Passionate uprisings

by Pardis Mahdavi

There is perhaps no place in the world today where the stakes of partying are higher than in present-day Iran. Drinking and dancing can lead to arrest by the morality police and up to 70 lashes. Consequences for sex outside of marriage can be even more severe. But even under the threat of such harsh punishment, a sexual revolution is taking place. Iranian youth continually risk personal safety to meet friends, date, and, ultimately, to have sex. In the absence of any option for overt political dissent, young people have become part of a self-proclaimed revolution in which they are using their bodies to make social and political statements. But there are other risks--the sexual revolution is also leading to increased levels of abortion, HIV/AIDS, sexually transmitted diseases, and ongoing emotional troubles, with worrying implications for Iranian society at large.--From publisher description.