"Why Iran is a hub for sex-reassignment surgery" - The Economist

[PalatineUvula]

www.economist.com/middle-east-and-africa/2019/04/06/why-iran-is-a-hub-for-sex-reassignment-surgery

"It is not because the regime is liberal"

No shit, Sherlock.

Probably the TRAs will be calling them evil and transphobic again for daring to shine light on the 'progressiveness' of brutal theocratic regimes wanting to operate on people for being gay.

"the regime’s encouragement of sex-change surgery is related to its intolerance of homosexuality, which is a capital offence. Gay Iranians face pressure to change their sex regardless of whether they want to, say activists and psychologists in Iran. Therapists tell patients with same-sex desires that they may be transgender, not gay. “I thought I was trans until I was 18, because the only information online and in newspapers was about transsexuals,” says a psychologist in Tehran who is a lesbian. “It is a system where homosexuals are not educated and the law does not protect them.”

Transgender ideology being brutally homophobic? Say it ain't so.

It's compulsory gay conversion therapy, go trans or be murdered by the state.

I guarantee that none of the so called TRAs will come on this thread. Anything that indisputably undermines their argument is completely ignored.
There is no compassion for homosexuals in the Global South. That is why trans ideology is a decadent Western phenomena, a men's sexual rights movement in disguise.

"It's compulsory gay conversion therapy, go trans or be murdered by the state."

This shows the total ignorance of people in the UK, who have been "conditioned" by our press to demonise certain other countries.
One of my relations (on my wife's side) is gay and lives quite happily in Iran.
He obviously does not make a big thing about it, shout it from the rooftops, but he is a musician, he is intelligent and he travels around the World.
He loves Iran and he always returns there.
When we criticise countries such as Iran, we should look at our own part in shaping the history of those countries.
In 1953, the UK/US organised a coup in Iran, removing the nationalist prime minister Mossadegh, replacing him with the Shah who was basically a brutal dictator.
In 1978 there were demonstrations against the Shah all over Iran, which resulted in thousands of people being killed by the Shah's CIA/Mossad trained police - the Savaak.
In 1979 the West decided to persuade the Shah to step down, so that they could install a temporary ruler - either ayatollahs or a military junta.
So, Iran today is the direct result of our meddling and the ever present "law of unintended consequences".

markcurtis.info/2017/02/01/islamic-revolution-in-iran-cultivating-then-arming-the-ayatollah/

Not sure what our role in propping up shitty regimes has to do with the homophobia of state-sponsored transition.

I know in certain places they've attempted to blame 'colonial-era' anti-gay laws, but that doesn't apply here obviously as transitioning has been invented in the last few decades

Just wanted to add that it’s state-sponsored misogyny as well as homophobia - “sex-reassignment surgery” in Iran doesn’t happen the other way round. No way will the regime allow women to identify their way out of their oppression.

I was trying to point out, that the Iranian authorities do not go around executing people just because they are gay.

There seem to be various trials and executions

www.thedailybeast.com/irans-new-gay-executions
www.hrw.org/news/2005/11/21/iran-two-more-executions-homosexual-conduct

I suspect there are other charges in most cases of execution, not just homosexuality.

TundraDweller

It may surprise you to know that both men and women in Iran can have sex reassignment surgery.

www.buzzfeednews.com/article/lesterfeder/why-irans-mullahs-bless-sex-reassignment

Yes they are actively encouraged to have sex reassignment surgery, as being gay is not an option-awful.

That’s why so many of us see trans ideology as inherently regressive & homophobic.

andyoldlabour
If you read that Buzzfeed article, it says that getting gender reassignment surgery is very difficult and expensive; goverment promises to pay for surgery often don't materialise and there are many bureaucratic obstacles to getting a new gender ID. so much so that many gay Iranians prefer to leave altogether.
It also says that gays are still persecuted and oppressed in many parts of the country - regardless of whether or not they are still executed.

This shows the total ignorance of people in the UK, who have been "conditioned" by our press to demonise certain other countries.

No one is demonising the Iranians. They're saying the state is homophobic and violent. That's not arguable.

Male same-sex sexual activity
According to Articles 108 to 113, sodomy (lavāt) can in certain circumstances be a crime for which both partners can be punished by death. If the participants are adults, of sound mind and consenting, the method of execution is for the judge to decide. If one person is non-consenting (i.e., rape), the punishment would only apply to the rapist. A non-adult who engages in consensual sodomy is subject to a punishment of 74 lashes. Articles 114 to 119 assert that sodomy is proved either if a person confesses four times to having committed sodomy or by the testimony of four righteous men. Testimony of women alone or together with a man does not prove sodomy. According to Articles 125 and 126, if sodomy, or any lesser crime referred to above, is proved by confession and the person concerned repents, the judge may request that he be pardoned. If a person who has committed the lesser crimes referred to above repents before the giving of testimony by the witnesses, the punishment is quashed. The judge may punish the person for lesser crimes at his discretion.

Female same-sex sexual activity
According to Articles 127, 129, and 130, the punishment for female same-sex sexual activity (mosāheqe) involving persons who are mature, of sound mind and consenting, is 50 lashes. If the act is repeated three times and punishment is enforced each time, the death sentence will apply on the fourth occasion. Article 128 asserts that the ways of proving female same-sex sexual activity in court are the same as for sodomy. Article 130 says that both Muslims and non-Muslims are subject to the punishment. According to Articles 132 and 133, the rules for the quashing of sentences, or for pardoning, are the same as for the lesser male homosexual offenses. According to Article 134, women who "stand naked under one cover without necessity" and are not relatives may receive a punishment of 50 lashes.

"No one is demonising the Iranians. They're saying the state is homophobic and violent. That's not arguable."

No, I know that, but Iran is probably a lot better than the Gulf states where this is concerned.