It's not Christmas Eve everywhere. This Vocativ story by Sune Engel Rasmussen about what it's like to be gay in Iran is heartbreaking reading. The weirdest aspect of the story is how closely some of the scenes resemble gay life in America not so very long ago:

Around dusk, Maseratis, BMWs and the occasional Porsche circle the park; you don’t have to wait long to spot one of them slow to a halt and pick up a single man cruising the fringes. Most Iranian gay adults are in heterosexual marriages, and prostitution is the preferred way to have same-sex affairs. It also provides a tempting income, for gays and straights alike, in an economy beset by inflation and unemployment.

And though these types of in-person encounters are a way to elude virtual spies, they are still fraught with risk. The number of people with HIV has increased nine-fold over the past decade, the country’s health minister said last year—with an increasing number being infected through “high-risk sexual activities.” Plus, 70 percent of them are not even aware they are infected.

Go read the whole thing. And if you never read "Being Gay in Iran," the story we published written by a gay Iranian who was accidentally outed by a TV documentary, you really should.