Iran Allows Sex-Change Operations

[Emit]

I was reading from an Iranian news source, came across this recent linked article, and was struck by the last sentence about Iran's approach toward transgender people. I had no idea this was the case.

Gay Iranians have hidden lives
Published: Sept. 29, 2007 at 10:02 PM

TEHRAN, Sept. 29 (UPI) -- Gay Iranians simply hope to be left alone in a country where homosexuality can be punished by death, The New York Times reported Saturday.

“You can have a secret gay life as long you don’t become an activist and start demanding rights,” a Tehran resident named Reza, who did not want his full name used, told the newspaper.

Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, speaking at Columbia University in New York this week, provoked laughter in the audience when he asserted there are no homosexuals in Iran. ... While Iran may be tough on homosexuality, the country is comparatively gentle toward transgender people, regarding them as sick. The government encourages sex-change operations.

http://www.upi.com/NewsTrack/Top_News/2007/09/29/gay_iranians_have_hidden_lives/2547/



More info:

Iran Allows Sex-Change Operations
Iran is a curious country: it's ruled by conservative Islamic values and religious beliefs, but in some ways and at some times it appears almost liberal in comparison to other Muslim nations - and even when compared to America's Christian Right. Currently, they have not only allowed sex change operations, they are paying for them

The New York Times reports:

After decades of repression, the Islamic government is recognizing that some people want to change their sex, and allowing them to have operations and obtain new birth certificates. ... (T)hese days, Iran's Muslim clerics, who dominate the judiciary, are considerably better informed about transsexuality. Some clerics now even recommend sex-change operations to those who are troubled about their gender. The issue was discussed at a conference in Tehran in June that drew officials from other Persian Gulf countries.

One cleric, Muhammad Mehdi Kariminia, is writing his thesis on transsexuality at the religious seminary of Qum. "All the clerics and researchers at the seminary encouraged me to work on the subject," he said in an interview. "They said that my research can help change the social stigma attached to these people and clarify religious decrees on the matter.

People who can’t get the operations still suffer, and there is the problem that women have a lower status in society so those with the desire are looked down upon for that reason. The situation is by no means perfect — but can you imagine something like this happening in the context of America’s Christian Right? Qum is the center of Iranian theology and is dominated by very conservative clerics. If a thesis comes out of there, it must have at least the tacit approval of the highest levels of Iran’s religious orthodoxy. Can you imagine something like this coming from the Vatican or the Christian Coalition?
~snip~

http://atheism.about.com/b/a/102969.htm


edit typo