February 27, 2008
State Subsidized Gender Reassignment Surgery, In Iran
In Foreign Policy:
Last fall, Passport noted that more sex-change surgeries are performed in Iran than in any other country except Thailand. Ayatollah Khomeini approved them for "diagnosed transsexuals" 25 years ago, and today the Iranian government will pay up to half the cost for those in financial need. Former FP researcher David Francis wrote, "In a country that shuns homosexuality, this makes perverse sense, as after a sex-change operation, one technically isn't attracted to one's own sex and therefore isn't gay."
For more, see here.
[H/t: Jonathan Kramnick]
Posted by Robin Varghese at 02:59 PM | Permalink
Comments
Pardon me, but I understood the salient fact of life for people needing sex change surgery was their feeling utterly stranded in a gender/body that could not possibly be right for them, that forced them to role-play every minute of every day. They are looking for relief from this condition, and a feeling of rightness and authenticity -- not a circuitous, painful and self-mutilating route to gay sex. Please don't tell me that Iranian transgender surgery candidates, unlike their counterparts elsewhere, are gay men who can't face up. I would be interested in knowing if Iranian women are considered fundable for this surgery, too. And if not, why not.
Posted by: Elatia Harris | Feb 27, 2008 3:17:11 PM
What motivates an individual candidate for surgery is not the same as what motivates the government policy. Perhaps there has been a fortunate misunderstanding. And yes, women are eligible.
Posted by: Zara Houshmand | Feb 27, 2008 4:02:49 PM
The Iranian government's policy on supoorting gender reassignment surgery seems to rest on a conflation between "sexual identity" and "gender preference".
These are not the same thing.
A man who identifies strongly as a woman is not necessarily therefore attracted to men. If this individual opts for gender reassignment surgery to become a woman, he may become a woman, who is still attracted to women.
Maybe, this, too, is a fortunate misunderstanding of the Ministry of Vice and Virtue. hmmm.. now that I have said this, should I post it?
Nah, 3QD cannot be that popular can it?
KB
Posted by: KB | Feb 28, 2008 12:04:52 AM
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