Iran's transsexuals: religiously acknowledged, but rejected

By Farshid Motahari Jan 21, 2007, 4:42 GMT

Tehran - Transsexuals have a tough life in Iran. Although they are acknowledged in religious terms, there is very little tolerance shown towards them by society, not even by their own families.

The young Iranian woman filmmaker Sharareh Attari made the highly controversial issue the main theme of her new documentary, It Sometimes Happens, which deals with the life of the young man Amir who undergoes the process of turning into a woman, Rima.

Even during his childhood Amir felt that he was not like other boys. In his teenage years, the religious Amir wrestled with his conscience as he thought he was gay due to his sexual preference for boys.

Eventually, however, he realized that physically and psychologically he was a woman and decided to undergo surgery to become Rima.

As soon as Rima went public with her decision, her father abandoned her. Even her mother stopped seeing her regularly and eventually abandoned her as well. Her sister, although tolerating her decision, preferred to avoid her so that she would not get into trouble with her husband.

Although Rima finally realized her dream of becoming a woman, her humble wish to have a husband and children and lead a normal life did not come true. Twice she fell in love, but both relationships came to an abrupt and bitter end after she told the two partners about her background.

At the end of the 42-minute film, we see her sitting in a cafe crying because she doesn't have a partner or children in her new life.

'I wanted to show that transsexuality is no sexual perversion but an anatomic necessity,' Attari said after a private showing of her film in Tehran.

However, the message of the film could not be conveyed to the public as despite receiving the permission of the highly conservative ministry of Islamic culture and guidance to make the film, a public screening has so far been prevented.

'Society is very prejudiced and is not ready yet for such a film. This would be too much provocation,' a ministry employee said.

Filmmaker Attari has fought hard for a public screening, but she has faced hurdles from various sides.

'But I keep trying as these people are part of our society and deserve to get public attention and lead better lives,' she said.

Despite societal prejudice, religious leaders in Iran have a rather liberal approach towards transsexuals.

The late leader of the Islamic revolution, Grand Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, issued a decree almost two decades ago declaring that being a transsexual was permissible for those who are at odds with their gender.

After her surgery, the religious Rima even visited an Islamic scholar in the city of Qom, which is considered to be the centre for Shiite clerics in Iran, to make sure that she had not interfered with God's will.

The cleric gave her his blessing and said that the clergy followed the decree of the late Ayatollah Khomeini in this regard and she should not be afraid of having manipulated God's will and not going to heaven.

Since then Rima prays, like all other Muslim women, wearing a chador, a long gown Islamic women wear to cover their bodily contours and hair.

Most transsexuals believe that a life in the West would be much easier for them due to the open-mindedness in Western societies.

'Once I was crying loudly in my bed and my father came, watched me crying and just ignored me and left,' said Shida, another transsexual.

'After all, regardless of whether I am a boy or girl, I am his kid, he made me, but ignoring his own flesh and blood shows that if you cannot get the understanding of your parents how can you expect any from strangers,' Shida said.

There are no precise statistics as to the number of transsexuals in Iran as many of them do not dare to go public with their problem.

'Just changing gender cannot be the ultimate aim because as long as you are not accepted by your own family - let alone society - how can you expect even a minimum of happiness,' said a woman who is currently going through the same process as Rima.

'I feel that God does not love us and sometimes I feel that a UFO has come and taken all the strange creatures to another planet but left us behind,' she added.