Q&A: Shahs of Sunset star fights homophobia
Reza Farahan is one of the stars of
Shahs of Sunset, a reality show about the lives of rich Persians living in Beverly Hills (airing Sundays at 9 p.m. on OMNI Television). The show has the requisite pool partying and snarky fights about wardrobes. But Farahan is also an openly gay 38year-old Persian from a closed community who is hoping to stamp out homophobia. Farahan told the Star how it’s going. Here’s an edited version of the interview:
Q: How has your life changed since the show went on air?
A: I’ve gotten a lot of young, gay kids in the Persian community who have reached out to me on Facebook and Twitter, telling me how wonderful it is that we’re getting some exposure. That warms my heart beyond the show. That was my main goal going into the show. Q: Your main goal was awareness? A: That was the only reason to go on the show. Persians are very private people. It took a lot to convince my family to allow me to showcase our lives on television, but when I conveyed to them that my goal was to bring awareness to something I’m very passionate about — the rampant homophobia in (the Persian) community — my family got on board quickly after that.
Q: Has there been any negative reaction to the show?
A: There have been problems. My mother has cut some people out of her life who have spoken negatively about her son. There’s people telling her I should say this, I should say that on the show. For some reason, Persians feel like I was elected to represent them when in reality I only have an obligation to represent myself . . . I mean, President Obama doesn’t watch TV and think that Flavor Flav represents him. It’s disgusting that homophobia is still acceptable and still happens these days . . . Hopefully in a tiny way, by living my life out loud, I can help that.
Q: Have you made progress in the Persian community?
A: Some old-ass Persian man, like 80 years old, gets out of his Benz when I’m at Starbucks and rushes over and throws his arms around me and tells me that I’m his quote, unquote, “favourite character” on the show and to keep up the good work . . . That, to me, is wonderful. That, to me, is progress in our community. Q: How was it coming out? A: It was difficult. I was 21. My parents had to accept that I wouldn’t be leading the life they imagined for me. My mom was hysterical for two minutes. She collected herself and told me that she loved me and that she stood by me, and that things would never change and be beside me until the day she died.