( CNN ) They left Iran unwillingly , often in a hurry . It was for the best for these refugees . Iran is a difficult place to be gay or lesbian . Mahmoud Ahmadinejad , the former President of Iran , famously said during a 2007 trip to the United States , `` In Iran , we do n't have homosexuals , like in your country . '' Of course , they do live there , in fear of being discovered . Homosexuality is illegal . You can be executed if convicted of engaging in sexual acts . Kissing another person of the same sex can earn corporal punishment , like lashes . Others have been pressured to undergo gender reassignment . Psychologists in Iran have reportedly pushed LGBT patients toward hormone therapy and eventually surgery . Some flee the country before surgery , as do other homosexuals who believe they may be outed . Many come to Turkey , and the small town of Denizli is host to hundreds of gays and lesbians from Iran who are now in limbo . Photographer Laurence Rasti , the Swiss-born daughter of Iranian parents , flew from her home in Geneva , to Denizli to explore her fascination with identity issues in Iran . `` I could n't understand that in Iran ( homosexuality ) is n't accepted , '' she said recently by phone from Geneva . `` A lot of my friends are gay . And for me it was a huge cultural difference between Europe and Iran . '' Rasti , whose yearlong project was part of her studies at Ecole Cantonale d'Art de Lausanne , said that when she first went to Turkey , it was difficult to get people to pose . They did n't trust her motives , did n't trust strangers , she said . It was a process to become friends . She would talk to the potential subjects about their stories then discuss with them her ideas for what the photo would be like . `` I took a little part of their story to imagine a photograph , '' she said . There was another challenge . Social media . Follow @ CNNPhotos on Twitter to join the conversation about photography . `` It was a work about identity even though we do n't see faces , '' she said . She hopes the images will give back to each of these people the face that their country has `` temporarily stolen . '' Rasti , 25 , said once people understood her sincerity , and the anonymity of the project , they agreed to be photographed . Rasti , a photographer for four years , used her Mamiya 7 to give people a view into the spirit of these refugees . Despite their status -- they can not earn a living in Turkey and it take years to getting papers to go to a new country -- the refugees are still full of hope and love despite their rough lives , Rasti said . It 's even more remarkable , she said , when you consider how they never imagined having to flee the land they loved and then lie to their families , many telling their kin they left to pursue their studies . Most will eventually go on to a third country . Rasti said she remains friends with some of her subjects who now live in Canada . A few will return to Iran , hoping to keep their homosexuality a secret . Rasti hopes her photos spark dialogue . `` The reason I did this project is , I want use photos to talk about something that I think is important , '' she said . `` I wanted to let people know people know it is not unnatural . When people are afraid of something or do n't accept something , I think we should talk about it . '' Laurence Rasti is a Swiss-born Iranian photographer based in Geneva .
Homosexuality is illegal in Iran . Comment: Photographer Laurence Rasti traveled to Turkey to explore her fascination with identity issues .