This qualitative narrative inquiry of 12 first-generation, queer, Iranian-American women, examines how Iranian cultural, familial, and relational discourses affect feelings of “belonging”, and how defiances of being both LGBTQ and Iranian-American are handled. Employing grounded theory analysis (of online interviews), it is shown that queer Iranian-American women encounter cultural isolation feelings because of the homosexual identity delegitimization that is frequently pursued within the Iranian community. Participants manage by producing cultural reserve between themselves and the Iranian community when encountering this insulation. KEYWORDS: Queer, intersectionality, cultural invisibility, Iranian-American, family