The diplomat celebrated “Wear It Purple Day,” a day for queer youth, on Instagram. Queerness is punishable by death in Iran.
Australia’s ambassador to Iran was called into the Islamic Republic’s foreign ministry in Tehran this week after sharing a post celebrating Wear It Purple Day on his embassy’s official Instagram account. Wear It Purple Day is an annual LGBTQ+ awareness day in Australia that celebrates young queer people.
“Let’s keep championing diversity and inclusion for a brighter, more inclusive future. 🤝 🏳️🌈,” the country’s account @australiainiran posted on Sunday in both English and Farsi. The text accompanied a photo of Ambassador Ian McConville posing in Tehran on the embassy rooftop alongside two staff members. They all wore purple clothing and accessories.
Iran’s semi-official ILNA news agency reported on Tuesday that the post was deemed “norm-breaking” by the Islamic government, according to Reuters. Iranian state media on Monday said it “promoted homosexuality.”
The country’s Mehr news agency, another semi-official government outlet, quoted the director of the Regional Department at the Iranian Ministry of Foreign Affairs as having “strongly condemned the action of the Australian embassy in posting such content that was against the accepted norms.”
