Exploring homosexual identity through anonymity

By Steve Almasy, CNN

Updated 1610 GMT (0010 HKT) April 29, 2015

Homosexuality is illegal in Iran. Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, the former President of Iran, famously said during a 2007 trip to the United States, "In Iran, we don't have homosexuals, like in your country." For a year, photographer <a href="http://www.laurencerasti.ch" target="_blank">Laurence Rasti</a>, photographed gay and lesbian Iranian refugees in Denizli, Turkey.
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Homosexuality is illegal in Iran. Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, the former President of Iran, famously said during a 2007 trip to the United States, "In Iran, we don't have homosexuals, like in your country." For a year, photographer Laurence Rasti, photographed gay and lesbian Iranian refugees in Denizli, Turkey.
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Rasti said that when she first went to Turkey, it was difficult to get people to pose. They didn't trust her motives, didn't trust strangers.
Photos:
Rasti said that when she first went to Turkey, it was difficult to get people to pose. They didn't trust her motives, didn't trust strangers.
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2 of 10
Once people understood her sincerity, and the anonymity of the project, they agreed to be photographed, she said.