Gay Iranian Poet Requests Asylum in ‘Republic of Tel Aviv’

Payam Feili, 30, a gay Iranian poet who fled Tehran two years ago after he was arrested for being gay has requested asylum in the Jewish state.

Feili has been living in Turkey since 2014, and arrived in Israel two months ago to see his novella, “I Will Grow, I Will Bear Fruit … Figs,” staged as a Hebrew-language play in in Tel Aviv, a city known for its openness toward gays.

Now Feili, who is not Jewish, bears a Star of David tattoo on his neck.

In an interview with the AP, Feili said he became fascinated with Israel as a child after watching films about the Holocaust.