Ahmadinejad: no homosexuals in Iran

The controversial appearance of Iran's president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad at Columbia University has finally happened. Ahmadinejad's speech dealt with a variety of topics including sexuality. Here are some of the highlights from the speech.

Dear academics, dear faculty and scholars, students, I believe that the biggest God-given gift to man is science and knowledge.

Those in Iran are genuine true freedoms. The Iranian people are free. Women in Iran enjoy the highest levels of freedoms. We have two deputy vice -- well, two vice presidents that are female at the highest levels of speciality... Women are respected more than men are. They are exempt from many responsibilities.

In Iran, we don't have homosexuals like in your country. (Laughter.) We don't have that in our country. (Booing.) In Iran, we do not have this phenomenon. I don't know who's told you that we have it. (Laughter.)

President Ahmadinejad then goes to compare homosexuality to using drugs, killing with guns, and spreading microbes.

People who lead the lives -- cause the deterioration of the lives of hundreds of millions of youth around the world, including in Iran, can we have any sympathy to them?... People who violate the public rights ... are sentenced to execution in Iran.

Well, I don't think there is even a need to comment - there are no gays in Iran (they've been hung) and women are so free they are exempt from freedom (but are eligible for "stoning" benefit). That's president Ahmadinejad with an old friend.