradise’, has been translated into 12 languages and received international acclaim for spawning the digital campaign ‘Zahra for President’, which raised awareness of human rights violations in Iran.

The 20 page novel follows Yousef and Farhad as they strive to find support after they are exposed as lovers, exiled from their homes by their families.

“The graphic novel, to be published in English and in Farsi, is a new approach to engage in a deeply emotional and personal conversation with the families of LGBT Iranians”, says executive director of IGLHRC, Jessica Stern.

“Through this highly engaging medium we hope to encourage greater acceptance by families struggling with the sexual orientation of their loved ones.”

Yousef and Farhad were chosen as the names for the protagonists as they have a rich history in Persian literature. The intention of the creators was to bring these historical names into a same-sex relationship to highlight that homosexuality is a part of humanity that has existed in all societies and cultures throughout time.

Watch the trailer for ‘Yousef and Farhad’ below;

Leigh Hill