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Transsexuals in Iran
Jun. 3rd, 2009 08:55 amI watched Transsexuals in Iran last night. It was so, so sad.
Iran has the second highest number of transsexual operations in the world, after Thailand. The reason for this is the theocratic government approving the operation as a way of "standardising" people who want to sleep with their own gender. As a solution it leaves a lot to be desired.
The documentary followed three young (about 20) men, who were thinking of having male-to-female transitions. One woman was also shown being interviewed about a female-to-male operation. Of the three men, perhaps one genuinely wanted to change gender. The others were both feminine looking men who had been bullied to the point that they'd dropped out of school, couldn't get jobs and just wanted it all to stop. And the only available options for them were to keep being bullied but retain the support of their families, dress as women and risk being harassed and arrested by the religious police and vigilantes or have this operation, become women legally and be safe from harassment, but lose all contact with their families. Homosexuality, after all, is punishable by death in Iran and transsexuals are more acceptable than gays.
Two of the three went ahead with the operation. One retained the support of her family and her boyfriend (although he was looking dubious towards the end - then again, her mother was trying to pressure him into marrying ASAP!) and was happy with the outcome. One was disowned by her family (from a small village - her father had previously tried to kill her with rat poison), was working as a "temporary wife[1]" and was extremely depressed. The third, who was a friend from the same village, had decided to live illegally as a woman in Tehran (after seeing the effects of the operation on her friend), and retained some limited (phone only - don't come here) contact with her family.
It was so terribly sad. All I could think was that if anyone had grounds for asylum, it was the two from the village. Because they weren't transgender. They were just gay, growing up in a small village in a theocracy and very confused and afraid. One of them (the one who proceeded with the operation) was from a strongly religious background, as evidenced by the father's prayer mark and comments along the way ("Doing it from behind is a serious sin") and could seriously just see no other way out. He didn't want the operation. He just wanted the bullying to stop.
I would be interested to know what the suicide rate in post-transsexual operatives in Iran. Because given the lack of support shown for them afterwards (a state radio show was doing a story at the same time and the interviewer asked "but these 'women' - surely any man marrying them would have to have strong homosexual tendencies?") I'd have to imagine it's pretty high.
So unnecessary, and so very sad.
[1] gotta love hypocrisy. Prostitution is illegal, but you can be my temporary wife for an hour and it's all OK.
Iran has the second highest number of transsexual operations in the world, after Thailand. The reason for this is the theocratic government approving the operation as a way of "standardising" people who want to sleep with their own gender. As a solution it leaves a lot to be desired.
The documentary followed three young (about 20) men, who were thinking of having male-to-female transitions. One woman was also shown being interviewed about a female-to-male operation. Of the three men, perhaps one genuinely wanted to change gender. The others were both feminine looking men who had been bullied to the point that they'd dropped out of school, couldn't get jobs and just wanted it all to stop. And the only available options for them were to keep being bullied but retain the support of their families, dress as women and risk being harassed and arrested by the religious police and vigilantes or have this operation, become women legally and be safe from harassment, but lose all contact with their families. Homosexuality, after all, is punishable by death in Iran and transsexuals are more acceptable than gays.
Two of the three went ahead with the operation. One retained the support of her family and her boyfriend (although he was looking dubious towards the end - then again, her mother was trying to pressure him into marrying ASAP!) and was happy with the outcome. One was disowned by her family (from a small village - her father had previously tried to kill her with rat poison), was working as a "temporary wife[1]" and was extremely depressed. The third, who was a friend from the same village, had decided to live illegally as a woman in Tehran (after seeing the effects of the operation on her friend), and retained some limited (phone only - don't come here) contact with her family.
It was so terribly sad. All I could think was that if anyone had grounds for asylum, it was the two from the village. Because they weren't transgender. They were just gay, growing up in a small village in a theocracy and very confused and afraid. One of them (the one who proceeded with the operation) was from a strongly religious background, as evidenced by the father's prayer mark and comments along the way ("Doing it from behind is a serious sin") and could seriously just see no other way out. He didn't want the operation. He just wanted the bullying to stop.
I would be interested to know what the suicide rate in post-transsexual operatives in Iran. Because given the lack of support shown for them afterwards (a state radio show was doing a story at the same time and the interviewer asked "but these 'women' - surely any man marrying them would have to have strong homosexual tendencies?") I'd have to imagine it's pretty high.
So unnecessary, and so very sad.
[1] gotta love hypocrisy. Prostitution is illegal, but you can be my temporary wife for an hour and it's all OK.
