NEW YORK (AP) -- Mohammed is so tormented by the dangers facing gays
in his native Iran he talks of nightmares in which his family joins the
secret police to hunt him down.

   "If I went back to Iran, I'd be dead in a day," said Mohammed.

   The 32-year-old designer is one of a growing number of applicants
seeking asylum in the United States citing persecution in their native
countries for their sexual orientation. In Iran, the penalty for sodomy
is death by hanging or stoning.

   Mohammed, who agreed to discuss his case only on condition that his
name not be used, applied for asylum in April 1993 to avoid returning
to the Islamic republic.

   His is one of three test cases being pursued by the Lambda Legal
Defense and Education Fund, a gay-rights group, in an effort to ease
federal asylum rules for homosexuals. But the Immigration and
Naturalization Service says homosexuality does not give anyone an
automatic right to asylum.

   Lawyers handling such cases estimate that since the United States in
1990 repealed a law that excluded all homosexuals from immigration,
about 20 homosexuals have applied for sanctuary based on claims of
anti-gay persecution abroad.

   So far, only one person has received asylum based on sexual
orientation. Last month, an immigration judge in San Francisco granted
refuge to Brazilian Marcelo Tenorio, who, according to lawyers, said he
had been hunted down by anti-gay commando groups.

   That case does not necessarily set a precedent for other cases.

   Mohammed came to this country in 1984 on a work visa. That expired,
and he stayed on illegally. In April, he went to Lambda attorney Noemi
Masliah and agreed to become a test case for the gay asylum issue.

   Mohammed said that because he is a member of HOMAN, an international
Persian gay and human rights group, Iran's zealous clerics may know he
is homosexual.

   "I have nightmares about going back to Iran. Often I dream of my
parents becoming government agents and turning me in," he said.

   In addition to Mohammed, Lambda's test cases involve a Russian
lesbian in San Francisco and a Nicaraguan gay with AIDS in Texas.

   "Sexuality can't be changed. That notion is gaining increased
acceptance," said Masliah, who is on Lambda's board.

   If asylum is granted, the individuals would be able to seek
permanent residency. At that time, the Nicaraguan also would have to
seek a waiver of federal rules barring AIDS patients.

   "We brought these cases to reflect the full reality of the
persecution against lesbians and gay men," said Lambda attorney Suzanne
Goldberg.