Rainbow Honor Walk Honoree Fereydoun Farrokhzad
Today, on the anniversary of his birth, we celebrate the life and legacy of Rainbow Honor Walk honoree Fereydoun Farrokhzad (October 7, 1936 – August 4, 1992).
An Iranian singer, actor, poet, writer, humanitarian, and pioneering television and radio personality, Farrokhzad became one of Iran’s most recognizable entertainers through his enormously popular variety program Mikhak-e Noghrei (The Silver Carnation), which helped introduce a generation of Iranian performers.
Farrokhzad lived openly and challenged prevailing attitudes toward homosexuality at a time when doing so carried enormous social risk. After the 1979 Iranian Revolution, he lived in exile in Germany and became an outspoken critic of the new government, advocating for a free and open society.
He was murdered in Bonn, Germany, on August 4, 1992. His killing remains officially unsolved, and he is remembered today as an enduring Iranian cultural figure and LGBTQ+ pioneer.
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